Director of Purchasing

PRIMARY PURPOSE:

Develop purchasing procedures and prepare a district wide plan in agreement with local, state and federal purchasing laws to ensure purchases are made in the best interest of the district. Coordinate and supervise purchasing operations of the district including shipping, receiving, fixed assets, print shop and the district mail service.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education/Certification:

Bachelor’s degree in a business related field or education administration.

Master’s degree preferred.

Special Knowledge/Skills:

Knowledge in purchasing skills and bid specifications

Knowledge of competitive bidding statutes and purchasing procedures

Knowledge of school district local, state and federal purchasing laws

Knowledge of school purchasing, accounting, and budgeting

Working knowledge of financial applications and account coding

Strong communication, public relations, and interpersonal skills

Ability to use computer and software to develop spreadsheets, perform data analysis, and word processing

Ability to develop and implement policy and procedures

Ability to interpret data

Ability to manage budget and personnel

Ability to coordinate district functions

Experience:

Minimum three to five years’ professional level purchasing experience required

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Purchasing Department

1. Manages the procurement of good and services in a timely and cost efficient manner.
2. Approves purchase orders and service contracts, including competitive procurement specifications and tabulations. Maintain bids and contracts and ensure transparency by posting on district website.
3. Assists in the development, modification and implementation of purchasing policies and procedures.
4. Establish procedures for getting bidders on bidder lists. Make recommendations for bid awards.
5. Oversee purchase of materials and equipment for the district by competitive bids, competitive sealed proposals, request for proposals, government catalog contract purchases, informal quotations, and negotiations following established district criteria and in compliance with state purchasing rules.
6. Establishes and monitors good working relations with vendors.
7. Provides for communication with vendors (i.e., pre-competitive procurement conferences, competitive procurement openings, etc.) and approves vendor communication with campuses and departments.
8. Ensures that district staff is aware of relevant purchasing statutes, regulations, and board policies through either formal or informal training programs.
9. Stays current on purchasing statutes, regulations, and board policies through either formal or informal training programs.
10. Coordinate with the Chief Financial Officer to analyze and evaluate the health insurance, workers’ compensation, property, casualty, student insurances, etc., and in recommendation of vendor.
11. Evaluate purchasing procedures, systems, and controls in all district departments and recommend improvements in their design, implementation, and maintenance.
12. Maintain a continuous auditing program for all major and aggregate purchases and assist the district’s independent and internal auditors in conducting the annual or periodic audit.
13. Establish commodity codes to determine aggregate costs.
14. Ensure that purchasing systems comply with applicable laws and regulations including the

TEA Financial Accounting Standards Resource Guide, Texas Education Code and school board policies.

1. Advise the Chief Financial Officer of anticipated major purchases and maintain daily communication on department activities.
2. Review budget to determine bidding needs for all district funds in the aggregate.
3. Monitor account and vendor balances and recommend budget adjustments, additions, and deletions as needed.
4. Review and approve all purchase orders.
5. Plan and conduct needs assessments for improvement of purchasing operations.
6. Must work with district personnel to project bidding requirements on building and facilities needs, energy needs, capital equipment needs, and other cost items for district and individual school improvement.
7. Provide leadership to achieve cost-effective practices throughout the district.
8. Ensure that purchasing operations support the district’s goals and objectives.
9. Advertise for bids, prepare and submit agenda items to award bids on a timely manner.
10. Coordinate with Region One Cooperative purchasing and/or other cooperative purchasing
11. Coordinate and oversee district wide purchases such as electricity, cellular phones, ware house inventory,

Policy, Reports, and Law

1. Purchase orders must be in campus and district improvement plans.
2. Implement policies established by federal and state law, State Board of Education rules, and local board policy in the area of purchasing operations.
3. Compile, maintain, and file all physical and computerized reports, records, and other documents required per record retention plan.
4. Develop semi-annual purchasing reports of all bids/proposals/quotes obtained by the district and submit to the Chief Financial Officer.
5. Prepare financial activity reports for the Chief Financial Officer as requested.
6. Maintain accurate and current computerized inventory of records of the district’s bids, proposals, and quotes.
7. Preparation of the bids and bid specifications in compliance with the competitive bid laws of the state of Texas.
8. Develop training options and/or improvement plans to ensure exemplary purchasing operations.
9. Administer and coordinate all bid openings, tabulations of bids, and reporting results to upper management.

Warehouse & Inventory

1. Supervise Warehouse Shipping & Receiving.
2. Monitor that accurate and current computerized inventory of all supplies, equipment etc. are kept at the warehouse.
3. Oversee the warehouse functions of the district.
4. Establish good internal controls on district inventory that are efficient and train warehouse personnel on its applications.
5. Establish and maintain procedures manual for the warehouse operations.
6. Train warehouse personnel to determine re-order quantities for warehouse kept supplies and materials.
7. Responsible for Warehouse inventory at year end and preparation of inventory reports submitted to auditor.

Fixed Assets/Print Shop

1. Maintain/oversee Fixed Assets functions of the District.
2. Establish and maintain procedures manual for Fixed Assets.
3. Ensure assets are tagged, distributed to campuses/departments, and entered into the Fixed Asset Module.
4. Reconciliation of Fixed Asset to general ledger.
5. Preparation of fixed asset schedules for audit.
6. Responsible for Fixed Asset inventory and accuracy of assets in fixed asset module.
7. Other duties as necessary for Fixed Assets control (Training, Skyward, etc.)
8. Supervise print shop operations.

Records Retention

1. Maintain and oversee Records Retention records for the district.
2. Establish and maintain procedures manual for records retention.
3. Other duties as necessary for records retention.
4. Oversee mail service

Personnel Management

1. Prepare, review, and revise purchasing department job descriptions as necessary to meet the overall goals of the district.
2. Train, supervise and evaluate purchasing department personnel and make sound recommendations relative to personnel placement, assignment, retention, discipline, and dismissal to the Chief Financial Officer.

Community Relations

1. Demonstrate awareness of district and community needs and initiate activities to meet those needs.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Shipping and Receiving Supervisor, Warehouse Fixed Asset Clerk, Receiving Clerks, Budget Specialist

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:

Maintain emotional control under stressful conditions. Occasional prolonged and irregular hours.