Pharmacy Procurement Specialist

Job role

• The Pharmacy Procurement Specialist will be responsible for planning, coordinating, and managing the procurement of medicines and pharmaceutical supplies at AMCE, ensuring their timely availability, quality, safety, cost-effectiveness, and compliance with applicable regulatory standards.
• The role holder will also oversee pharmacovigilance activities, including adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting, medication safety surveillance, and the identification and mitigation of medication-related risks.
• The role will ensure the effective integration of pharmacovigilance insights into procurement processes, supplier evaluation, pharmaceutical product selection, and formulary management, thereby promoting informed decision-making, strengthening medication safety, and supporting the delivery of safe, effective, and uninterrupted patient care.

Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities
Pharmaceutical Procurement Planning and Sourcing:

• Develop and execute medicines and pharmaceutical supply procurement plans based on clinical demand, consumption trends, approved budgets and formulary requirements.
• Coordinate purchase requisitions, quotations, product comparisons, purchase orders and order tracking in line with AMCE procurement procedures and delegated approval limits.
• Work with clinical teams and pharmacy leadership to forecast requirements, establish reorder priorities and prevent disruptions in medicine availability.
• Evaluate product specifications, registration status, quality, therapeutic suitability, pricing, total cost and delivery capability before recommending procurement decisions.
• Coordinate sourcing of critical, specialised and high-risk medicines, identifying suitable approved alternatives where supply risks arise.

Supplier Evaluation, Contract and Cost Management:

• Support supplier prequalification, due diligence, performance reviews and evaluation of pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and vendors.
• Monitor supplier quality, delivery reliability, lead times, pricing, product authenticity and responsiveness to product complaints or recalls.
• Identify cost optimisation opportunities through competitive sourcing, demand consolidation, prudent purchasing and reduction of waste without compromising medication safety.
• Maintain accurate procurement documentation, supplier performance records and price comparisons to support transparent and auditable decisions.

Pharmaceutical Inventory and Supply Continuity:

• Collaborate with pharmacy stores and inventory teams to monitor stock levels, minimum/maximum thresholds, consumption, expiry exposure and stock-out risks.
• Coordinate timely receipt and verification of medicines against purchase orders, including quantity, batch, expiry, product integrity and required storage conditions.
• Support cold-chain controls, traceability, appropriate storage, quarantines, returns and the safe handling of recalled, defective or expired medicines.
• Investigate supply discrepancies and recurring stock issues and implement corrective actions with relevant stakeholders.

Pharmacovigilance, ADR Reporting and Medication Safety:

• Continue to coordinate the identification, documentation, assessment, follow-up and timely submission of suspected ADRs in accordance with AMCE procedures and applicable NAFDAC requirements.
• Maintain accurate, complete and confidential pharmacovigilance records and coordinate escalation of serious or urgent medication safety concerns.
• Monitor medication safety alerts, adverse event patterns, quality defects, product recalls and other emerging safety signals, and communicate relevant findings promptly.
• Collaborate with clinical, nursing, quality and pharmacy teams on medication incident investigations, root-cause assessments and appropriate risk minimisation measures.
• Provide pharmacovigilance awareness and guidance to relevant staff, encouraging consistent identification and reporting of suspected ADRs.

Integration of Drug Safety into Procurement and Formulary Decisions:

• Use ADR trends, safety alerts, recall history, product quality complaints and clinical feedback to inform product selection and supplier evaluations.
• Provide evidence-based medication safety input into formulary reviews and Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee discussions, within approved governance arrangements.
• Recommend procurement holds, supplier escalations, product substitutions or additional risk controls where substantiated safety concerns are identified, subject to required approvals.
• Monitor safety performance for newly procured, high-alert or high-risk medicines and follow through on agreed mitigation actions.

Regulatory Compliance, Quality Assurance and Stakeholder Engagement:

• Verify relevant medicine registration, supplier authorisation and procurement documentation requirements and escalate identified compliance gaps.
• Ensure procurement and pharmacovigilance practices align with AMCE policies, applicable Nigerian regulatory requirements and approved professional standards.
• Participate in procurement and medication safety audits, maintain traceable records and coordinate closure of identified corrective actions.
• Develop and review applicable procurement–safety procedures, reporting workflows and cross-functional escalation protocols.
• Prepare periodic reports on procurement performance, supply risks, ADR reporting, supplier quality and actions taken, for pharmacy leadership and relevant committees.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm) or Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD), with valid professional registration and a current licence to practise as a pharmacist in Nigeria.
• Demonstrable knowledge of hospital pharmacy procurement, pharmaceutical supply chain management, inventory control, and related pharmacy operations.
• Demonstrable knowledge of pharmacovigilance principles, adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting, medication safety surveillance, and pharmaceutical risk management.
• Working knowledge of NAFDAC regulatory requirements, pharmaceutical quality assurance standards, supplier evaluation, procurement procedures, and relevant governance frameworks.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, and the use of pharmaceutical procurement, inventory management, pharmacy information, and electronic ADR reporting systems.
• Strong analytical, organisational, planning, negotiation, supplier relationship management, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, documentation, report-writing, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with multidisciplinary teams and internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to exercise sound clinical and commercial judgement in pharmaceutical sourcing, product evaluation, procurement decisions, and medication safety management.
• High standards of professional integrity, confidentiality, attention to detail, and adherence to ethical procurement practices and regulatory requirements.