Assistant Buyer

Connect to a career at City Utilities! CU has been connecting our community to the services they need for every day life since 1945. From electricity to power our lives, clean water to be healthy, natural gas to stay warm, internet to keep businesses connected, to transit services to get them where they need to go.

Grade 54

Minimum: $957.75/ week
Midpoint: $1,149.29

PURPOSE OF POSITION:

Under the direction of the Manager-Purchasing or designee, performs various functions directly associated with the procurement process and responds to external and internal inquiries.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. Assists Buyers and Purchasing management by performing certain functions associated with the procurement process on a macro and micro scale including but not limited to:
* Supplier correspondence
* Entering storeroom replenishment
* PO development
* Contract development
* Vendor entry
* Contract renewals
* Minor dollar purchases
* Bid / Proposal evaluations
* Ad Hoc general stock item purchases

2. Promotes a professional, service-oriented attitude to assure customer needs are met. Acts as the primary point of contact for the Purchasing department providing customer service to both internal and external customers. For external customers this includes providing customer service and technical guidance for the supplier application process and City Utilities' electronic supplier portal.

3. Maintains & monitors electronic and paper files associated with the procurement process including but not limited to bids / proposals, purchase order back-up, queries, and other documents.

4. Assists and /or performs bid openings, tabulates bids received, enters bids, and creates queries and spreadsheets for bid evaluation purposes. Opens routine bids and handles requests for information from suppliers concerning bid results.

5. May perform administrative duties within the department as needed.

6. Provides back-up relief as deemed necessary by Purchasing Management.

7. May train other employees.

8. Performs all necessary duties during emergencies or outages.

9. Performs other related duties as assigned by Purchasing Management.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and Experience:

High school graduate or equivalent is required. Bachelor's degree with a major in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Business, or related field is preferred. Two or more years of college or vocational training in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Business, or related field is required. Exceptional office experience may be considered in lieu of college or vocational training. Two years general office or related experience is required. Purchasing and Supply Management experience is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

1. Procurement Knowledge:
* Knowledge of (or a demonstrated skillset to obtain knowledge of) the basic principles and practices of public procurement.

2. Communication and Technical Skills:
* Must possess good oral and written communication skills, including proficiency in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
* Working knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (e.g., Excel, Word, Outlook) and the use of the Internet.

3. Business Relationships:
* Must be extremely customer-oriented and conscientious.
* Perceptive and analytical with ability to create a cooperative environment in complex organizational relationships.
* Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, CU internal staff, suppliers, and the public in general.

4. Decision/Judgment:
* Ability to:
o Interpret and analyze data associated with basic bidding scenarios in order to recognize opportunities that are the most favorable to CU.
o Handle sensitive information and maintain a strict code of confidentiality.
* Be dependable and detail-oriented.

5. Conflict Management:
* Ability to:
o Appropriately utilize assertiveness skills and deal effectively with conflict.
o Work under potentially extreme pressure, meet deadlines, and make quick and appropriate decisions.
o Successfully navigate various electronic programs including but not limited to Microsoft Office Suites, other applicable information technology applications, and self-service platforms.
* Maintain adherence to all company policies.

Physical Requirements:

Typically, sedentary work. Ability to express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word and receive detailed information through oral communication is required. Substantial movements of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers, and close visual acuity to operate a computer is required. Bending and stooping may be required for filing and file retrieval.

Working Conditions:

Normal office conditions.

Miscellaneous Requirements:

* Must be able to work successfully with diverse groups of people.
* Employee must remain alert and aware of their surroundings at all times and maintain the ability to respond to changing circumstances in a timely manner.

TESTING

Testing may be required.

EEO

City Utilities offers equal employment opportunities to individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, genetic information or marital status. Learn more about CU and EEO.