PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR 2026

City of Fayetteville; Fayetteville (AR); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Fayetteville is seeking a seasoned procurement leader to oversee division activities, ensure compliant purchasing practices, and optimize contracts for best value. You will guide staff, manage budgets, and collaborate with internal departments and vendors to align procurement with city goals.

The role requires strong leadership, communication, and risk management skills, with experience in public sector procurement and a knack for strategic planning and process improvement.

Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a related field with procurement experience.
• Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO), Certified Purchasing Manager, or NIGP-CPP is desirable.
• Knowledge of municipal accounting, finance administration practices and internal control systems is preferred.
• Comprehensive knowledge of governmental procurement and supply-chain management.

Responsibilities

• Supervise and train staff, interview, hire, and evaluate employees.
• Plan and direct division activities to ensure compliance with policies and laws.
• Develop and monitor procurement processes and reporting systems.
• Review contracts and ensure best value procurements and competition.
• Represent the division to other departments and external vendors.
• Ensure transparent, ethical purchasing practices and maintain vendor relations.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Risk management

Multi-tasking

Change management

Strategic thinking

Education

Associate’s Degree in Business Administration, Procurement, or related field

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Procurement, or related field

CPPO/NIGP-CPP desirable

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

City financial software

Job description

Essential Job Duties

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Note: All City of Fayetteville supervisory positions require employees to demonstrate leadership competencies by exhibiting appropriate role modeling, and setting proper examples. In addition, all City of Fayetteville positions require the employee to provide good customer service to both internal and external customers, maintain positive and effective working relationships with other City employees (especially members of their own team), and have regular and reliable attendance that is non-disruptive.Other essential duties of this position include the following:

1. Perform supervisory responsibilities which may include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance, rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the City’s policies and applicable laws.
2. Plan and direct the activities and operations of the Division; ensure activities and operations are carried out in compliance with all applicable guidelines, policies, procedures, and laws.
3. Develop, implement, monitor, review and refine public procurement process and reporting systems to ensure compliance with published guidelines governing public procurement, as well as appropriate statutes and or federal laws.
4. Review Division record keeping procedures, policies and procedures, and make recommendations for revisions to the Chief Financial Officer and/or City Council as appropriate. Develop and implement procedures to ensure efficient and effective operation of procurement activities.
5. Develop strategic plans to increase City spend with disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) as established by the City Administration.
6. Provide support to City employees regarding procurement policies, rules, laws, ordinances, reports, and the establishment of buying procedures
7. Consistent with the strategic priorities of the City, perform professional work of unusual difficulty in the planning, organization, development and coordination of the procurement activities for the organization.
8. Serve as the principal public procurement official for the City and ensure purchasing practices are consistent, open, and designed to encourage maximum competition and best value procurements. Responsible for the procurement of goods, supplies, and services in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules, and regulations.
9. Provide professional support and sound contractual advice to all stakeholders involving contractual services, consultants, equipment, supplies, construction, capital improvements and other applicable activities.
10. Develop, implement, and supervise contracts, strategic procurement planning, delegated procurements, quality control, procurement training, electronic procurement systems, and procurement card administration.
11. Establish annual contracts for the purchase of supplies, services, and construction materials and services.
12. Review major solicitations and contracts to ensure compliance and identify opportunities for improvement.
13. Establish, maintain, and disseminate guides, manuals and other documents regarding procurement policies and procedures.
14. Represent the Division to other Departments, other public agencies, suppliers, and the City Council.
15. Maintain the integrity of the public procurement process. Conduct business in a transparent, ethical manner, granting all competitive suppliers fair and equal consideration.
16. Establish effective standard contract clauses for use in contracts, solicitations, and purchase orders.
17. Serve as the Program Administrator with the City’s procurement card program financial provider, providing daily management of the City’s Purchasing Card Program utilized throughout the City.
18. Approve requests for new procurement cards and set spending limits based on program guidelines and department approval.
19. Monitor employee procurement card usage and adjust transaction limits as needed. Ensure compliance with policies and procedures. Manage updates, changes or replacement cards in the event of name changes, lost, stolen or damaged cards. Suspends, cancels or destroys cards due to violation of policy, employee transfer or termination.
20. Conduct regular program audits and immediately inform management of instances of misuse or fraud. Develop related reports in web-based software to monitor the activity and usage of cardholders and managers; evaluate risk and track financial activity; monitor cardholder and City-wide transaction limits, fraud detection, purchase history, and identify trends.
21. Compile information and prepare the Division’s tentative annual budget figures with justification for major changes and purchases; ensure expenditures do not exceed allocated budget; monitor budget to ensure expenditures are within established guidelines; report any discrepancies; monitor and approve Division expenditures.
22. Prepare recommendations for management based on periodic and unannounced audits to include program changes, policy revisions and communication plans for cardholders and managers.
23. Receive and evaluate proposals and bids; award or recommend the award of contracts to the City Council.
24. Direct and manage negotiated procurements, reverse auctions, and internet bidding.
25. Manage the City’s online solicitation portal for electronic vendor communication, registration, and vendor bid, RFP and RFQ submittal.
26. Conduct negotiations with suppliers on proposals, contracts and contract claims.
27. Develop necessary staff and peer training to provide assurance of compliance with public procurement processes, as well as appropriate statutes and or federal laws.
28. Review and execute purchase orders, change orders, and other documents within delegated authority. Serve as the executing authority for City vehicle titles and equipment ownership documents.
29. Collaborate with departments to formulate short-term and long-term strategic procurement plans in order to maximize buying power and minimize inefficiencies.
30. Must have the ability to mobilize resources and obtain others' cooperation to achieve high-impact objectives.
31. Serve as the principal public risk manager for the City on strategic risk identification, evaluation, mitigation, allocation, and liability in contracts and effective insurance policy coverages.
32. Develop and recommend risk management strategies in conjunction with the Chief Financial Officer and Broker Consultant to mitigate areas of risk.
33. Manage billing to various departments for insurance fees for property, mobile equipment, automobile, professional liability and other insurance policies in force with the City.
34. Manage property, professional liability, and other complex insurance claims to ensure City property is restored and losses are properly managed.
35. Advise project managers in the preparation of contracts for professional and construction services as well as goods and materials to be performed and procured by various City departments.
36. Mediate discussions between project managers/departments to resolve vendor/contractor performance issues and develop corrective action plans, or recommendations as appropriate.
37. Supervise disposition of surplus, confiscated and/or abandoned property by auctions, sales, sealed bids, or redistribution to other departments in accordance with state and federal law, City Ordinances, and City policy.
38. Maintain effective interpersonal relationships with vendors and anticipate, negotiate, manage and resolve conflict fairly and effectively.
39. Evaluate propriety of proposed purchases and make recommendations as required.
40. Analyze commodity requirements, interpret market prices and trends, and apply interpretations to procurement issues.
41. Effectuate standardization of equipment and supplies to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of purchasing practices.
42. Manage the City’s copier program, purchase new and replacement equipment and complete all inter-departmental billing associated with various copiers.
43. Develop future forecasts for property, casualty and professional liability insurance cost used in development of the annual budget.
44. Collaborate with outside professional consultants to develop technical specifications, blueprints and drawings.
45. Complete special projects as assigned.
46. Perform other duties as assigned.

