Organisation Name : Sunzeal Medical Private Limited

Position - Assistant Manager Operations Pharmacy & Laboratory

Deputation - Pushpalata D Y Patil Hospital, Ambi, Pune

POSITION OVERVIEW The Assistant Manager Operations Pharmacy & Laboratory is a critical operational role responsible for ensuring seamless functioning of pharmacy and laboratory departments. This role bridges clinical care delivery with supply chain efficiency, managing inventory, vendors, staff, and patient care requirements.

The role requires exceptional problem-solving, strong stakeholder management, and proactivity to anticipate issues before they impact patient care. The incumbent serves as the primary interface between doctors, nursing staff, pharmacy personnel, lab technicians, and senior management, escalating critical issues daily with clear action plans.

2. DETAILED KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 PHARMACY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT a) Daily Pharmacy Operations Oversight

- Conduct morning rounds in pharmacy areas (primary and dispensing counters) to review overnight activities, pending orders, and stock levels
- Monitor medicine dispensing processes and verify accuracy against doctor prescriptions and patient requirements
- Ensure pharmacy staff adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) for drug storage, temperature control, and handling protocols
- Review pharmacy software/system entries for accuracy and timeliness of data entry
- Attend daily operational huddles with pharmacy team to discuss pending activities, blockers, and priorities
- Maintain a log of pharmacy activities including inbound/outbound medicines, stock movements, and staff conduct

b) Medicine Inventory Management & Control
- Maintain optimal stock levels for scheduled medicines, emergency medications, and critical care drugs across all units
- Conduct tri-weekly physical stock counts in pharmacy and reconcile against system records within 48 hours
- Implement FIFO (First-In-First-Out) rotation policy to minimize expiry and ensure patient safety
- Monitor expiry dates on all medicines maintain expiry tracking log and schedule disposal 30 days before expiration
- Identify and flag slow-moving items and high-cost medicines for management review and cost optimization
- Track daily medicine consumption trends and flag unusual deviations (excess usage indicating possible pilferage or dispensing errors)
- Maintain bin cards for all high-value medicines with clear documentation of in/out transactions
- Create monthly inventory aging report highlighting stock held beyond 90 days for clearance decisions

c) Pilferage Prevention & Security
- Conduct surprise stock verification checks in pharmacy areas, especially after off-hours
- Review pharmacy access logs and identify any unauthorized personnel or unusual access patterns
- Implement control measures such as password changes, cabinet locks, and staff ID verification
- Interview staff periodically on pilferage prevention and conduct awareness sessions on consequences
- Track medicine shortage incidents and conduct root cause analysis (prescription vs. theft vs. system error)
- Maintain a confidential log of suspected pilferage incidents and escalate immediately to HOD and management
- Coordinate with hospital security and management for investigation of significant losses
- Monitor high-value and controlled substances (antibiotics, pain medications, vaccines) with stricter audit trails

2.2 LABORATORY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT a) Daily Lab Operations & Quality Assurance

- Oversee daily laboratory operations including specimen collection, testing protocols, and quality control measures
- Ensure lab technicians follow SOPs for specimen handling and testing accuracy
- Monitor quality control (QC) reports daily and flag any test failures or equipment malfunctions immediately
- Conduct daily review of lab turn-around time (TAT) for common tests and escalate delays affecting patient care
- Ensure lab equipment maintenance schedules are met and service records are maintained
- Monitor lab temperature, humidity, and storage conditions for reagents and samples
- Verify that all lab reports are issued within defined TATs (typically 24 hours for routine tests)
- Maintain daily lab operations log documenting test volumes, equipment downtime, and quality issues

b) Laboratory Consumables & Reagent Management

- Maintain optimal stock of lab reagents, test kits, specimen containers, and quality control materials
- Track reagent shelf life and ensure timely rotation and disposal of expired materials
- Monitor reagent performance through QC data and flag batches showing inconsistent results
- Conduct monthly lab consumables consumption analysis to identify trends and cost optimization opportunities
- Maintain reagent storage conditions (temperature, light exposure, humidity) as per manufacturer specifications
- Create and monitor lab consumables stock levels to avoid stockouts affecting test availability
- Prepare lab consumables procurement requirements based on usage trends and anticipated demand

2.3 MATERIAL & GOODS SUPPLY COORDINATION a) Vendor Coordination & Delivery Management

- Maintain ongoing communication with all pharmacy and lab vendors for timely and complete deliveries
- Schedule vendor delivery slots to avoid congestion and ensure smooth warehouse operations
- Track vendor performance on key metrics: on-time delivery, quality, and responsiveness to issues
- Conduct vendor performance reviews (monthly or quarterly) and escalate chronic underperformers to procurement
- Coordinate with vendors on pricing negotiations, bulk discounts, and favorable payment terms
- Address vendor quality issues immediately and document all complaints with follow-up actions
- Maintain vendor contact list with primary and backup personnel for seamless communication
- Escalate critical shortages or delivery failures to vendor management hierarchy for immediate resolution

b) Goods Inward Process & GRN Management
- Inspect all incoming goods against purchase orders (PO) verify items, quantities, pricing, and expiry dates
- Conduct quality checks on medicines and consumables ensuring proper packaging, labeling, and storage conditions




