Purchasing Agent

This is an in-person position, not remote.

About the role

The Broward County Board of County Commissioners is seeking qualified candidates for Purchasing Agents to work in its Professional and Construction Sections (includes A/E procurements) and General Services Section (e.g., banking, insurance, management service procurements).

The Broward County Purchasing Division is responsible for procurement of goods, services, construction, and professional services for over 60 different agencies of the Board of County Commissioners. As a centralized purchasing agency, the Division has been nationally recognized, receiving the National Institute of Government Procurement’s Outstanding Agency Accreditation Award (OA4), the National Procurement Institute’s Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award, and the Florida Association of Public Procurement Officials, Inc. (FAPPO) Award of Excellence in Public Procurement.

The Purchasing Agent (PA) provides a key role in the division, procuring the goods and services required to operate, maintain, and grow the County’s operations for all who live, learn, work, and play in Broward County.

Responsibilities

• Reviews, corrects, and researches using agency's specifications to ensure competitive and non-restrictive requirements; ensures basic requirements and industry standards/certifications are included; determines if licensing, insurance, and bonding are required.
• Prepares solicitations for advertising.
• Evaluates vendor responses for responsiveness, responsibility, and compliance with solicitation requirements.
• Performs solicitation award processes and prepares central purchase orders.
• Prepares memoranda requesting special conditions for solicitations, makes recommendations for award/rejection of solicitations, or responses to vendor issues or protests.
• Conducts presentations, outreach events, or pre-bid/proposal conferences.
• Reviews, analyzes, and resolves purchasing issues.
• Determines the appropriate terms, conditions, pricing structure, specifications, and forms for assigned procurements.
• Responds to requests for information and public records requests.
• Reviews and analyzes existing contracts to determine whether the contract should be renewed or re-solicited and prepares recommendations for renewal.
• Processes recommended contract renewals.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Requirements

Requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business, public administration, or a closely related field. (One year of relevant experience may be substituted for each year of required education.) Requires two (2) years in a centralized public or private sector purchasing operation with some lead work experience or closely related experience.

Preferences

• Master’s degree in a relevant field
• Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB)
• Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO)
• Certified Procurement Professional (CPP)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• 1+ years of Government Procurement Experience
• Bonfire (electronic bidding system) experience
• 1+ years of PeopleSoft/ERP Experience

Skills

• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Looks at complex issues from multiple angles; explores issues to uncover underlying issues and root causes; sees the main consequences and implications of different options.
• Resourcefulness: Secures and deploys resources effectively and efficiently. Identifies and obtains resources needed to accomplish objectives; identifies different ways to accomplish work when resources are limited. Makes progress across multiple priorities or responsibilities.
• Optimizes Work Processes: Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. Generally follows defined and communicated standards, methods, and procedures. Seeks advice and finds ways to work better within processes. Makes some reasonable suggestions to improve work methods.
• Ensures Accountability: Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. Accepts responsibility for own work, both successes and failures. Handles fair share and does not make excuses for problems. Usually meets commitments to others.
• Drives Results: Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. Regularly pushes self to achieve outstanding outcomes; consistently establishes bold goals for own performance; is passionate about excellent results and significant contributions. Shows great tenacity to complete goals/initiatives in a timely way.
• Communicates Effectively: Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Listens attentively and takes an interest. Keeps others well informed; conveys information clearly, concisely, and professionally when speaking or writing.
• Demonstrates Self-Awareness: Uses a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses. Actively seeks feedback from a variety of sources; asks clarifying questions to understand and improve own impact on others or on team performance. Reflects on and learns from own mistakes.

Work Environment

Physical Demands: Performs sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or sustained keyboard operations.

Unavoidable Hazards: None.

Benefits

Broward County offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees, including:

• Two (2) medical plans, including HDHP plan with employer-funded HSA
• Spending Accounts
• Life Insurance
• Supplemental Insurance
• Florida Retirement System (FRS) retirement plan
• 457 (b) Deferred Compensation with employer match
• 11 paid holidays each year
• Vacation (Annual Leave) of two weeks per year for Full-Time employees
• Up to 40 hours of Job Basis Leave