Under general direction, provides for the purchase of goods and services by overseeing and coordinating the City's decentralized purchasing system; monitors purchases made by reviewing purchases and consulting with departments on the most efficient and cost effective ways to make a purchase; monitors purchasing procedures to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and legal requirements; procures various equipment, supplies, and commodities for use by all City departments; prepares and publishes bids as required by state and City statutes and policies; oversees other assigned functional areas including mail room functions and personnel.

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

Oversee and coordinate the City's decentralized purchasing system; approve purchase orders; monitor purchasing procedures to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and legal requirements.

Coordinate the City's bid purchasing process; prepare legal advertising, conduct bid openings, evaluate proposals for conformity and recommend contract awards; prepare materials and present recommendations to the City Council for approval.

Participate in the development of goals and objectives as well as policies and procedures; make recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards, policies, and procedures; participate in the implementation of approved policies and procedures; monitor work activities to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures.

Participate in the selection of assigned clerical support staff; provide or coordinate staff training; work with employees to correct deficiencies; implement discipline procedures.

Make recommendations and place orders for various equipment, supplies and commodities for use by all City departments; maintain blanket purchase order lists and accounts.

Respond to staff questions and inquiries regarding purchasing policies, procedures and legal requirements; investigate purchasing complaints and recommend corrective action as necessary.

Assist departments in determining economical sources of supplies, materials, equipment and services; meet with department heads to discuss purchasing needs and issues.

Interview vendor representatives to obtain information concerning new products, service availability, prices, and delivery procedures; direct vendors to appropriate departments to show products as necessary.

Coordinate purchasing activities with those of other divisions and departments; advise on purchasing policies and procedures; train other departments in the use of purchase orders as necessary.

Prepare analytical and statistical reports on operations and activities.

Post purchasing information on the City's website and intranet.

Oversee other assigned functional areas including the mail room function and staff.

Perform related duties as required.

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:
Operations, services and activities of a municipal purchasing program.
Operations, services and activities of a mail room.
Principles, practices, and techniques of program development and administration.
Modern and complex principles and practices of purchasing through specifications and competitive bidding.
Methods and techniques used to develop technical purchasing standards.
Recent developments, research methods, current literature, and sources of information related to assigned programs, services areas, and program administration.
Standard organizational and management practices as applied to the analysis and evaluation of programs, policies, and operational needs.
Methods and techniques of effective technical, administrative, and financial report preparation and presentation.
Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluation.
Principles and procedures of record keeping.
Principles of business letter writing and report preparation.
Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
Pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations.

Ability to:
Oversee and coordinate the City's decentralized purchasing program.
Oversee and coordinate the City's mail room function and staff.
Supervise, direct, and coordinate the work of lower level staff.
Select, supervise, train and evaluate staff.
Understand the organization and operation of the City, assigned program, and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.
Understand, interpret, and apply purchasing policies and procedures as well as pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations.
Coordinate and participate in the development and administration of program goals, objectives, and procedures.
Evaluate bid proposals and recommend contract awards.
Determine the most economical sources of supplies, materials, equipment and services.
Operate a variety of office equipment including personal computers and related peripheral equipment and software applications.
Adapt to changing technologies and learn functionality of new equipment and systems.
Prepare clear and concise reports.
Work independently in the absence of supervision.
Work in a team based environment to achieve common goals.
Coordinate multiple projects and complex tasks simultaneously.
Meet the physical requirements to safely and effectively perform the assigned duties.
Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education and Experience Guidelines - Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education/Training:
Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by specialized training in purchasing or a related field.

Experience:
Three years of increasingly responsible purchasing experience.

License or Certificate:
Possession of an appropriate, valid driver's license.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment: Work is performed primarily in a standard office setting with some travel to different sites and locations.

Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged periods of time; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.

RAPG Pro
R29
Last Update: 9/2018
JD 11/2018