Senior Buyer

Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Houston, TX
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 15770
Department: Purchasing Department
Opening Date: 10/22/2025
Closing Date: 12/31/2025 11:59 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 limited supervision and guidance, the Senior Buyer purchases goods and services using the competitive bid procedure for assigned commodities for procurements over $50,000 and coordinates the preparation and execution of agreements. The Senior Buyer generates specifications, evaluates bid responses, and prepares award recommendations. The Senior Buyer is knowledgeable of all rules and regulations governing each purchasing process utilized by Harris County.

Essential Functions and Duties:

• Prepares specifications describing product/service requirements with limited supervision.
• Manages assigned projects through the appropriate procurement process and processes purchase orders and addenda for assigned projects.
• Evaluates bid responses and participates in the evaluation committee process.
• Prepares clear and concise award recommendation letters for Commissioners Court or other governing body for Purchasing Agent signature.
• Coordinates and expedites preparation and execution of agreements with the County Attorney, department, and vendors.
• Assists Buyers with procedural questions.
• Advises end users of procurement options available, product availability and marketplace changes relating to their requirements.
• Liaisons between departments and vendors which includes monitoring contracts, collaborating with departments and vendors to resolve performance issues, maintaining updated vendor files that includes documentation of supplier performance, and conducting department or vendor site visits as needed.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer
https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx
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:

• Bachelor's degree in directly related field from an accredited college or university
• Four (4) years of related procurement/purchasing experience

OR:

• Eight (8) years of related procurement/purchasing experience

Knowledge Skills, and Abilities:

• Thorough knowledge of all rules and regulations governing each informal and formal purchasing processes utilized by Harris County.
• Ability to manage complex projects with limited supervision.
• Excellent planning, time-management, and organization skills
• Ability to manage and prioritize work to meet deadlines.
• Ability to self-motivate and take initiative.
• Results-driven and detail-oriented.
• Excellent communication skills verbal and written; strong, active listening skills.
• Excellent interaction skills: ability to interact assertively and effectively with a wide variety of people and personalities.
• Negotiation skills to communicate effectively with clients and suppliers.
• Ability to work in a team environment to solve problems/issues.
• Ability to adapt and be flexible to respond to changing work situations and environments.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Outlook

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:

• Three (3)+ years extensive purchasing experience in government procurement. (preferred)

Licensure:

• National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP), Certified Procurement Professional (CPP), Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO), or other professional procurement certification/designation. (preferred)

General Information
Position Type, Hours and Salary:

• Regular | Full-Time
• Monday - Friday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm
• Compensation Range: Based on experience

Location:

• Harris County Building, Office of the Purchasing Agent
  1111 Fannin St 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77002

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports To Position: Director
  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 County department. The employee benefits plans of Harris County are extended to all eligible participants across various departments with the exception of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, for which the cited Health & Wellness Benefits are administered through the State of Texas.
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 professional licensure/certification do you currently hold?(Select all that apply.)

• Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO)
• Certified Procurement Professional (CPP)
• National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP)
• Other professional procurement certification/designation
• None of the above

03

Which of the following best describes your verifiable related procurement/purchasing progressive experience?(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than four (4) years
• Four (4) years or more but less than five (5) years
• Five (5) years or more but less than six (6) years
• Six (6) years or more but less than seven (7) years
• Seven (7) years or more but less than eight (8) years
• Eight (8) years or more
• I do not have this experience

04

Please provide details about your related procurement/purchasing progressive experience.*** 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)If you do not have this experience, please type "None" in the space provided.
05

Which of the following best describes your verifiable purchasing experience in government procurement?(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than four (4) years
• Four (4) years or more but less than five (5) years
• Five (5) years or more but less than six (6) years
• Six (6) years or more
• I do not have this experience

06

Please provide details about your verifiable purchasing experience in government procurement.*** 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.
07

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

08

For this position, a valid Texas Driver's License is necessary. Please choose the option that best describes your situation:(Please be sure to include all related details in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.)

• Yes, I currently hold a valid Texas Driver's License.
• Yes, I possess a valid Out-of-State Driver's License, but I am aware that I must acquire a valid Texas Driver's License before the start date.
• No, I do not currently have a driver's license, but I commit to obtaining one before the start date.
• No, I do not currently have a valid driver's license.

Required Question

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