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Position Description – Director, Materials Management

Our highly prestigious client, Children’s Hospital & Research Center at Oakland (CHRCO), located in Oakland, California, is the oldest, largest, busiest and most comprehensive children’s hospital between Los Angeles and Seattle. The Hospital is a separately governed, free-standing facility.

Founded in 1912, Children’s Hospital & Research Center at Oakland meets the medical, developmental, and psychological needs of all children, from premature infants to teenagers, with expertise in 30 pediatric subspecialties from adolescent medicine to urology. With a staff of 2,200+ employees specially trained to care for children, CHRCO serves as both a regional referral center and a medical safety net for East Bay children, with more than 176,000 visits each year from patients from throughout California as well as other states and countries.

Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) is among the nation’s top ten pediatric facilities in terms of Federal funding. Close collaboration between clinical and research services at Children’s has resulted in advances in the treatment of cancers, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, AIDS/HIV and many other life-threatening diseases. CHORI researchers have contributed significantly to the understanding of the human response to vaccines and to the impact of nutritional deficiencies, drug use, and environmental toxins on birth defects. Ongoing studies into the molecular mechanisms of atherosclerosis, obesity, asthma, and diabetes benefit children worldwide.

The Hospital has the largest pediatric intensive care unit in Northern California, the only pediatric emergency department and the only designated pediatric trauma center between Los Angeles and Seattle. The 47-bed intensive care nursery is the State-designated regional referral center for high-risk newborns in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

The Outpatient Center is the only freestanding pediatric outpatient center in Northern California. The Hospital works closely with community physicians to bring pediatric expertise to outlying areas through satellite offices. The Hospital has two Foundations that raise funds to help support these specialized services and programs.

Our client’s annual revenue is approximately $150 MM, it controls assets of nearly $180MM and operates on a net margin of 2.8%. The balance sheet and other operating ratios indicate that it is in a strong financial position. The organization’s income is a combination of standard medical reimbursement by the State and Federal Governments, private payors, grants and donations.

The Management

Underlying the management team's skill-set is a passionate, deep-seeded and visionary commitment to excellence, innovation and growth. The style of management and the organizational culture of excellence are deeply rooted in teamwork and mutual support. The commitment of the management team to the mission, which is “Kids”, is outstanding and highly effective in keeping the management and staff focused on the big picture. To complement the management team an individual must be able to blend their individual success into that of the entire team and share in the commitment and the satisfaction of taking care of very sick children.

Key management individuals work together in Cluster Groups, which allows them to focus the combined resources of the organization on particular challenges by working together and sharing resources. The level of teamwork and support within and among the cluster groups is extraordinarily high and remarkably effective. This group of managers, with their collaborative style and complete commitment to the mission, is the heart of the organization’s success.

Position Description

The Director of Materials Management Reports to the Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for the overall direction of providing supplies, equipment, and services in the most cost-effective manner consistent with Children’s Hospital’s high standard of patient care. The Director of Materials Management is responsible for planning and directing operations, fiscal accountability, staffing, communication, staff development and effective leadership. Additionally required to be in compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities

Coordinate the activities of the Purchasing, Storeroom, Mail/Messenger and Printing/Duplicating departments.
Ensure that supply inventories are maintained at the most cost-effective levels while meeting the supply requirements of the Hospital.
Screen and select reliable vendors.
Negotiate competitive prices/contracts for supplies, services, maintenance and equipment with the overall objective of reducing the Hospital’s non-labor expenses.
Experience with materials management information systems (MMIS), as well as experience with MMIS implementation.
Establish departmental goals and objectives and communicate them to Materials Management staff. Monitor compliance and report results on a quarterly basis to the Chief Financial Officer.
Prepare annual expense and revenue budgets and monitor performance on an ongoing basis.
Investigate budget variances and report such variances on a monthly basis.
Develop working relationships with Accounts Payable and General Accounting to ensure accuracy of purchases and timely payment of vendors within payment terms.
Ensure that all purchases have an audit trail that is in compliance with established policies and procedures.
Participate on committees, CQI teams, and meetings for coordination/facilitation of activities at the department and Hospital level.
Apply disciplinary process accurately and consistently for violations of Hospital policies and procedures.
Identify learning needs of staff and provide opportunities for development and enhancement of skills.
Ensure the departmental staff is in compliance with their specific departmental and Hospital competencies.
Demonstrate advanced level problem-solving skills and decision-making abilities.
Actively participate in continued professional growth by continuing education and involvement in professional organizations.
Actively prepare for and participates in JCAHO/State survey activities for the department and Hospital.
Hire Materials Management personnel and orient them to Hospital and departmental policies and procedures.
Monitor and control all contracted services to ensure budgetary compliance and quality of services being provided.
Ensure that the staff are evaluated on a timely basis.
Ensure that supply shortages, back orders, and/or recalls are communicated to users.
Ensure on-going communication and working relationships with all patient care departments.
Conduct Materials Management Committee meeting on a monthly basis and serve as Co-Chair.
Coordinate all group purchasing activities and ensure on-going use and compliance with group contracts and programs.

Experience and Background

Previously proven experience and expertise in a line management position and education commensurate with the demands of the position.
Minimum 2-year college degree; 4-year college degree preferred.
Minimum of 5 years Materials Management experience, preferably in an acute care hospital environment as a manager or purchasing agent.
Professional certification preferred: Certified Purchasing Manager.
Must be in good physical condition to meet the demands of an active position.
Able to pass employee physical prior to employment.
The Director of Materials Management is required to have a vehicle and valid driver’s license since the office of the Manager is located offsite from the Main Hospital campus.

Personal Style and Character Traits

The Director of Materials Management is a key position in the organization. The successful candidate must have the following skills:

Excellent Communication Skills, both written and oral: The successful candidate's communication style should be direct, but not confrontational. He or she must be able to clearly articulate financial planning functions to all levels of the organization. The successful candidate must be a good listener. He or she must have the ability to get a complete understanding of the user needs, prioritize those needs and clearly communicate the action timetable to the users in a level of communication that they require.
Sense of Urgency: The successful candidate will possess a high energy level, which allows them to react to situations quickly and decisively, possessing self confidence to be assertive when taking a position, not being afraid to make decisions.
Image and Presence: The successful candidate will have significant exposure to customers and industry constituents. As such, he or she must project the appropriate image for the Company.
Accountability: He or she should be a results oriented team player who leads by example, holds him or herself accountable for performance, takes absolute ownership, and champions all aspects of the program.
Indomitable Work Ethic: The successful candidate will reject setbacks and will enthusiastically persist until ambitious goals are achieved. He or she will be resourceful and innovative at managing the day-to-day operations of the department, as well as gaining support and understanding for future systems deployments, enhancements and capabilities.

The Opportunity

As a nationally respected children’s hospital, the CHRCO will continue to serve as a major referral center for pediatric care in Northern California. Therefore, maintaining a reputation as a leading-edge provider with extraordinary staff, technology and services, and maintaining the level of excellence and respect that it has earned, is especially critical and essential to our client’s future. An effective and results oriented individual will thrive in this environment.

This position offers the right person an opportunity to work in an innovative environment. The Director of Materials Management will have an opportunity to significantly grow his/her direct experience and knowledge of the industry and position themselves to meet future career challenges with a broad and noteworthy experience base.

Compensation

The compensation plan is based on a competitive base salary commensurate with the experience and the demonstrated accomplishments of the successful candidate, and will reflect the opportunity at the Hospital. The organization has an excellent employee benefits package, including medical coverage, a dental plan, life insurance, and a 403 b program.