- Flag discrepancies immediately: missing items, wrong items, damaged goods, or quantity shortages
- Ensure GRNs are punched into C-Square ERP system within 24 hours of goods receipt (target: same-day punching)
- Maintain documentation trail for all goods inward including PO, delivery challan, and GRN reference
- Create discrepancy log for all goods receipt issues with vendor name, date, items, and resolution status
- Follow up on pending discrepancy resolutions and track closure dates
- Maintain warehouse organization to prevent mixing of old and new stock

2.4 DOCTOR & STAFF COORDINATION & ISSUE RESOLUTION a) Daily Clinical Liaison & Stakeholder Engagement

- Conduct morning rounds with doctors, ward nurses, and pharmacy staff to understand daily requirements and challenges
- Maintain an open-door policy for clinical staff to report issues related to medicine availability, quality, or equipment
- Schedule regular (bi-weekly) meetings with doctors, nursing leads, and lab heads to discuss performance and improvements
- Gather feedback on service quality, medicine stock, and lab turnaround times from end users
- Address minor issues on the spot; escalate significant concerns to management with recommended solutions
- Maintain professional relationships while establishing explicit accountability and responsibility boundaries
- Communicate operational constraints and supply chain timelines to set realistic expectations with clinical staff

b) Issue Identification & Escalation Process
- Maintain comprehensive issue log documenting all reported problems with date, reporter name, issue description, severity, and action plan
- Categorize issues by severity: Critical (affecting patient care immediately), High (affecting operations within 24 hrs), Medium (routine), Low (minor)
- Conduct immediate investigation for critical issues such as: medicine stockouts, quality defects, equipment failures, or billing discrepancies
- Perform root cause analysis using 5-Why methodology to identify underlying causes rather than symptoms
- For critical issues, escalate to management within 2 hours of identification with detailed background and recommended decisions
- Maintain communication log for all escalations, decisions, and outcomes for audit trail
- Close issue loop by confirming problem resolution with the original reporter

c) Conflict Resolution & Collaborative Problem-Solving
- Mediate between clinical staff requirements and supply chain constraints with pragmatic solutions
- When medicine/material unavailable, work with clinical team to identify alternatives or adjust patient care plans (under doctor guidance)
- In case of billing discrepancies, investigate jointly with accounts team and clinical staff to ensure accurate and fair resolution
- Address staff grievances related to inventory, quality, or service issues with empathy and transparency
- Document and resolve disagreements between departments through structured discussions focusing on problem, not people
- Escalate persistent conflicts between departments to management for strategic resolution

2.5 IMPLANTS & CATHLAB MATERIALS MANAGEMENT a) Implant Inventory & Billing Accuracy

- Maintain detailed implant inventory log with serial numbers, batch numbers, expiry dates, and costs
- Implement FIFO rotation for implants to minimize obsolescence and ensure patient safety
- Conduct monthly implant stock verification and reconcile against system records within 48 hours
- Verify that all implants and cathlab materials used are properly charged to respective patient bills
- Conduct daily cross-check between materials issued and patient billing entries to identify missing charges
- Investigate billing discrepancies and escalate missing charges immediately to accounts department
- Generate monthly implant/cathlab material billing variance report highlighting lost revenue opportunities
- Coordinate with finance team on recovery of missed charges from previous months

2.6 DAILY REPORTING & ESCALATION a) Daily Operational Report Submission

- Prepare and submit Daily Operational Report by 5:00 PM daily to Head of Operations
- Report must be submitted in prescribed format with all required sections completed
- Highlight all critical issues identified during the day with clear description, impact, and actions taken
- Include inventory status summary (current levels of critical items, any stockouts or low-stock alerts)
- Provide vendor coordination updates (pending deliveries, quality issues, delays)
- Report on GRN status (GRNs punched today, pending punching, discrepancies identified)
- Document all staff coordination meetings and issues discussed
- Flag actions requiring management decision or approval
- Ensure report is clear, concise, factual, and free of vague language

b) Critical Issue Escalation (Immediate)
- For critical issues (e.g., stockout of critical cardiac medicines, quality defect in lab reagent, major billing discrepancy), escalate immediately by phone/message to HOD
- Do not wait for daily report for critical issues provide verbal report first, followed by written documentation
- Critical escalation should include: issue description, severity/impact, recommended action, and urgency timeline
- Maintain escalation log showing time of escalation, person contacted, issue, and response received
- Follow up on critical issue escalations until resolution confirmation is received

2.7 PROCESS IMPROVEMENT & COST REDUCTION a) Continuous Process Improvement

- Identify workflow inefficiencies in pharmacy operations, lab operations, and inventory management
- Document current processes through process maps and identify waste/redundancy
- Propose process improvements with expected benefits (time saving, cost saving, quality improvement)




