Category Specialist

Posting Open Until Filled

Salary range: $65,000 - $75,000 depending on Procurement experience

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:15am - 5:15pm)

This is a hybrid schedule position

Training is provided in the role via the department’s internal academy curriculum.

Connect - https://www.linkedin.com/company/atlanta-department-of-procurement/

At the City of Atlanta, we are passionate about building and improving our community. Our police officers, firefighters and building inspectors keep our citizens safe. Our Public Works staff keeps our City clean and helps maintain, build and improve our City’s infrastructure. Our City planners help envision and shape future City growth. Our Parks & Recreation professionals enhance our quality of life.

Our engineers help keep our drinking water clean, the largest airport in the world (by passenger volume) operating and our buildings maintained. Along with the host of Finance, Procurement, and Human Resources professionals whose support is vital, we are the City of Atlanta! If you are seeking a meaningful role where you can make a real difference improving and growing our City, we welcome you to explore the job opportunities we have to offer.

Under direction, the Department of Procurement Category Specialist performs procurement processes for government entities, with a focus on acquiring goods and services for the City. This involves reviewing and prioritizing procurement requests, ensuring alignment with market availability, and preparing solicitations. Analysis of bids and contracts, oversee vendor compliance, and coordinate purchasing across various departments. The specialist acts as a liaison between the Department of Procurement and other government departments, offering recommendations and addressing feedback. They must also stay informed about procurement trends and participate in planning and improvement initiatives within the department, requiring a deep understanding of government procurement regulations and practices.

• Primary lead on managing project solicitation from request stage to final award.
• Manages advertisement; handles all vendor and public concerns during the blackout period; conducts pre-bid conferences for prospective vendors to clarify questions or concerns regarding the user agency specification; may include coordination of a site tour.
• Analyzes historical purchases and usage by commodity to aid in determining value of current contract and/or future purchases, request questionnaires and usage reports.
• Reviews requisitions as to compliance with the code, Procurement policies and procedures; and issues purchase orders, as appropriate.
• Utilizes software applications (Oracle) as the method of electronic sourcing, creating purchase orders and researching procurement related information.
• Assists in the development and review of purchasing procedures and methods; interprets and applies the city code and department’s standard operating procedure.
• Prepare detailed reports - weekly and monthly activity, and other reports as directed.
• May prepare legislative requests on behalf of user agencies, including cooperative agreements from the State and Federal government.
• Handles special projects of a purchasing or auditing nature as assigned.
• Working knowledge of professional services, IT, constituent services, enterprise asset/facilities and construction related sourcing.
• Displays an exemplary level of customer service following the city’s Customer Service standard. Must always exhibit professional demeanor to internal and external customers.
• Responds to all incoming inquiries and requests from supervisors, coworkers, internal and external customers, and the public with accurate, timely information.
• Maintains vendor contact information and bidder’s information for web and Outlook email distribution lists.
• Plans and meets with Departments at an established meeting cadence to accomplish department goals for planned procurements.
• Promotes a culture of innovation, service, and value.
• Assume the responsibilities of the Category Lead upon request.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

The above statements reflect the general duties, responsibilities and competencies considered necessary to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job and should not be considered as a detailed description of all the work requirements of the position. COA may change the specific job duties with or without prior notice based on the needs of the organization.

• Knowledge of fundamental processes of competitive purchasing.
• Knowledge of public procurement laws, principles, and procedures, preparing bids, interpreting specifications and negotiation.
• Knowledge of principles of accounting, budgeting, and statistics as they relate to purchasing activities, organizational and project management skills.
• Knowledge of City government processes and procedures; department operations.
• Display effective oral and written communications skills, exercise diplomacy.
• Ability to build effective relationships with coworkers, vendors, colleagues, management, and government officials.
• Ability to collect, interpret and analyze data from multiple sources.
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites applications and other required software, including Oracle, SharePoint, DocuSign, etc.

Ability to compile, organize, prepare, analyze, and maintain an assortment of records, reports and information.

Minimum Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in accounting, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field from an accredited college or university.

Minimum of three (3) years of verifiable experience in a professional purchasing position; or verifiable experience equivalent to five (5) years in a position with duties closely related to those of the Buyer; or five (5) years of verifiable training and/or experience combining the responsibilities and education listed above.

Preferred Requirements (separate from minimum requirements and not required to qualify for the job)

Master’s degree in business administration, procurement, or related area; plus 5 years’ experience in purchasing.

Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB) or equivalent certification. Must obtain CPPB or equivalent certification within three (3) years of being placed in this position.

The City of Atlanta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, ender identity, marital status, veteran’s status or national origin, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law. We value and encourage diversity in our workforce.

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• City of Atlanta

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