Purchasing Agent - City of Birmingham

04/28/2025 Grade 32 Full time The City of Birmingham is seeking a Purchasing Agent to oversee the procurement operations ensuring all departments have timely access to the necessary products and services to maintain operational efficiency. They supervise procurement staff by assigning tasks, monitoring performance, providing training and development opportunities, delivering performance feedback, and making hiring and promotion recommendations. Their responsibilities include drafting detailed product and service specifications, preparing bid proposals, soliciting and evaluating vendor bids, negotiating contract terms and pricing, and issuing purchase orders. They establish and maintain vendor relationships to ensure competitive pricing, quality assurance, and compliance with contractual obligations. Additionally, they work closely with department heads to assess procurement needs, streamline purchasing processes, and resolve supply chain issues. Purchasing Agents also assist in managing the department’s financial operations by developing and monitoring budgets, tracking expenditures, and identifying cost-saving opportunities without compromising quality or service delivery. They ensure all procurement activities adhere to federal, state, and local purchasing regulations, policies, and ethical standards.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Purchasing/Procurement or a closely related field of study.
• Experience in purchasing, procurement, and/or acquisition to include sourcing of materials and supplies, contract administration, negotiation, vendor management, inventory management, and implementation of cost-saving strategies.
• Experience supervising professional and clerical personnel (e.g., approving leave, counseling employees and taking disciplinary action, and conducting performance appraisals).
• Experience creating specifications and bid proposals, awarding bids and creating purchase orders.

• Certified Procurement Professional (CPP).
• Certified Professional Purchasing Manager (CPPM).
• Master's degree or higher in business administration, accounting or finance.
• Experience identifying diverse vendors and supply chains for procurement networks.
• Experience capturing data and conducting data analysis to produce reports summarizing departmental activities.

• Assists in directing the daily operations of the organization’s procurement activities by ensuring goods and services are procured and maximizing value from procurement activities through strategic sourcing and supplier management following established agreements, state and federal laws, and policies and procedures to support business success.
• Acts as a liaison by collaborating with other internal and external stakeholders and vendors, such as finance, legal, operations, and inventory management, to ensure alignment of procurement activities with overall business objectives and operational requirements.
• Establishes and maintains departmental policies, procedures and guidelines related to procurement activity (e.g., vendor selection, contract negotiation, purchasing processes) by reviewing and researching state and federal legislation, regulations, and guidelines to ensure compliance when creating and updating new policies and guidelines, evaluating services, and establishing procedures.
• Establishes and maintains departmental policies, procedures and guidelines related to procurement activity (e.g., vendor selection, contract negotiation, purchasing processes) by reviewing and researching state and federal legislation, regulations, and guidelines to ensure compliance when creating and updating new policies and guidelines, evaluating services, and establishing procedures.
• Procures and/or manages inventory (i.e., supplies and equipment) to ensure the products and services are available to meet the operational needs of each department.
• Assists in the development and implementation of the organization’s procurement strategies by analyzing market trends, assessing supply chain risks, and identifying opportunities for cost savings, efficiency improvements, and innovation to maintain alignment with the organization’s overall objectives
• Supervises staff by assigning and distributing work, directing staff in their job duties, monitoring progress of work, providing feedback and/or training.

Job is primarily sedentary involving sitting for long periods of time, but may involve occasional walking or standing for brief periods. Work is conducted almost exclusively indoors in an office setting. Work involves use of standard office equipment, such as computer, phone, copier, etc.