Meet Tania

Tania Covarrubias is a Procurement Manager – Professional and Financial Services Aa Fresenius Kidney Care. While she does not work directly with patients, her work, especially during the COVID-19 crises has had a profound impact on not only the patients but also her colleagues who do work directly with patients. Tania is a perfect example of what it is like to be a Partner In Caring at Fresenius Medical Care North America. Read on to learn more about Tania!

LET’S HEAR WHAT TANIA HAD TO SAY:

Q: Why did you join the FMCNA team?

A: I joined the FMCNA team because I wanted to be part of an organization and an industry that had a powerful mission. After working several years in the Oil & Gas industry I was seeking to work in the healthcare industry as it aligned better with my interests and values. After learning about the job opportunity and meeting the team during the interview process; it became clear that my skills could bring new experience and value to an up and coming procurement team. It was also a great career opportunity for me to expand my experience and grow professionally.  

Q: How do you feel that your role is a “vital part” in supporting our patients and our company?

A: As the Procurement Manager for Professional and Financial Services, I am responsible for developing strategic sourcing initiatives in partnership with the business stakeholders. I manage key suppliers’ relationships to achieve better pricing and quality of services to meet the needs of our company. In partnership with our stakeholders and our suppliers, the procurement team drives cost savings initiatives that benefit the bottom line of the company. A big part of my role is to ensure we have the right sourcing partners in place to provide services and resources that directly impact our clinics that serve our patients.

Q: Describe an experience or feeling that stands out when thinking of your career with FMCNA

A: For the past 8 years I have worked with multiple procurement organizations in different industries but FMCNA is the first healthcare company. Knowing that the work I do impacts the lives of our patients makes my job more rewarding.

When I decided to pursue a career with FMCNA I knew this opportunity was going to bring new challenges and rewarding experience. In the two years that I have worked for FMCNA, I’ve met incredible people in many areas of the business and it’s rewarding to know that we all have one mission in common: to deliver superior care that improves the quality of life of every patient. Every initiative that I am part of impacts our patients or employees in some way. From selecting a national vendor for our employee recognition program to managing the relationship between FMCNA and our clinical nursing agencies

Q: Do you feel that you have a powerful effect in your role?  

A: I believe procurement is a key liaison between our stakeholders and suppliers. By managing the sourcing process and the suppliers, we provide knowledge and value to our business managers. My team provides better spend visibility, service quality control, supplier negotiations, and bring strategic initiatives to the table to optimize processes and reduce cost.  

Q: Have you experienced professional growth with personal meaning in your role?

A: When I first joined FMCNA, I set a personal goal to make an immediate impact with the Procurement team and be a part of the management team. In less than 2 years, I was promoted to Category Manager and this was a great opportunity to grow and develop new skills. This was a huge milestone in my professional career and I’m glad to be in a position that challenges me every day.

Q: Do you feel you or your team/department leads, innovates, succeeds?

A: Absolutely! Part of my job is to bring new ideas to the table that improve the way we do things. For example, I led an initiative to replace a long-term incumbent with a new vendor that offered better tools and services. Not only did the technology improve the way we did things, but also saved millions of dollars for the company.  

Q: Please share a little about how you and/or your department have assisted our patients and/or colleagues during COVID-19.

A: As we all know, the supply of basic PPE was extremely constrained during the initial wave of the COVID -19 pandemic. It was all-hands-on-deck for our Procurement team to locate PPE vendors to meet our high demand with a quick turnaround. We worked around the clock, tirelessly to ensure our employees on the front lines were able to safely care for our patients. I feel proud to be part of a team that was successful during such a stressful and unprecedented time. Knowing that we are capable of responding with a sense of urgency during this time makes me believe that we will continue to be leaders in our industry.

About Fresenius Medical Care

We have become a global leader in healthcare because of the unwavering dedication our people bring to work every day. Whether that means developing new-to-market dialysis technology or educating patients, our team touches the lives of more than 190,000 patients through innovative care and profound, personal connections.

With Fresenius Medical Care North America, you will “be the difference,” enabling patients to thrive, providing comfort to families, supporting coworkers so they can realize their goals, compelling our company to achieve through innovation and performance, and driving the development of your career.

Our team is made up of over 64,000 dedicated employees in North America, all of whom focus on being the difference and delivering the highest-quality care to people with kidney disease – helping them to lead longer better and healthier lives

Why Join our team?

• Rated as one of Forbes’ U.S. Best Employers
• Paid one-on-one training
• Tuition reimbursement
• Comprehensive health insurance
• Paid time off
• 401(K) and much more