Senior Buyer

City of Kelowna; Union (NJ); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Kelowna is seeking a Senior Buyer to lead and direct procurement operations, handling over $100 million in annual purchases. The role demands strong negotiation, analytical skills, and the ability to manage complex procurement processes while ensuring compliance with regulations. Candidates should possess a Business Management Diploma and a professional procurement designation.

Qualifications

• BC Driver’s License – Class 5 required.
• Experience required in procurement field.

Responsibilities

• Conducts the procurement of goods, services, and construction efficiently.
• Develop strategies for various procurement processes.
• Ensure compliance with relevant Bylaws and policies.

Skills

Negotiation Skills

Attention to Detail

Computer Literacy

Education

Business Management Diploma

Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) Designation or equivalent

Job description

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

Internal candidates please note that in order to be considered based on your seniority, applications must be received by 4:00pm on June 17.

Please attach copies of your education/membership(s) as "other documents".

Posting Information

Posting Number

Posting Number CK53763P

Position Title

Position Title Senior Buyer

No. of Staff Required

No. of Staff Required 1

Position Type

Position Type FT

If Term position, enter length of Term in months

If Term position, enter length of Term in months N/A

Position Groups

Position Groups CUPE Civic

Division

Division Corporate Services (DV124)

Department

Department Purchasing (DP129)

Department Name

Branch

Branch Procurement Management (BR284)

Organizational Information

Purpose of your Position - Non Union

Classification Summary - Union

Help procure the City of Kelowna’s future!

Join the City’s Purchasing team and provide leadership and direction in the acquiring of over $100 million annually in goods, services, and construction to help keep our City’s economy going! Use your skills to provide superior customer service, effective negotiations, and outstanding technical knowledge. Your duties will include review detailed purchase requisitions, prepare and issue complex tenders and RFP’s, market research, apply analysis and critical thinking as it pertains to procurement and the best outcomes for the City. You will determine and lead procurement strategy, facilitate evaluations, recommend contract awards and resolve post-award contract issues.

A Senior Buyer with the City of Kelowna conducts the efficient and cost-effective procurement of goods, services, and construction as required by the City along with the disposal of obsolete or surplus assets.The Senior Buyer classification is distinguished from the Buyer classification by the greater complexity, value and risk of the procurement assignments, requiring a greater level of knowledge, expertise and experience necessary to complete complicated, major and uncommon procurements.

Duties - Union

• Recommends or develops strategies (e.g. Quotation requests, Tenders, Request for Proposals, Request for Qualifications, Requests for Expression of Interest) for the procurement of goods, services and construction.
• Reviews specifications and prepares bid documents, appropriate to the type of process being utilized.
• Ensures procurement complies with relevant Bylaws, policies, and legislation.
• Assists with establishing appropriate evaluation criteria, weighting and methodology.
• Ensures the evaluation process adhere to best practices, bid law and policy.
• Recommends contract awards.
• Conducts complex negotiations to finalize contracts.
• Advises on and works to resolve post-award contract issues (e.g. non-compliance).
• Drafts and reviews contracts according to bid terms of reference, standards and best practices, using considerable independent judgment.
• Interviews vendors, prospective vendors and sales representatives.
• Processes requisitions and purchase orders.
• Identifies areas of opportunity for the City and makes recommendations to the Supervisor and Manager of Purchasing.

Results and Activities - Non union

• Business Management Diploma
• Supply Chain Management Professional ( SCMP ) Designation or equivalent
• Experience
• BC Driver’s License – Class 5

Knowledge - Non Union

Skills & Abilities - Non Union

• Attention to Detail
• Computer Literacy
• Negotiation Skills

Posting Text

Physical Demands

Special Instructions to Applicant

Internal candidates please note that in order to be considered based on your seniority, applications must be received by 4:00pm on June 17.

Please attach copies of your education/membership(s) as “other documents”.

Additional Hiring Information

Testing may be required. If no fully qualified candidates apply, those not fully qualified may be considered for a training opportunity. Training rates will apply.

Positions that become vacant within the same classification may be filled as a result of this posting if the vacancy occurs within 30 days of closing.

The City of Kelowna is committed to being an organization that values and reflects its community’s diverse population, and to fostering an equitable, inclusive and progressive work environment where everyone can be their authentic self and feels a sense of belonging.

Pay Rate

Pay Rate Starts at $46.06 per hour with a 2-step progression to $49.08 per hour

Posting Date

Posting Date 06/11/2025

Closing Date

Closing Date 07/05/2025

Days of Work

Days of Work Monday to Friday

Standard Hours per Day 7

Hours of Work

8am to 4 pm

Work Location

Work Location KELOWNA INT'L AIRPORT

Specify Work Location

Specify Work Location YLW

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents

Resume

Cover Letter

Optional Documents

Other Document 1

Other Document 2

Other Document 3

Other Document 4

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * What level of post-secondary education do you have in business, finance or administration?
  • None
  • Some post-secondary courses
  • Certificate (1 year full time studies)
  • Diploma (2 years full time studies)
  • Bachelor's Degree (3 to 4 years full time studies)
  • Master's Degree or other higher level post-graduate program
  • Other
• * Do you currently hold a professional purchasing designation (i.e. Certified Professional Purchaser (CPP); Supply Chain Management Professional (SCMP) ; or equivalent designation)?
  • Yes
  • No
  • In progress
• * How many years of relevant experience do you have working in the procurement field?
  • None
  • Less than 1 year
  • 1 to 3 years
  • 3 to 5 years
  • More than 5 years
• * Have you ever successfully completed a sensitive or confidential negotiation in your previous employment?
  • Yes
  • No
• * How many years of tendering, project management and contract administration experience do you have?
  • None
  • Less than 1 year
  • 1 to 3 years
  • 3 to 5 years
  • 5 to 10 years
  • More than 10 years
• * How many years of experience do you have dealing with assigning competitive bid processes?
  • None
  • Less than 1 year
  • 1 to 3 years
  • 3 to 5 years
  • More than 5 years
• * What level of proficiency do you have using the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Outlook, Excel and Power Point?
  • No experience
  • Basic
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Expert