Junior Buyer

The Junior Buyer is responsible for procuring goods and services to support the efficient and effective operation of all County departments in accordance with the Augusta, GA Code of Ordinances, department policies and procedures.. Assigned to the Strategic Sourcing Division, performs moderately to advanced, complex, procurement sealed bid solicitations, including sourcing, bid solicitation development, and vendor coordination, while ensuring compliance with applicable policies and procedures. This position requires more advanced procurement experience and robust data analytics. Applicants should have experience with recognizable E-Procurement SaaS solutions.

Key Responsibilities and Performance Standards

• The Junior Buyer conducts end-user sourcing to identify appropriate goods and services and research, analyzes, and develops specifications for equipment, supplies, materials, and services. The position involves collecting, reviewing, and revising existing specifications to ensure accuracy and relevance. Prepares solicitations for commodities and services in collaboration with requesting departments and assists in the preparation and issuance of procurement documents, including requests for proposals (RFPs), invitations for bids (IFBs), requests for qualifications (RFQs), and quotation solicitations. Responsible for Vendor File Maintenance and expected to aid in developing and maintaining the Qualified Products List (QPL), and Qualified Bidders List.(QBL). Prepares, updates and maintain database of current and potential contractors.
• This role requires developing appropriate procurement methods based on project requirements and regulatory guidelines and managing the competitive bid solicitation process from inception to completion. Responsibilities include obtaining competitive quotes, bids, and proposals from qualified vendors and suppliers, analyzing and evaluating responses for compliance, cost-effectiveness, and quality, and developing bid tabulations and evaluation committee cumulative score sheets. The Junior Buyer makes award recommendations in accordance with County purchasing policies and applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
• Additionally, the Junior Buyer maintains accurate procurement records and documentation, collaborates with County departments to define purchasing needs and specifications, and ensures adherence to all procurement policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements. Maintains bid files and correspondence with vendors for recommendation for Awards.
• The Junior Buyer monitors recurring contracts for equipment, supplies, and materials, processes contract renewals and change orders, ensures that specifications remain current, and prepares new solicitations for expiring annual contracts in collaboration with other County departments.
• The duties listed above are representative of the role but are not intended to be all-inclusive. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this classification. Additional duties may be required and assigned.
• Perform other duties as assigned of a similar nature or level as required.  

Position Specific Responsibilities May Include:

• Public Speaking, including presentations
• Occasional after-hours events, travel to seminars or training, or otherwise representing the Procurement Department.

Education:    Preferred Bachelor’s, or MBA degree in business administration, accounting, finance, or a related field. Associate degree or equivalent, certifications and/or combination of experience in the procurement field, and/or the ability to attain such degrees or certifications within 12 months of hire. The Director may consider a combination of education and experience that may be deemed suitable.

Experience:   Procurement, Purchasing, Category Management, Strategic Sourcing, Supply Chain Management, Business, or related field required; or two years of experience in procurement comparable to a Procurement Technician or Buyer classification; or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities for this job. A combination of the above degrees, certifications, and years of experience may be considered.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Knowledgeable in NIGP Commodity Codes and the DOAS State Purchasing 7-Stages of Procurement.
• Must be a positive minded with a can-do attitude and be a team player, must demonstrate a willingness to work with and assist colleagues, focusing on continuous improvement of project quality and processes
• Demonstrated success in learning new skills and SaaS applications Experienced in a centralized, public sector purchasing department with direct buying experience.
• Proficiency is productivity applications, Microsoft Excel, Project, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, & A Certification in Excel is preferred.
• Must have strong analytical skills.
• Customer service driven and results-focused in order to provide prompt and efficient service; including prioritization of customer services.
• Assists in the development of specifications and Scope of Work for procured for County department.
• Must excel under pressure and have the ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Must be flexible, adaptable and open to change.
• Must be proactive, self-motivated and self-directed
• Collects information pertaining to sourcing, timelines, target costs, budget approvals, etc.
• Assists in the preparation of requests for proposals (RFP), invitation to bid (IFB), requests for qualifications (RFQ), as well as issuance of associated solicitations.
• Solicits qualified vendors to obtain product/service price quotations, as necessary, in accordance with County Procurement policies.
• Receives and analyzes quotations, bids, and proposals for potentially negotiated cost savings; evaluates quotations to determine best value, e.g. total cost of ownership
• Research new products, services, vendors, and market innovations; meets with vendors, as needed; updates/maintains an Approved Vendor List of qualified vendors for approved sourcing.
• Communicate with vendors, as necessary, to expedite deliverables and resolve discrepancies with regards to schedules and product/service quality.
• Maintains accurate purchasing records
• Prepare a variety of required records, reports and correspondence.
• Receives and responds to inquiries, concerns, protests, and requests for assistance from County personnel, elected officials, and citizens regarding Procurement Code and Departmental policy and procedures.
• Performs a variety of administrative work as required, including, but not limited to, preparing reports and correspondence, copying and filing documentation, entering and retrieving computer data/emails, scanning documents.

PERFORMANCE APTITUDES:

• Data Utilization: Requires the ability to coordinate, manage, and/or correlate data.  Includes exercising judgment in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations, referencing data analyses to determine necessity for revision of organizational components, and in the formulation of operational strategy.
• Human Interaction: Requires the ability to interact with other Team Members, may assist with training new buyers, if any.
• Equipment: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
• Verbal: This position may require public speaking in an open forum which may be televised.
• Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, advisory and/or design data and information.
• Math: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may include ability to perform mathematical operations with fractions; may include ability to compute discount, interest, and ratios; may include ability to calculate surface areas, volumes, weights, and measures.
• Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership, and to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to resolve problems.
• Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving broader aspects of organizational programs and operations, moderately unstable situations, or the direction, control and planning of an entire program or set of programs.
• Physical Abilities: Tasks require the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10 pounds). Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation.
• Sensory Requirements: Some tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate colors or shades of colors, sounds, odor, depth, texture, and visual cues or signals.  Some tasks require the ability to communicate orally.
• Environmental Factors: Essential functions are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.