Job Description

Salary: $47,361.00 - $70,886.00 Annually
Location : Houston, TX
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 15229
Department: Purchasing Department
Opening Date: 07/03/2025
Closing Date: 8/30/2025 7:24 PM Central
Max Number of Applicants: 250


Position Description
About Harris County Purchasing Department:

Accountability, Ethics, Impartiality, Professionalism, Service, Transparency

The Purchasing Department is created for the purpose of providing a "checks and balances" system for expenditure of public funds. The Purchasing Department strives to maintain consistent and open communication with the vendor community and the various supported County departments and agencies.

Every effort is made to operate in an efficient and economical manner consistent with existing laws and sound business practices.
What you will do at Harris County Purchasing Department:

Under general supervision and guidance, the Buyer purchases goods, and services less than or equal to $50,000 for assigned commodities and coordinates the preparation and execution of sole source, personal/professional services, and maintenance agreements. The Buyer is Harris County's representative to the supplier base in efforts to satisfy end user requirements for these goods and services. The Buyer may occasionally generate specifications, evaluate offers and bids and write award recommendations for procurements over $50,000. The Buyer is knowledgeable of all rules and regulations governing each purchasing process utilized by Harris County.
Essential Functions and Duties:

• Solicit informal quotes for goods and services priced less than or equal to $50,000.
• Process purchase orders and addenda for purchases less than or equal to $50,000.
• Coordinate and expedites preparation and execution of agreements with the County Attorney, department, and vendor.
• Works with the departments and vendors to resolve any purchase order/delivery/quality issues when necessary.
• Seek out new vendors, including HUB vendors, on a weekly basis.
• Advises end users of procurement options available, product availability and market place changes relating to their requirements.
• Coordinate with Senior Buyers, Contract Administrators, and Assistant Purchasing Agent in determining where term contracts may be applicable and work toward developing specifications with supervisors.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer


If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email



This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate

Requirements
Education & Experience:

• Associate degree in directly related field from an accredited college or university
• Two (2) years of experience as a buyer or similar field.

OR

• High school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent
• Four (4) years of experience as a buyer or similar field.

Knowledge Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent interaction skills: ability to interact assertively and effectively with a wide variety of people and personalities
  
• Excellent planning and organization skills to manage your work schedule and meet deadlines
  
• Ability to work in a team environment and solve problems/issues
  
• Ability to adapt and be flexible to respond to changing work situations and environments
  
• Negotiation skills to communicate effectively with clients or suppliers
  
• Basic knowledge and understanding of each informal purchasing process as utilized by Harris County and knowledge of procurement laws and purchasing policies.
  
• Excellent communication skills verbal and written; strong, active listening skills
  
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Outlook
  
• Ability to develop specification writing skills required for advancement into Senior Buyer position

NOTE : Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences


Experience:

• Prior purchasing/procurement experience (preferred)

General Information
Position Type, Hours and Salary:

• Regular | Full-Time
• Monday - Friday from 8 am to 5 pm | Flexible work schedule
• Compensation: Annual Salary Range: DOE: $47,361.00 - $70,886.00

Location:

• Harris Health Office Building - 4800 Fournace Place W516, Bellaire, TX 77401

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports To Position: Assistant Purchasing Agent
  Supervises Positions: None

Physical Demands and Environmental Exposure:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:
  • This position is based in an office environment, where the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, scanners, and filing cabinets is routine.
  • The physical demands associated with this job are minimal, with occasional lifting and moving of objects weighing up to 10 pounds.
  • The role is predominantly sedentary, involving mainly sitting with occasional standing and walking.

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.



Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan.
The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions:
Health & Wellness Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave
• Sick Leave

Retirement Savings Benefit

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:

• Professional learning & development opportunities
• Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
• Flexible work schedule*
• METRO RideSponsor Program*

* Participation may vary by department.
In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.
For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website:
01


Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or higher
• None of the above

02


Which of the following best describes your experience as a buyer or similar field?(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than two (2) years
• Two (2) years more but less than three (3) years
• Three (3) years or more but less than four (4) years
• Four (4) years or more but less than five (5) years
• Five (5) years or more
• I do not have this experience

03


Please provide details about your relevant experience as a buyer or similar field.*** Do not use "See Resume", as we do not use resumes to assess qualifications.***(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)Include your (a) role(s), (b) types of organizations, (c) scope of duties and responsibilities.If you do not have this experience, please type "None" in the space provided.
04


Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:Advanced:A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Intermediate:A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Basic:A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.Entry Level:A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

05


Do you have experience with purchasing or procurement?

• Yes
• No

Required Question Harris County, TX

Job Tags

Full time, Contract work, Part time, Work at office, Flexible hours, Monday to Friday,

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