Purchasing Agent

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment.
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range.
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year.
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options.
• Staff Development/Wellness Pay - Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities.
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security.
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment.
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

• Manages decentralized procurement activities for the County including development and oversight of various policies related to purchasing of goods and services.
• Serves as subject matter expert for the County for all policies and procedures related to procurement.
• Directly supervises two Assistant Purchasing Agents, including workload planning, directing assignments, training, and performance management.
• Oversees the Division's budget and makes recommendations for development and management.
• Engages independent contractors and contracts for informal construction services.
• Analyzes performance and workload data to develop and implement efficient and cost-effective procedural changes, methods, and systems.
• Establishes and conducts periodic reviews of policies and procedures for the procurement of supplies, materials, equipment, and professional services.
• Confers with department heads and County officials to evaluate purchasing needs and legal requirements, and advises on current technologies, procurement procedures, sourcing strategies, and best practices.
• Investigates and resolves complaints from departments and vendors regarding products, services, bid protests, and contract awards.
• Coordinates the identification, distribution, and disposal of surplus County property.

• Has extensive knowledge of the Public Contracting Code and California Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act (CUPCCA).
• Is a seasoned negotiator, able to procure the best price and terms available in the market.
• Has excellent communication skills, and can effectively interact with vendors, staff, department heads, and County officials.
• Possesses strong analytical skills, expert judgment, and a commonsense approach to addressing daily challenges.
• Has a high level of integrity, a positive attitude, and the ability to lead without ego and diffuse difficult situations when they arise.
• Is proficient with purchasing and procurement systems.
• Possesses a nationally accredited procurement certification, such as the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM), National Institute of Governmental Purchasing-Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP), Universal Public Procurement Certification Council (UPPCC) Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), or the UPPCC Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO).

Education and Experience: Any combination of education, experience, and training that would provide the knowledge and abilities listed herein. Typically, this would include a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Business Administration, Public Administration, Purchasing or related field; and three years of professional level, centralized purchasing experience in a large organization involving competitive bidding processes and complex and specialized commodity areas, in a supervisory position, with at least one year's experience in a public agency.

Certification: Possession of a Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.), Certified Professional Supply Manager (C.P.S.M.), Certified Professional Public Buyer (C.P.P.B.) or Certified Public Purchasing Officer (C.P.P.O.) certification or equivalent; or within one year of employment, and as a condition of probation, employees in this classification shall obtain a national procurement certification accredited by the Institute for Supply Management, the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council, or an equivalent certification by an accredited association.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Extensive knowledge of: modern purchasing policies and procedures including ethics and standards of purchasing practices, quality control and value analysis techniques in evaluating vendor capacity, capability and performance.

Considerable knowledge of: communication skills and data collection techniques for establishing sources of supply, product and vendor information; principles and techniques of supervision and training; and automated purchasing systems, electronic commerce, and the use of other software applications used in procurement and overall program management.

Working knowledge of: principles and practices of public administration, supervision, management, and contractual law; principles of customer service; standard English usage and grammar; basic budget development and monitoring; automated purchasing systems and electronic commerce applications.

Ability to: train, plan, direct, organize, prioritize, supervise and review the work of purchasing staff; develop and implement procurement procedures, and prepare written reports; write and speak clearly and concisely; establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected and appointed officials, department heads, employees, sales representatives and the public; analyze situations accurately and develop an effective course of action; and evaluate bids and make awards impartially and objectively.

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.