Overview of the role
Bestway Healthcare UK is looking for a commercially astute and strategically driven Generics Purchasing Manager to lead end to end supply chain activity across our generics portfolio. Reporting to the Head of Generics, you will take full ownership of supplier management, purchasing, stock performance, and cross functional collaboration (HSC, Lexon & BCS teams) to ensure efficiency, profitability, and service excellence across the business
This is a high impact leadership role requiring a hands on approach and the ability to drive performance across teams and suppliers.
Main Responsibility
- Take ownership of the end-to-end generics supply chain including suppliers, ordering, deliveries, and stock-related issues
- Lead and develop purchasing and supply chain strategies that support the Generics function
- Build and maintain strong supplier partnerships, negotiating pricing, rebates, and commercial terms
- Ensure all purchasing activity delivers profitability across Wholesale and Retail margins (Silver, Bronze, Vanilla suppliers)
- Manage the buyers who manage the Silver , Bronze and Vanilla suppliers, while directly handling a key Platinum supplier
- Oversee performance of the offshore Buying Assistant team, ensuring alignment and resolving operational issues
- Collaborate closely with BCS, HSC, and Lexon teams to improve performance and operational efficiency
- Work with Finance to manage payment terms, credits, and resolve financial queries
- Drive stock availability across depots, ensuring demand is met through accurate forecasting and supplier engagement
- Monitor market trends, NHS Drug Tariff changes, and concession pricing to optimise margin and minimise risk
- Identify and mitigate supply chain risks, ensuring continuity of supply through proactive planning
- Lead and deliver cross-functional projects across IT, stock, regulatory, and finance
- Optimise inventory levels and improve systems, data, and operational processes
- Ensure compliance with MHRA, GDP, and internal quality standards
- Represent the Generics function in internal meetings, resolving issues and improving service to Well stores
Leadership & Management:
- Lead, coach, and develop Buyers and BCS team members to drive high performance and accountability
- Ensure strong negotiation practices, including face-to-face supplier engagement
- Support and deputise for the Head of Generics when required
The Ideal Candidate
- Experience leading and developing high-performing teams
- Proven experience in a senior procurement or buying role within pharmaceuticals, generics, or a regulated healthcare environment
- Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering margin improvement, cost savings, and rebate optimisation
- Advanced negotiation skills with experience managing strategic supplier relationships
- Strong understanding of supply chain, demand planning, and inventory management principles
- Experience implementing IT systems and improving data driven decision making
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, complex environment
Well are proud to be a diverse and inclusive employer. If you have any specific requirements, we'll do everything we can to support you. Whether it is to find a pharmacy that is accessible, or if it is a part time position you are looking for, we can help find the role that is right for you. If you need us to make any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process, we will be happy to accommodate you.
Please be aware that due to the high number of applications we receive it may not be possible for us to provide an outcome to all applicants. If you are not contacted within 28 days of your submission unfortunately you will have been unsuccessful.
Package Description
- Competitive salaries
- Company car
- Excellent training & development opportunities
- Paid Holidays
- Workplace pension scheme
- Staff Discount
- Travel Loans and more…
About the Company
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to take a leadership role within a dynamic and growing organisation, where you can shape strategy, drive performance, and make a real impact across the generics supply chain.
For over 70 years, we’ve been looking after the health and wellbeing of communities across the UK. Well Pharmacy (part of Bestway Healthcare) is the second largest pharmacy chain in the UK with c.760 pharmacies and a team of around 7,000 colleagues based across our Community Pharmacies, Online Pharmacy, Healthcare Services Centre, Community Drivers, Bestway Medhub & Wardles team and our Support Centre team.
Our mission is to be here for the wellbeing of our patients and customers, to provide the best community pharmacy experience in the UK for everyone, for our patients, our customers, our people, and our NHS.
The pharmacy of the future will look very different from the one we know today. It will play a huge role in transforming primary healthcare and we will play a central role in bringing it to life.
We will use our clinical expertise and technological ambition to take advantage of the potential this future has to offer us. Making medicines, advice, services and care available in the places and spaces that people need and want it most.
We want to be a great business. To be recognised as delivering a community pharmacy experience that is the best there is. To do this we want our teams to feel proud about the positive impact they make, feel valued as part of a close-knit and expert community, and feel confident in their role in a business that is stable, innovative, and caring.
‘Together we make a difference’
