Human Resource Services
Alameda Skyline

Buyer I, Zone 7

Recruitment #18-4953-01

Introduction

 THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Failure to submit the Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification.

Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires will only be accepted on-line.

DESCRIPTION

THE AGENCY

Zone 7 provides treated drinking water to four major water retailers serving around 220,000 residents and businesses. The retailers are: the City of Pleasanton; the City of Livermore; California Water Service Company - Livermore; and Dublin San Ramon Services District, which provides water service to Dublin and the Dougherty Valley area of San Ramon.

THE POSITION

Buyer I is the entry level Purchasing class in which the incumbent receives on the job training and develops expertise to work independently. Incumbents in the class of Buyer I function in a supportive role and are assigned projects of a less complex nature where work is subject to review while in progress and upon completion. The Buyer I, Zone 7 receives direction and assignments from the Buyer II, Zone 7. This position differs from the Buyer II, Zone 7 in that the latter is responsible for overseeing the entire purchasing program for Zone 7. This position reports to the Accounting Manager, Zone 7.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The Ideal Candidate has experience with a proven track record of success that demonstrates knowledge, skill and abilities in the following areas:

  • A thorough understanding of purchasing functions, industry trends, and one's own organization's position to contribute to effective business strategies and tactics;         
  • An understanding of the workings of public sector purchasing, and how to achieve results in these environments;         
  • Developing and using collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishments of work goals;         
  • Actively participating as a valued member of a work team;        
  • Seeking information to understand internal customer needs and developing appropriate solutions;         
  • Comparing data from different sources to draw conclusions;         
  • Negotiating terms, agreements, and understanding with others using all available information appropriately to guide decisions and meet objectives, while acting with integrity.         
  • Putting new knowledge, understanding, or skill to practical use on the job; furthering learning through trial and error;         
  • Providing exceptional service to internal and external customers;
  • Ensuring the quality and accuracy of work products

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Either I

The equivalent of two years full-time experience in the class of Buyer's Assistant in the Alameda County classified service.

Or II

The equivalent of three years full-time increasingly responsible purchasing experience that included developing/reviewing purchase orders, specifications and cost analysis in a public agency. (Completion of two years of education in business administration or a closely related field from an accredited college or university or a purchasing management certificate from a nationally recognized organization may be substituted for one year of the required experience.)

License:

All candidates must possess a valid California Motor Vehicle Operator's license.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

PUBLIC SECTOR PROCUREMENT: Understands and applies knowledge of Federal, State, local Procurement laws, rules and regulations.

Key Actions ·        

  • Understands the workings of public sector procurement, and how to achieve results in these environments        
  • Evaluation and maintenance of data integrity.        
  • Lends functional expertise to the development of data reports and process workflow         
  • Understands and uses various relevant procurement systems to perform work.        
  • Interprets and applies comprehensive understanding of procurement rules, regulations and guidelines.        
  • Applies a wide range of procurement concepts, laws, policies, practices, and methods to complete a wide range of complex interrelated tasks.    

INTEGRITY AND TRUST: Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization.

Key Actions ·        

  • Operates with integrity—Demonstrates honesty; keeps commitments; behaves in a consistent manner.        
  • Discloses own positions—Shares thoughts, feelings, and rationale so that others understand personal positions.        
  • Remains open to ideas—Listens to others and objectively considers others’ ideas and opinions, even when they conflict with one’s own.        
  • Supports others—Treats people with dignity, respect, and fairness; gives proper credit to others; stands up for deserving others and their ideas even in the face of resistance or challenge.  

CONTRACT NEGOTIATION AND SOURCE SELECTION: Facilitates discussions between customers/partners and potential vendors to agree on contract terms and evaluates bids or proposals to make contract award decisions.

