Purchasing Analyst

Summary of Duties: Under general supervision of the Director of Procurement, assist with departmental-level purchases including technical and compliance aspects of all procurement functions. Assist with carrying out financial planning and special projects as requested. Perform other related work as required.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Interacts effectively with internal and external customers.
• Maintains current and actionable knowledge of Texas public procurement laws and governmental purchasing cooperatives, effectively interpreting and communicating these concepts to Township staff and vendors whose materials and services are being procured.
• Correctly interprets and effectively explains Township purchasing policies and procedures to all Township departments, including Tyler/Munis software workflow and related requirements.
• Assists departments with researching products and services as needed, following Texas purchasing laws. This research may be done through various purchasing cooperatives, on-line vendor searches, direct contact, partnerships with departmental staff, etc.
• Secures bids or quotations from vendors; analyzes bids while relying on departmental subject matter experts for guidance; performs value and spend analyses; and works with departmental staff to select products and vendors based on all available resources.
• Compiles documentation and creates requisitions as needed. Reviews accounting codes and supporting documentation for any purchases and requisitions created, correcting errors or omissions before releasing into workflow for departmental approvals. Recommends approval to appropriate leadership and eventual conversion to purchase orders as appropriate.
• Offers technical support to departments on special projects by assisting in RFP, RFQ, ITB and requisition creation, answering questions, and providing recommendations.
• Reports required purchase order information to various governmental purchasing cooperative organizations and maintains appropriate records of all associated purchases.
• Makes recommendations to Director of Procurement for membership in new government purchasing cooperatives or changes to procurement methods and procedures, to ensure alignment with The Townships strategic plan.
• Routinely monitors organization-wide purchasing patterns with shared vendors. Identifies opportunities for strategic contracting initiatives and/or blanket purchase orders to maintain compliance, protect the Township, and strengthen the Townships annual audit position.
• Routinely monitors budget line items and, when requested, recommends future year budget adjustments based on historical spend, known departmental needs, and patterns of vendor use.
• Works closely with Contracts staff to determine the most advantageous procurement vehicle for the Township. Recommends contracts and purchase orders to maintain consistency and alignment between departments, and to protect or improve the Townships audit position.
• Assists Director of Procurement and accounting staff with quarter-end and year-end work, such as open PO's for liquidation, production of 1099's, etc.
• May occasionally be required to perform basic copier maintenance, prior to escalating issues to IT and/or maintenance company.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Job has no direct supervision of others. Coordinates, guides, and reviews work product quality from others in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.

Work being reviewed is semi-complex.

Minimum Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education: Bachelor's Degree (B. A.) in Business Administration from four-year College or university.

Experience: One (1) to three (3) years of related experience and/or training.

Relevant years of experience can be combined with years of education.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Must possess a Texas drivers license within the first ninety (90) days of employment and meet the driver safety policy requirements.
• Required: Must have Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or equivalent alternative, at time of hire or within 3 years of hire date.

Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have some knowledge of accounting software. Proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Microsoft Excel, Word, and Teams.

Competency: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies.

• Oral Communication Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification. Responds well to questions.
• Written Communication Writes clearly and informatively. Edits work for spelling and grammar. Ability to vary writing style to meet needs. Presents numerical data effectively. Ability to read and interpret complex written information.

Language Skills: Have the ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, financial reports, and legal documents (including contracts and governmental regulations, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals). Ability to write reports and business correspondence and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills: Have the ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as such as probability and statistical inference, and the fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations.

Reasoning Ability: Have the ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Has the ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Human Collaboration Skills: Decisions regarding implementation of policies may be made. Contact may involve support of controversial positions or the negotiation of sensitive issues or important presentations. Contacts may involve stressful, negative interactions with the public requiring high levels of tact and the ability to respond to aggressive interpersonal interactions.

The likely impact on the organization is high.

Freedom to Act: Receives Limited Direction: The employee performs the duty assignment according to his or her own judgment, requesting supervisory assistance only when necessary. Special projects are managed with little oversight and assignments may be reviewed upon completion. Performance reviewed periodically.

The impact of action is significant: Considerable benefits or costs in time, money or public/employee relations.

Technical Skills: Skilled: Work requires advanced skills and knowledge in approaches and systems, which affect the design and implementation of major programs and/or processes organization wide. Independent judgment and decision-making abilities are necessary to apply technical skills effectively. Proficient in the use of e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.

The consequences of work affect large groups as well as the customer base at large.

Budget Responsibility: Assists in preparation of accounting, budget, and purchasing documents; and does research to justify language used in documents for a unit or division of a department. May recommend budget allocations.

The size of the budget is substantial.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here 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 functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl, and taste or smell. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Work Conditions: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Good: Relatively free from unpleasant environmental conditions or hazards. Office environment and little physical effort is required.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

The Woodlands Township is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of its workforce.