Specializations

County of Placer; Auburn (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

The Procurement Services Division of the Department of General Services is seeking a Buyer I to support the purchase of materials, supplies, equipment, and services for County departments. This entry-level role involves completing routine purchasing tasks under supervision and learning procurement processes.

Preferred candidates have about one year of purchasing experience and an associate’s degree in business, public administration, economics, or related field.

Qualifications

• One year of purchasing experience is desirable.
• Equivalent to an associate’s degree from an accredited college with major course work in business administration, public administration, economics, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Purchase materials, supplies, equipment, and services for County departments through formal or informal solicitations and related purchasing tasks.
• Assist with preparation of solicitations and ensure compliance with purchasing policies.
• Learn and apply local, state, and federal procurement laws and regulations.

Skills

Analytical skills

Purchasing knowledge

Record keeping

Data processing basics

Spreadsheet software

Word processing software

Education

Associate's degree

Tools

Spreadsheet software

Word processing software

Job description

• Salary: $70,283 to $87,817
• Date Posted: November 11, 2026
• Closing Date: December 2, 2026

Description

The Procurement Services Division of the Department of General Services is currently accepting applications for Buyer - I. This position is responsible for the purchase of materials, supplies, equipment, and services for use by County departments through the use of formal or informal solicitations, and other related purchasing functions. The ideal candidate should possess strong analytical skills and an awareness or knowledge of fundamental purchasing requirements, ideally for a governmental entity.

This is the entry level class in the Buyer series. This class is distinguished from the journey level by the performance of the more routine tasks and duties assigned to positions within this series. Employees at this level are not expected to perform with the same independence of direction and judgment on matters allocated to the journey level. Since this class is typically used as a training class, employees may have only limited or no directly related work experience. Employees work under immediate supervision while learning job tasks.

Requirements

Experience:

• One year of purchasing experience is desirable.

Training:

• Equivalent to an associate’s degree from an accredited college with major course work in business administration, public administration, economics, or a related field.

Knowledge of:

• Purchasing principles and practices.
• Techniques of organization and planning.
• Basic record keeping, statistics, and data processing principles, including the use of common spreadsheet and word processing software used on personal computers.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand all aspects of the job.
• Intermittently analyze work papers, reports, and special projects.
• Identify and interpret technical and numerical information.
• Observe and solve problems relating to operational and technical policy and procedures.
• On a continuous basis, sit at a desk for long periods of time.
• Intermittently twist to reach equipment surrounding desk.
• Perform simple grasping and fine manipulation.
• Use telephone and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means.
• Lift heavy weight.
• Keep abrest of market conditions, product developments, and the relative merits of individual vendors.
• Learn the methods of purchasing by specifications and competitive bidding.
• Learn to use specialized financial, procurement, and data management software utilized within County departments.
• Learn pertinent local, state, and federal laws, ordinances, and rules applicable to public procurement.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.