Sr Associate, Purchase Orders

Description

As an employee of Boehringer Ingelheim, you will actively contribute to the discovery, development and delivery of our products to our patients and customers. Our global presence provides opportunity for all employees to collaborate internationally, offering visibility and opportunity to directly contribute to the companies' success. We realize that our strength and competitive advantage lie with our people. We support our employees in a number of ways to foster a healthy working environment, meaningful work, mobility, networking and work-life balance. Our competitive compensation and benefit programs reflect Boehringer Ingelheim's high regard for our employees.

The Purchase Order Specialist supports the BIAH US procurement ecosystem by ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant purchase order (PO) creation and lifecycle management. The role facilitates smooth purchasing operations across U.S. sites, maintains ERP data quality, ensures adherence to BI purchasing policies, partners closely with strategic sourcing and finance, and helps internal requestors navigate the Procure to Pay (P2P) process within BIAH US.

This position plays a critical role in maintaining operational continuity, supporting internal customer needs, and upholding BI’s procurement standards and financial controls, ensuring that purchasing activities align with U.S. market, vendor, and audit expectations.

Duties & Responsibilities

Purchase Order Creation and Processing

• Accurately create, review, and release purchase orders in alignment with BIAH US procurement policies and approved purchase requisitions.
• Ensure compliance with ERP system requirements, including correct GL coding, cost centers, delivery dates, pricing, and supplier information.
• Monitor PO queues and maintain expected turnaround times aligned with BIAH US service-level expectations.

PO Lifecycle Management

• Track PO confirmations, delivery status, change orders, and discrepancies.
• Execute timely updates to ensure PO data integrity throughout the lifecycle.
• Escalate recurrent issues to Procurement or Sourcing as appropriate.

Stakeholder Support (Internal and External)

• Serve as a knowledgeable resource for U.S. business partners regarding PO processes, vendor setup requirements, and procurement workflow guidance.
• Collaborate with suppliers to confirm order accuracy, resolve issues, and support on time delivery.
• Partner with Sourcing for category-specific support and supplier alignment.

Invoice & Reconciliation Support

• Investigate and resolve invoice match exceptions (price/quantity blocks, missing receipts, incorrect PO details).
• Coordinate with Accounts Payable, Receiving, and internal requestors to ensure timely payment flow.

Compliance, Documentation & Audit Readiness

• Ensure all purchasing transactions comply with BI procurement, finance, and audit guidelines.
• Maintain accurate, audit ready documentation in line with BI’s Global Job Profile and SOP guidance.
• Follow P2P process controls specific to U.S. requirements, including SOX-relevant steps.

Continuous Improvement & Data Quality

• Identify inefficiencies or recurring issues within the U.S. PO process and recommend improvements.
• Support system or process updates related to ERP enhancements or procurement policy changes.
• Monitor and report metrics (open POs, turnaround time, exceptions) to enable operational visibility.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain, Finance, or related field preferred.  
• In lieu of the degree, high school diploma with four years of relevant experience.

Technical Skills

• Experience in purchasing, finance operations or supply chain.
• Strong understanding of PO creation, lifecycle management, and invoice-matching processes.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Outlook, Word); Excel competency required.
• Familiarity with BI’s P2P workflow, delegation of authority (DOA), and vendor management processes preferred when internal.

Core Competencies

• High attention to detail with strong organizational skills.
• Effective communication skills when supporting internal U.S. stakeholders and suppliers.
•  Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
•  Problem-solving ability to navigate purchasing exceptions or process gaps.
• Customer service mindset with a focus on accuracy and efficiency.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction.
• Must be willing to take a drug test and post-offer physical (if required).
• Must be 18 years of age or older.

Desired Skills, Experience and Abilities