Secondary Job Duties

1. Secondary duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Associate’s Degree in Business Administration, Procurement, or other related field from an accredited college or university and six years of progressively responsible procurement experience with three years of management or project management experience; or Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Procurement, or other related field from an accredited college or university and five years of progressively responsible procurement experience with a minimum of three years of management or project management experience. Knowledge of municipal accounting, finance administration practices and internal control systems is preferred.
2. Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO), Certified Purchasing Manager, or NIGP Certified Procurement Professional (NIGP-CPP) certification desirable.
3. Must successfully pass criminal background check, including but not limited to convictions, guilty pleas, or no contest pleas to violent offenses, theft offenses and any offense under A.C.A. 21-15-103 and A.C.A. 21-15-111.
4. Must have comprehensive knowledge of laws, policies, and procedures governing public procurement and contract law, and regulations and reporting requirements pertaining to public procurement practices.
5. Comprehensive knowledge of modern principles and practices of governmental procurement and supply-chain management.
6. Considerable knowledge of principles of management analysis, such as spend analysis and cooperative purchasing, and organization design necessary to formulate and implement administration practices.
7. Comprehensive skill in researching and preparing highly complex specifications, solicitations and contract documents.
8. Ability to develop effective and cooperative working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
9. Must have knowledge of risk management assessment and mitigation principles and practices.
10. Ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing, including the ability to convey complex and technical subjects in a clear, concise and positive manner.
11. Must have the ability to adjust quickly to changes in systems, policies, or staffing and prepare and train staff to cope with change; openly communicate information to employees and administration.
12. Must have the ability to effectively prioritize and multi-task.
13. Pro‑active ability to recognize market opportunities and threats and influence management to act accordingly.
14. Must be proficient in the use of a computer and related software programs such as word processing and spreadsheet applications and must be able to become proficient in the use of programs such as database applications and the City’s financial software applications. Must be able to effectively operate standard office equipment.
15. While performing the functions of this job, the employee is regularly required to move about the office area and external locations, sit and stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Must have vision abilities to accomplish computer and office work.