Purchasing Manager - Bellingham, United States - City of Bellingham, WA

Description

Salary: $8, $10,514.00 Monthly

Location : City of Bellingham, WA

Job Type: Full Time

Job Number: 24-Purchasing Manager

Department: Finance

Opening Date: 05/10/2024

Closing Date: 5/28/2024 8:30 AM Pacific

FLSA: Exempt

Bargaining Unit: 231

Nature of Work

The City of Bellingham's Finance Department is hiring for a Purchasing Manager. Are you an experienced Buyer or Purchasing Manager looking for a new opportunity? Apply today

The Purchasing Manager oversees city-wide procurement processes that ensure compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws and City policies and procedures. Performs complex administrative and technical purchasing work and provides procurement expertise in managing and coordinating a centralized procurement system of contracts, goods and services as well as asset storage, recovery and disposal.

SALARY AND BENEFITS INFORMATION:

The current full salary range for this position is $8,678/month - $10,514/month.

Research has demonstrated that salary negotiation can further inequality due to bias across gender and race. To prevent negotiation bias, the City places new employees within the published salary range based on qualifications and professional experience as listed on the application material, in accordance with City policy. This is in line with the City's commitment to accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Candidates who exceed the minimum experience requirements shall be given credit for advanced step placement at the rate of one additional pay step for each two full years of directly related or equivalent professional experience beyond the minimum requirements. Candidates who meet minimum qualifications or have experience that is not directly related or in a lower-level position will be placed at step one in the salary range. For positions that require a bachelor's degree, one additional step may be granted for applicants with a master's degree in a related field when the master's degree is not required to meet minimum qualifications. The City's HR Department regularly evaluates minimum qualifications to provide equitable employment opportunities.
For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.
This position is represented by a union. Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the and City policy.

City of Bellingham employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as life insurance and long-term disability. Additional benefits include flexible spending accounts, a medical insurance opt-out program, and access to our employee assistance program. All eligible City employees are enrolled in a pension plan. Additionally, employees may elect to participate in the City's 457 deferred compensation retirement savings plan.

Employees will receive 12 paid holidays in addition to one paid floating holiday each year. At the time of hire, employees will accrue 8 hours of sick leave and 10 hours of vacation per month. Vacation accruals increase based on years of service. Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

For additional information regarding benefits and compensation Information please visit the following:
Closing Date/Time: Tues. 5/28/24 8:30 AM Pacific Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:

Purchasing Functions:

1. Recommends, implements and maintains City purchasing systems for maximum efficiency and to achieve optimum life-cycle cost for all goods and services purchased. Oversees the analysis of cost, performance, quality, service and delivery. Provides input and makes recommendations to City Administration on purchasing and procurement policies and procedures. Implements city wide policies and procedures, oversees the creation of manuals, forms, charts, informational materials, related training programs and briefings. Using various analytical methods evaluates City's current purchasing patterns and practices; develops and continuously improves centralized purchasing systems and procedures.
2. Oversees all City procurement processing, monitoring, bids, solicitations, addendums, administration, clarifications, modification, compliance, negotiations, changing conditions, coordination of legal review, terminations, and purchase orders. Provides responsive support to City Departments regarding complex procurement issues including Revenue Contracts, Technology, Architect services, Engineering services, Construction, and Public Works Contracts, and Systems contracts. Provides training and technical guidance as needed.
3. Oversees and directs staff on development of contracting forms and contracting documents. Provides recommendations to and collaborates with Assistant City Attorneys and Finance executive team on standards, processes, risk assessment, liability and insurance requirements. Directs work of purchasing staff in carrying out and executing contracts.
4. Prepares and presents recommendations to City administration regarding standards for competitive purchasing of professional services, trains departments on procedures for acquiring professional services, monitors compliance with City standards, and recommends corrective action as needed.
5. Manages and oversees the central procurement system to maintain the integrity of the public procurement process and guard against ethical challenges and charges of fraud, waste or inefficiency. Makes recommendations on sole source purchase requests and other complex purchases to the Finance Director or designee within the limits of Bellingham municipal code and state law.
6. Ensures accountability, compliance and consistent interpretation and application with all current and applicable state and federal laws, agency policies and procedures, rules and regulations.

Supervision:

1. Directs, plans and organizes the work of purchasing and contracting staff. Selects candidates for hire, trains, schedules, assigns and reviews work of staff. Establishes performance standards, conducts performance reviews, coaches, counsels and recommends disciplinary actions. Plans and carries out employee development.

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

1. Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending courses, workshops, reviewing professional publications and current market trends.
2. Performs related duties within the scope of the classification.

Physical ability to perform the essential functions of the job including:

• Frequently remain stationary for long periods of time;
• Frequently operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse, phone, and fax machine;
• Frequently communicate accurate information and ideas with others;
• Occasionally lift objects weighing up to twenty-five (25) lbs.; ability to bend, stoop, twist or work in confined positions to inspect equipment;
• Travel between worksites.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
Works extensively at a desk and computer workstation. Work is performed primarily in an office setting with occasional visits to department work sites. Business travel may be required.
Experience and Training

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, public administration or closely related field.
• Two (2) years experience as a Purchasing Manager or five (5) years as a Senior Buyer with responsibility for a wide range of buying, including consumable supplies, commodity and/or heavy equipment acquisition.
• Three (3) years supervisory experience.
• Experience with budgeting preferred.
• Experience with contract administration strongly preferred.

A combination of education and experience that provides the applicant with the required skills and abilities will be considered.
Necessary Special Requirements

• Employment contingent upon passing a criminal background check (See Fair Hiring Practices).
• Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO) or Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) strongly preferred; Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or Accredited Purchasing Practitioner preferred.

Selection Process

As part of the application process, a cover letter is required.
Within the cover letter, please answer the following questions:

1. Please indicate why you are interested in this position, and why this position is the next right step for you in your career.
2. Provide a brief summary of your education, experience and qualifications for this position.

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and required supplemental questions). Provide as much detail as you believe will fully describe your experience and training.

Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for June 12, 2024. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around June 5, 2024.

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity:
Our environment is characterized by respect for cultural backgrounds, belief systems, and ethnic diversity. The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its work force. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
• The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.

There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our for additional information.

This position is represented by the Teamsters 231 bargaining unit. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the

This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the for more information on PERS.

01

As part of the application process, a cover letter (no longer than one page) is required. Within the cover letter, please answer the following questions:
-Please indicate why you are interested in this position, and why this position is the next right step for you in your career.
-Provide a brief summary of your education, experience and qualifications for this position.

Have you attached your cover letter?

• Yes, I have attached my cover letter.
• No, I have not attached my cover letter and I understand my application will not be considered.

02

Do you have a Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, public administration or closely related field?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have two (2) years experience as a Purchasing Manager or five (5) years as a Senior Buyer with responsibility for a wide range of buying, including consumable supplies, commodity and/or heavy equipment acquisition?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have three (3) years supervisory experience? (Supervisory experience must be reflected in your Work History)

• Yes
• No

05

If you answered "NO" to any of the questions above, do you have an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to provide you with the knowledge, skills and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job? Please explain the equivalency in full detail below.

06

Please mark any certifications that you have below. (Note: this is preferred. If you do not have these certifications, it will not disqualify you.)

• Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO)
• Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM)
• Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB)
• Accredited Purchasing Practitioner
• I do not have any of then certifications listed above.

07

Please describe your experience performing complex administrative and technical purchasing work and providing procurement expertise in managing and coordinating a centralized procurement system of contracts.

Required Question