Senior Buyer
Company: OPTIMAL BALANCE PHARMACY LLC
Role summary
Senior Buyer is a full-time role at OPTIMAL BALANCE PHARMACY LLC in Houston, Texas, United States (on-site). Posted 2026-11-03. Experience level: 2-5.
- Job title
- Senior Buyer
- Company
- OPTIMAL BALANCE PHARMACY LLC
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Work arrangement
- on-site
- Employment type
- full-time
- Category
- Healthcare Support
- Experience level
- 2-5
- Date posted
- 2026-11-03
You’ll have the chance to take real ownership of the supply chain at a rapidly expanding national pharmacy. It’s a perfect fit if you enjoy fast-paced environments where your work directly impacts how a growing company delivers critical medications to patients across the country.
Job description
This is an opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the purchasing and material-planning function within one of the fastest-growing compounding pharmacies in the country.
Over the past few years, we have grown from a local compounding pharmacy into one of the fastest-growing national compounding operations in the country.
Today, Optimal Balance Pharmacy has over 200 employees, is licensed in 35 states with additional states in process , supports a nationwide sales organization of more than 70 sales representatives working directly with physicians and medical practices, and offers more
than 250 compounds across our formulary.
And we're just getting started.
Our ambition is to build Optimal Balance into one of the largest and most recognized compounding pharmacy brands in the country . Reaching that level will require an entirely new level of operational infrastructure, leadership, technology and discipline.
We are looking for an experienced Buyer / Procurement Planner who will take ownership of purchasing, material availability, inventory planning, and supplier coordination across our pharmacy operations.
This is not simply a purchase-order processing position.
The person in this role will be expected to understand our production needs, anticipate demand, identify supply risks before they affect operations, and ensure our compounding teams have the materials and supplies they need to meet production requirements.
What You'll Own
Purchasing & Supplier Management
Purchase APIs, excipients, components, packaging materials, laboratory supplies, operational supplies, and other materials required by the pharmacy
Manage purchase orders from creation through receipt and resolution
Develop strong working relationships with existing suppliers while identifying qualified alternative sources
Negotiate pricing, lead times, minimum order quantities, payment terms, and other commercial terms
Track outstanding orders and aggressively resolve delays, shortages, backorders, and discrepancies
Identify opportunities to reduce purchasing costs without compromising quality or reliability
Maintain accurate supplier, pricing, lead-time, and purchasing information within company systems
Inventory Planning
Maintain appropriate inventory levels based on prescription volume, production requirements, supplier lead times, and expected demand
Establish and continuously improve reorder points, minimum/maximum inventory levels, safety stock, and purchasing quantities
Analyze historical usage and current demand to anticipate future material requirements
Identify potential shortages before they disrupt compounding or fulfillment
Monitor slow-moving and aging inventory to minimize expiration, waste, and unnecessary working capital
Partner with inventory and receiving teams to investigate and resolve inventory discrepancies
Develop contingency plans for critical materials with long lead times or limited supplier availability
Production & Demand Planning
Work closely with compounding leadership to understand upcoming production requirements
Translate prescription and production volume into material purchasing requirements
Ensure materials are available before scheduled production begins
Identify supply constraints that could prevent the pharmacy from meeting production goals
Support new compound and product launches by coordinating sourcing, purchasing, lead times, and initial inventory requirements
Adjust purchasing plans as prescription volume and product demand change
Quality & Compliance
Work closely with Quality and Compliance when onboarding or changing suppliers
Purchase materials only from approved and appropriately qualified suppliers
Maintain complete and accurate purchasing and supplier documentation
Support traceability of APIs, excipients, components, and other materials
Assist with documentation requests related to audits, inspections, investigations, recalls, and supplier issues
Escalate supplier quality concerns, documentation deficiencies, or material discrepancies immediately
Reporting & Accountability
Develop and maintain reporting around:
Material availability
Critical shortages
Open purchase orders
Supplier lead times
Supplier on-time delivery
Inventory levels
Inventory turns
Expiring inventory
Stockouts
Purchase-price variance
Cost savings
Supplier performance
Provide leadership with visibility into current supply risks and recommended actions.
What Success Looks Like
Success in this position means our compounding teams are not discovering material shortages when they are ready to produce .
You are planning ahead.
You understand what we're using, what we're likely to need, what's on order, what's delayed, what's at risk, and what alternatives are available.
The right person will help OBP build a procurement operation that becomes increasingly predictable, data-driven, scalable, and proactive as the company grows.
Qualifications
3+ years of experience in procurement, purchasing, inventory planning, supply planning, or a Buyer/Planner position
Experience in pharmaceutical, compounding pharmacy, healthcare, manufacturing, biotechnology, medical device, or another regulated environment strongly preferred
Strong understanding of purchasing and inventory-management principles
Experience working with ERP, MRP, inventory-management, or purchasing systems
Strong analytical and Excel/data-analysis capabilities
Experience managing vendors and negotiating commercial terms
Ability to analyze consumption, lead times, inventory levels, and purchasing requirements
Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-growing environment where priorities and demand can change quickly
Strong communication skills and ability to work across Procurement, Operations, Compounding, Quality, Finance, Receiving, and Inventory teams
Preferred Qualifications
Experience purchasing p