Senior Buyer

San Mateo County Community College District

1. Exchanges professional information with District and college staff, vendors, contractors, business representatives, as well as educational and government institutions regarding purchasing policies and procedures, assistance with vendor selections, pricing, shipping, returns, invoicing, bid timelines and item specifications
2. Develops and confirms product specifications and quality expectations and examines total cost of ownership
3. Develops and prepares bid specifications and RFP, RFQ, and RFB documents, analyzes bid results, and prepares reports related to the formal bidding process
4. Attends professional development related meetings, workshops and other events to stay current on public procurement code and District policies and procedures. Occasional mandatory participation in select professional development conferences requiring travel outside the Bay Area. Willingness to pursue professional certifications in the procurement field
5. Attends and conducts meetings and consults with College and District staff, vendors, and others to provide information about the bidding process, development of bid procedures, clarification of product specifications, finalization of contractual agreements, and collaboration on the resolution of problems
6. Administers and oversees administration of the procurement card program, including issuance and cancellation of cards and communications with cardholders and the bank
7. Administers and oversees administration of other District-wide procurement tools, such as reverse auctions, gas cards, or contract management software
8. Participates in and/or provides direction to staff on purchasing transactions requiring specialized technical knowledge or understating of specific commodities, materials, supplies, manufacturers, and District services
9. Analyzes and maintains inventory records and performs fiscal year close activities related to fixed assets and communicates with District external auditors on the fixed asset program
10. Administers surplus and records retention activities throughout the District, arranges for document shredding, and manages disposition of surplus through auctions and private sales
11. Reviews and issues purchase orders for complex procurements and cooperative purchasing agreements and audits and approves routine purchase orders prepared by staff
12. Uses a variety of computer software to research, enter, format, modify, and retrieve data for special and regular reports, documentation, vendor files, trend analysis and presentations, and to perform administrative tasks, such as scheduling meetings and arranging meeting logistics
13. Composes and prepares correspondence and announcements to District staff
14. Analyzes data and systems available to retrieve desired information
15. Maintains online purchasing resource pages, such as forms, purchasing policies, contracts library, training materials library, and other web-based resources
16. Develops training materials on purchasing procedures and delivers one-on-one or group training to District-wide staff
17. Participates in District-wide finance user groups, safety committee, and emergency operations committee
18. Performs other related duties as assigned

• Bachelors degree in business administration or a closely related field OR an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Successful work experience of increasing responsibility in purchasing and volume buying, specification development, securing and evaluation of bids, commodity pricing methods, discounts and selection of various supply sources
• Possession of working knowledge of bidding, public contract code, and purchasing policies and procedures
• Demonstrated cultural competence, sensitivity to, and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, ethnic, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+ backgrounds of community college students, faculty, and staff
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including demonstrated skill in giving clear and concise instructions
• Demonstrated advanced skills in composing business correspondence and other documents using Microsoft Office Suite software
• Demonstrated skill in training, leading, and coordinating the work of others
  
  

1. Knowledge of accepted standards of, and resources for, purchasing and materials management and professional purchasing practice and conduct
2. Knowledge of District purchasing policies and procedures
3. Skill in written communication (including correct English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation)
4. Skill in use of the Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, web-based content management systems software and internet tools to compose business correspondence and documents, develop spreadsheets, research, enter, modify, format and present statistical, financial and other data for reports
5. Skill in the use of spreadsheets and other software instruments to analyze trends and data and to report findings
6. Skill in project management
7. Skill in training, leading, and coordinating the work of others
8. Skill in oral communication, including public and persuasive speaking
9. Skill in respectful, sensitive communication with people who are diverse in their academic, socioeconomic, ethnic, neurodivergent, and LGBTQIA+ backgrounds
10. Ability to strategically plan, organize, prioritize, and implement multiple-tasked projects with similar timelines and anticipated outcomes
11. Ability to multi-task and work on several different projects with similar timelines
12. Ability to understand the value of competition and exercise sound judgment to obtain the best price quote for the District in the purchase of a variety of materials, supplies, and equipment
13. Ability to work effectively as part of a dynamic customer service team which maintains a standard of excellent customer service to internal and external customers in a variety of business situations

The San Mateo County Community College District is an Equal Opportunity Employer that seeks to employ individuals who represent the rich diversity of cultures, language groups, and abilities of its surrounding communities.

About San Mateo County Community College District

San Mateo County Community College District is committed to achieving educational equity for all students. As outlined in the District’s Strategic Plan, “success, equity, and social justice for our students are longstanding goals.” The District’s “Students First” Strategic Plan is focused on “Student Success, Equity and Social Justice.”

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