Buyer

Salary: $52,312 - $69,212

Position Grade: 14G

Department: Supply Division

Job Type: Full-Time (Permanent)

Examination Number: EX1076

Location: 1200 Market St., Room #324 - St. Louis, MO

Incumbents in this position are responsible for making large scale purchases of supplies and equipment for City agencies. Duties include preparing, analyzing, evaluating and recommending the awards of bids for commodities and services; reviewing vendors for reliability, qualification, and price; and analyzing needs from various department in order to develop new contracts.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Research vendors.

• Prepare invitations to bid, and distribute to vendors.

• Evaluate bids using the departments’ specifications carefully to ensure completeness and make sure they are not too restrictive.

• Review vendors for reliability, qualifications, financial ability, past performance, warranties, adequate plant facilities, price, delivery, etc.

• Prepare bid proposals to vendors both locally and nationally.

• Analyze returned bids and consult with impacted departments.

• Prepare recommendations for Board of Standardization and award contract after Board approval.

• Handle bid protests with management.

• Perform data analysis.

• Analyze needs for various departments in order to develop new contracts.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Data Utilization: Requires the ability to perform data analysis including the ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize and/or reference data, statutes and/or guidelines and/or group, rank, investigate and diagnose. Requires discretion in determining and referencing such to established standards to recognize interactive effects and relationships.

• Human Interaction: Requires the ability to provide guidance, assistance and/or interpretation to others, such as coworkers city departments, vendors, and the public, on how to apply policies, procedures and standards to specific situations.

• Equipment, Machinery, Tools and Materials Use: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or provide simple but continuous adjustment on equipment, machinery and tools such as a computer, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.

• Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference and descriptive data and information such as regulations, policies and procedures, purchase orders, contracts, and bids.

• Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; calculate decimals and percentages.

• Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of rational systems. Ability to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic or schedule form. Ability to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objective.

• Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise independent judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving a variety of generally pre-defined duties that may be subject to frequent change.

• Environmental Factors: Tasks are regularly performed in safe and comfortable surroundings without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

• Physical Requirements: Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, but which may involve some lifting, pushing, and pulling of moderately heavy objects and materials, twenty (20) to fifty (50) pounds.

• Sensory Requirements: Requires the ability to recognize and identify individual characteristics of colors, shapes, and sounds associated with job-related objects, materials and tasks.
  

A Bachelor’s degree in Purchasing, Materials Management, Business or Public Administration, or a closely related Procurement field; plus two years of experience as a Buyer, Procurement Agent/Analyst, or Contract Administrator in a purchasing department, OR an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

License: Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license while employed by the City of St. Louis. Must be able to present driver’s license upon request. Please note type of license, number, class and expiration date on the Employment Application.

Scoring Components and Their Weights
Experience and Training: 100%
May be Subject to:
Background Investigation: Pass/Fail
Medical Examination: Pass/Fail

Documentation of Academic Credentials must be Submitted Upon Request

When completing the Employment History and the Educational/Training History sections of the Employment Application, please be as thorough as possible when describing your education, training and experience relating to this position. Applicants will only receive credit for their experience, training and education as shown on the application. Resumes will not be accepted as a substitute to a fully completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Veterans Preference Points

To be eligible for veteran's preference points, the applicant must submit a copy of their DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty with the Employment Application or upon request. The Director of Personnel may, in their discretion, accept alternate documentation.

City Residence Preference Points

City residents who pass an examination for a position in the classified service and do not receive any other preference will receive a five (5) point preference on a scale of 100 points on the exam. An additional one (1) point shall be added to the passing score of City residents who receive any other preference on a scale of 100 points. City residents must have resided in the City for at least one (1) year at the time of filing their application to be eligible for the preference points.

Accommodations

If assistance with the job application is necessary based on a physical impairment, mental impairment, or otherwise, they should reach out to the Office on the Disabled with contact information. This office will not disclose any information that an applicant or employee has a disability or has discussed possible accommodations without the applicant's or employee's prior consent.