Buyer - Harris County Purchasing - Harris County (TX) : Job Details

Position Description

Under general supervision and guidance, the Buyer purchases goods, and services less than or equal to $50,000 for assigned commodities and coordinates the preparation and execution of sole source, personal/professional services, and maintenance agreements. The Buyer is Harris County's representative to the supplier base in efforts to satisfy end user requirements for these goods and services.

The Buyer may occasionally generate specifications, evaluate offers and bids and write award recommendations for procurements over $50,000. The Buyer is knowledgeable of all rules and regulations governing each purchasing process utilized by Harris County.

Duties & Responsibilities

* Solicit informal quotes for goods and services priced less than or equal to $50,000.

* Process purchase orders and addenda for purchases less than or equal to $50,000.

* Coordinate and expedites preparation and execution of agreements with the County Attorney, department, and vendor.

* Works with the departments and vendors to resolve any purchase order/delivery/quality issues when necessary.

* Seek out new vendors, including HUB vendors, on a weekly basis.

* Advises end users of procurement options available, product availability and market place changes relating to their requirements.

* Coordinate with Senior Buyers, Contract Administrators, and Assistant Purchasing Agent in determining where term contracts may be applicable and work toward developing specifications with supervisors.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) ###-#### or email [email protected]

Requirements

Education & Experience

* Associate Degree in a related field AND two (2) years of related experience

OR

* Four (4) years of related experience

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

* Proficiency in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Outlook

* Basic knowledge and understanding of each informal purchasing process as utilized by Harris County and knowledge of procurement laws and purchasing policies.

* Excellent interaction skills: ability to interact assertively and effectively with a wide variety of people and personalities

* Excellent communication skills verbal and written; strong, active listening skills

* Excellent planning and organization skills to manage your work schedule and meet deadlines

* Negotiation skills to communicate effectively with clients or suppliers

* Ability to work in a team environment and solve problems/issues

* Ability to adapt and be flexible to respond to changing work situations and environments

* Ability to develop specification writing skills required for advancement into Senior Buyer position

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. See Resume will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

* Prior purchasing/procurement experience is highly preferred.

General Information

Typical Work Hours:

* Monday - Friday

* 8:00AM - 5:00PM; flexible work schedule

Location:

Harris County Purchasing Office Building

1111 Fannin St 12th Floor

Houston, TX 77002

Employment is contingent upon passing a background check.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.

The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

* Medical Coverage

* Dental Coverage

* Vision Coverage

* Wellness Plan

* Life Insurance

* Long-term disability

* Employee Assistance Program

* Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service

* Accrual rates increase based on years of service

* Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday

* Professional development opportunities

* Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan

* Healthcare Reimbursement Account

* 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

* Retirement Pension (TCDRS)

* Flexible schedule (varies by department)

* Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position? Qualifying information must be documented in the Education section of your application.

* High School or GED diploma

* Associate Degree

* Bachelor's Degree

* Master's Degree or higher

* None of the above

02

In which of the following areas do you have verifiable work experience? Select all that apply. Selected experience must be documented in the Work Experience section of your application.

* Processing invoices or purchase orders

* Researching and compiling vendor specifications

* Evaluating vendor proposals and bids

* Negotiating contract terms, conditions and prices

* Other purchasing/procurement experience

* None of the above

03

Which of the following best measures your experience selected in response to the previous question? Qualifying experience must be documented in Work Experience section of your application.

* Less than two full years

* Between two and four years

* Four or more years

* No Experience

04

Please provide details of your relevant work experience as it relates to this position. If you do not have this experience, type N/A in the space provided. Qualifying information must also be documented in the Work Experience section of your application.

05

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

* Advanced

* Intermediate

* Basic

* Entry Level

* Not proficient

Required Question

Agency Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-###-####

Website