- Pilot improvements on small scale before organization-wide implementation
- Measure improvement impact and document lessons learned
- Target minimum 3-4 improvement projects per quarter with measurable ROI

b) Cost Optimization & Vendor Negotiation
- Conduct quarterly cost analysis of pharmacy and lab consumables against budget and industry benchmarks
- Identify high-cost items and analyze unit cost trends month-on-month
- Negotiate with vendors for better pricing on high-volume items or multi-year contracts
- Consolidate purchases with fewer vendors to achieve bulk discounts
- Track and report cost savings realized from price negotiations and vendor changes
- Maintain balance between cost optimization and quality/service level requirements

1. DOCTOR & STAFF COORDINATION DETAILED SCENARIOS

Scenario 1: Medicine Shortage During Critical Patient Care Situation: Doctor reports that Cipla Amoxil pediatric suspension is out of stock while treating pediatric patients with bacterial infections.
- Immediate action: Check pharmacy stock physically to confirm shortage
- Check system records for discrepancies and trace last dispensing date
- Contact vendors immediately to source emergency supply with expedited delivery
- Meet with doctor to identify alternative antibiotics that can be used (with doctor approval)
- Escalate to management if no alternatives available and emergency sourcing from other hospitals needed
- Update vendor on urgency and negotiate rushed delivery
- Follow up every 2 hours until stock is available
- Once resolved, conduct root cause analysis to prevent future stockouts (forecasting error, demand spike, vendor delay)

Scenario 2: Quality Issue with Lab Reagent Situation: Lab technician reports that GE lab reagent batch is showing inconsistent QC results, affecting test accuracy.
- Immediate action: Pull the suspect reagent batch from active use
- Meet with lab technician and senior technician to review QC data and confirm issue
- Stop all tests using the affected reagent batch immediately
- Notify affected patients and doctors about test delay and reason (without alarming)
- Contact GE vendor with batch number, expiry date, and QC failure evidence
- Request emergency replacement batch and credit note for damaged batch
- Resume testing only after replacement batch arrives and QC passes
- Document the incident, notify hospital quality/compliance team, and vendor
- Follow up with vendor on root cause analysis (manufacturing defect, storage condition issue, etc.)
- Review storage conditions to prevent future quality issues

Scenario 3: Billing Discrepancy for Implant Materials Situation: During monthly reconciliation, you discover that 5 cardiac stents issued to cathlab were not charged to patient bills, resulting in 2,50,000 lost revenue.
- Investigate immediately: Check material issue log vs. patient billing records
- Meet with cathlab technician to identify procedure dates and which patients received the stents
- Contact finance/accounts team with patient details and billing discrepancy evidence
- Request billing team to identify correct patient records and raise invoices for missing charges
- If patient already discharged, process bill through outstanding charges
- For future prevention, implement: daily cross-check of materials issued vs. billing, automated flagging of missing charges
- Meet with cathlab team to establish clearer process for material handover and documentation
- Report incident and prevention measures to management in daily escalation

Scenario 4: Conflict Between Vendor Claim & Hospital Records Situation: Vendor claims delivery of 100 units of item X on date 10-Sept, but hospital GRN shows only 50 units received.
- Check GRN document and receiving notes in detail (who received, timestamp, signature)
- Re-verify physical stock to confirm 50 units are actually in warehouse
- Contact vendor with discrepancy: "Vendor delivery note shows 100 units, our GRN shows 50 units received"
- Request vendor to provide delivery proof (consignment note, driver signature, photos)
- If vendor cannot provide proof, politely but firmly state: "Our records show 50 units received and accepted. We cannot pay for 100 units without supporting documentation"
- Offer to check with warehouse staff if they recall receiving additional units later
- If no resolution, escalate to procurement and finance team with recommendation: "Recommend payment for 50 units as per our GRN only"
- Implement preventive measure: Always photograph incoming goods and timestamps to prevent future disputes

4. QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

Educational Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Pharmacy (B.Pharm )
- OR Bachelor's degree in Applied Sciences / Chemistry with healthcare experience
- OR Diploma in Pharmacy
- Additional relevant certifications (PGDBM) preferred

Professional Experience:

- Minimum 3-5 years of professional experience in pharmacy operations or hospital supply chain
- Demonstrated experience in inventory management, vendor coordination, and stock control
- Proven track record of handling multiple stakeholders and complex issue resolution
- Experience with hospital ERP systems.

Technical Skills:

- Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, charting, data analysis)
- Proficiency with Word and PowerPoint for report preparation
- Comfortable learning new systems quickly
- Basic knowledge of pharmacy information systems and lab management systems preferred

Behavioral Competencies:

- Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities can break complex problems into manageable parts
- Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) can explain complex issues clearly to diverse audiences
- Outstanding stakeholder management comfortable working with doctors, nurses, staff, and vendors
- Problem-solving orientation — focuses on solutions, not blame; comfortable with ambiguity
- Attention to detail — accurately records data, catches discrepancies, maintains organized records
- Initiative and proactiveness — identifies issues before they escalate, proposes improvements
- Resilience under pressure — maintains composure during crises, multitasks effectively
- Integrity and ethics — honest about issues, maintains confidentiality, follows compliance requirements

📌 Assistant Operations Manager - Pharmacy & Laboratory (Talegaon Dabhade)
🏢 Sunzeal Medical Private
📍 Talegaon Dabhade