Strategic Purchasing & Vendor Management Lead

Birmingham; Birmingham (AL); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 126,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Birmingham is seeking a Purchasing Agent to oversee procurement operations, supervise staff, develop specifications and bid proposals, issue purchase orders, and maintain vendor relationships.

You will work with department heads to assess procurement needs, improve processes, and ensure compliance with regulations, while assisting with budget development and expense monitoring to identify cost-saving opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Accounting, Finance, Purchasing/Procurement or closely related field.
• Experience in purchasing, procurement, and/or acquisition including sourcing of materials and contracts.
• Experience supervising professional and clerical personnel (e.g., approving leave, counseling employees and taking disciplinary action, and conducting performance appraisals).
• Experience in creating specifications and bid proposals, awarding bids, and creating purchase orders.
• Experience in data analysis (e.g., forecasting, market trends, strategic vendor engagement).

Responsibilities

• Directs the daily operations of the organization’s procurement activities to ensure goods and services are procured and maximize value from procurement activities.
• Collaborates with finance, legal, operations, and inventory management to align procurement with business objectives.
• Establishes and maintains departmental policies, procedures and guidelines related to procurement activity.
• Procures and/or manages inventory to meet operational needs of each department.
• Assists in developing procurement strategies by analyzing market trends and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
• Supervises staff by assigning work, providing feedback, and training.

Skills

Procurement

Vendor management

Negotiation

Contract administration

Data analysis

Forecasting

Budget monitoring

Team supervision

Purchasing/Procurement

Policy development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Accounting, Finance, Purchasing/Procurement

Job description

The City of Birmingham is seeking a Purchasing Agent to oversee procurement operations, supervise staff, develop specifications and bid proposals, issue purchase orders, and maintain vendor relationships.

You will work with department heads to assess procurement needs, improve processes, and ensure compliance with regulations, while assisting with budget development and expense monitoring to identify cost-saving opportunities.