Lead Materials Coordinator

JOB SUMMARY
The Lead Materials Coordinator at North Mississippi Health Services is responsible for ensuring inventory for the assigned clinical department is maintained in a budget-compliant, organized, and efficient manner to support quality patient care. In addition to coordinating inventory management activities, this role serves as a departmental lead resource, providing day-to-day guidance and support to team members, coordinating special projects, leading performance improvement initiatives, and serving as the department's designated backup supervisor. The Lead Specialty Materials Coordinator assists with operational oversight, supports regulatory readiness, collaborates with leadership on strategic initiatives, and functions as a liaison between staff, clinicians, vendors, and management to promote efficient department operations and continuous improvement.
JOB FUNCTIONS
Leadership and Department Support

• Functions as the department lead by providing day-to-day guidance, training, mentoring, and operational support to staff.
• Assists with coordination and oversight of daily department operations to ensure workflow efficiency and compliance with organizational standards.
• Serves as the designated backup to the Supervisor and assumes supervisory responsibilities during planned or unplanned absences, including coordinating workflow, resolving operational issues, and communicating critical information.
• Serves as a subject matter expert regarding inventory systems, supply management processes, and department operations.
• Assists with onboarding, training, competency validation, and ongoing staff development.
• Provides recommendations to leadership regarding process improvements, operational efficiencies, and resource utilization.
• Leads assigned departmental projects and supports organizational initiatives to improve operational performance, service, quality, and efficiency.
• Promotes teamwork, accountability, collaboration, and effective communication throughout the department.
  Inventory
• Receives, stocks, issues, and reorders replacement items for assigned clinical department inventory.
• Receives all incoming supplies to assigned clinical department, checks items against packing slips to ensure accuracy, and reports any deficiencies and/or damages immediately.
• Moves incoming supplies to their proper storage locations and rotates stock according to policy.
• Generates issue orders to departments in PeopleSoft as supplies are used and creates requisitions to reorder stock, ensuring appropriate operational inventory levels.
• Assists staff in the orderly organization of supplies on shelves, par carts, and other storage areas to maintain a clean, safe working environment.
• Assures equipment is accounted for and maintained in working order.
• Monitors inventory performance metrics and identifies opportunities to improve inventory accuracy, reduce waste, and optimize supply utilization.
• Coordinates implementation of inventory-related process improvements and best practices.
• Assists in troubleshooting inventory and supply issues and serves as an escalation resource for staff.
  Customer Service
• Meets with sales representatives to discuss equipment and capital needs and obtain quotes.
• Works with vendors to resolve pricing discrepancies, negotiate costs, and facilitate purchase orders.
• Maintains positive relationships with internal customers and external vendors to support departmental goals and service excellence.
  Communication
• Communicates equipment needs, maintenance requirements, and equipment failures to the appropriate departments, vendors, Supervisor, Nurse Manager, and Department Director.
• Communicates departmental priorities, procedural updates, and operational changes to staff as directed by leadership.
• Collaborates with clinicians, leadership, finance personnel, supply chain staff, and vendors to resolve operational challenges and improve service outcomes.
• Serves as a liaison between staff and leadership to facilitate effective communication and problem resolution.
  Budget
• Assists with budget management by reviewing materials, options, costs, and opportunities to reduce waste within the department.
• Assists with budget management by obtaining quotes, evaluating replacement schedules, and submitting capital requests.
• Directs the annual inventory process, performs data entry, and prepares reports for management review.
• Supports financial stewardship through analysis of supply utilization, product standardization opportunities, cost-saving initiatives, and waste reduction efforts.
• Assists leadership in evaluating and implementing operational improvement opportunities that support departmental and organizational financial goals.
  Performance Improvement and Projects
• Leads and participates in departmental and organizational performance improvement initiatives designed to improve quality, patient safety, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinates and completes assigned departmental projects, including process improvement initiatives, product conversions, inventory optimization efforts, workflow redesign, and technology implementations.
• Collects, analyzes, and presents operational data to support project objectives and departmental decision-making.
• Monitors progress of improvement initiatives and communicates outcomes to leadership and stakeholders.
• Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement and recommends solutions to enhance departmental effectiveness and efficiency.
  Regulation
• Prepares assigned department for DNV standards and other applicable regulatory requirements.
• Assists leadership in maintaining ongoing regulatory readiness and may serve as a departmental lead during surveys, audits, and accreditation activities.
• Ensures inventory and operational processes remain compliant with organizational policies and regulatory standards.