Key Actions ·        

  • Understands customer/partner’s scientific and technical requirements        
  • Gathers information to make sound decisions         
  • Employs established processes and techniques (e.g., tradeoffs, lowest price technically acceptable) to make well informed source selection decisions         
  • Guides customers/partners through the review, negotiation and evaluation of bids and proposals process        
  • Makes award decisions that meet the mission needs of the organization         
  • Works with customers/partners and vendors to craft mutually agreeable contract terms, conditions and price         
  • Documents source selection decisions and drafts contracts that include the agreed upon terms, conditions, special provisions and negotiated price         
  • Engages in other source selection activities where required (e.g., debriefing offers or, responding to protests)      

CUSTOMER SERVICE: Demonstrates a commitment to public service; serves and satisfies internal and external customers; holds self accountable for quality outcomes.

Key Behaviors ·        

  • Establishes and maintains credibility with the public, partners, customers, and co-workers.         
  • Works with customers to assess their needs in an effort to meet/exceed requirements and expectations.         
  • Conveys a positive attitude when interacting with customers and staff.        
  • Identifies opportunities to improve customer service and satisfaction.        
  • Understands customers and takes a proactive approach to meeting their needs in an effective and timely manner.         
  • Engages the customer as a partner in delivering service.         
  • Makes use of specialized knowledge to assist customers in resolving problems.         
  • Uses ‘non-technical’ language skillfully to ensure effective communication with customers from all levels of understanding.        
  • Recognizes that customer feedback is an opportunity to improve performance, and identifies the need for any changes in service delivery.         
  • Builds and maintains effective working relationships and partners with customers.         
  • Balances interests of a variety of customers.         
  • Sets, commits to, and maintains high standards for quality work and responsiveness in providing administrative services.    

TEAMWORK: Works with and helps others to accomplish objectives.

Key Actions ·        

  • Participates willingly and effectively on team assignments and projects.         
  • Identifies areas of personal expertise and seeks out opportunities to lend expertise to working groups to maximize outcomes.         
  • Solicits input from team members.         
  • Fosters a working atmosphere conducive to collaborative efforts.         
  • Listens to constructive feedback and incorporates suggestions to achieve collective objectives.                                  

Knowledge of:

• Characteristics of the different materials, supplies, and equipment, including specialized water treatment and laboratory equipment used by the agency.
• Applicable purchasing laws and regulations.
• Marketing principles and practices as they relate to purchasing.
• Principles and practices of purchasing for a public agency including techniques of price negotiation and preparation and evaluation of bid specifications.
• Practices and methods of purchasing by specification and competitive bidding.
• Basic financial record keeping, contract management, and mathematics as applied to purchasing.

Ability to:

• Gather and analyze data.
• Reason logically, draw valid conclusions and make appropriate recommendations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with vendors, department division, and the general public.
• Analyze and evaluate commodities of competitive bidders from vendors' descriptions or samples and award bids and contracts in accordance with established policy and law.
• Prepare accurate and concise product specifications.
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

The examination will consist of the following steps:

  1. A review of candidates' application to verify possession of minimum requirements.  Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.
  2. A review of the supplemental questionnaire to determine the best qualified.
  3. An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidates' final examination score.  The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

Candidates must attain a qualifying rating on each portion of this recruitment.  WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.

Selection Plan

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

Last Day For Filing:                                      Friday, September 28, 2018              

Screening For Minimum Qualifications:     Friday, October 12, 2018

Screening For Best Qualified:                     Thursday, October 25, 2018

Panel Interviews:                                           Thursday, November 14, 2018

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes. For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

BENEFITS

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

  • Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
  • Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
  • Vision or Vision Reimbursement
  • Share the Savings
  • Basic Life Insurance 
  • Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
  • County Allowance Credit
  • Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
  • Short-Term Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
  • Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

  • Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
  • Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

  • 11 paid holidays
  • Floating Holidays
  • Vacation and sick leave accrual
  • Vacation purchase program
  • Catastrophic Sick Leave
  • Employee Mortgage Loan Program
  • Group Auto/Home Insurance
  • Pet Insurance
  • Commuter Benefits Program
  • Guaranteed Ride Home
  • Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
  • Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
  • Child Care Resources
  • 1st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

 

Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Anna Montoya, Human Resources Analyst III

Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda
510-272-6459
www.acgov.org/hrs

ALAMEDA COUNTY IS AN EQUALOPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER