Purchasing Specialist - Finance

Purchasing Specialist - Finance

SALARY: Hire Rate - $29.00 hr / Work Rate - $30.53 hr

TYPE OF EMPLOYMENT: Full Time

ISSUE DATE: 12/12/24

THE FINAL DATE TO FILE APPLICATIONS: 01/04/25

DATE THAT THIS ANNOUNCEMENT SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM POSTING: 01/05/25

RESIDENCY: Candidates must have been legal residents of Tompkins County or one of the six adjoining counties (Cayuga,
Chemung, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tioga) for at least one month immediately preceding the date of application and maintain
residency. For Examinations: The eligible list resulting from the examination will be established in accordance with the final
earned numerical ratings of passing candidates regardless of residence. A municipality or district may exercise its right under
section 23-4-a. of Civil Service Law to request a certification of eligible candidates who have been residents of that municipality
or district for at least one month prior to appointment. After the names of residents have been exhausted, Tompkins County must
then certify the names of non-residents on the list.

Tompkins County is searching for a dynamic flexible individual to provide routine assistance with all procurement and
competitive bidding of goods and services, reporting and accounting of fixed assets, and updating the purchasing policies and
procedures. The work is performed under the general supervision of the Purchasing Manager with leeway allowed for the exercise
of independent judgment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college with an Associate’s degree in business
administration, marketing, accounting, retail sales management, or related field AND at least three (3) years full time
paid (or equivalent part-time) experience in accounting and/or experience which involved purchasing, retail sales
involving item pricing and cost analysis of goods, or account keeping involving commodities or banking programs; OR

2. Graduation from High School or possession of a high school equivalency diploma AND at least five (5) years full time
paid (or equivalent part-time) experience in accounting and/or experience which involved preparation of materials and
services and purchasing, retail sales involving item pricing and cost analysis of goods, or account keeping involving
commodities; OR

3. Any combination of training and experience equal to or greater than that described in(a) and (b) above.

Tompkins County is Committed to Equity and Inclusion. We encourage those with similar values to apply.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

An incumbent in this class is responsible for backing up the Purchasing Manager and providing routine assistance with all
procurement and competitive bidding process of commodities, goods and services for County departments. The Purchasing
Specialist assists with the administration of computer operations related to RFP’s and bids. The work involves assisting with
coordinating and performing the tasks of county-wide purchasing, preparation of detailed specifications, communicating with
vendors, and the researching of trade publications regarding the purchasing of goods and supplies. The incumbent may also assist
with gathering necessary data for the reporting and accounting of the County’s capital assets (fixed assets), utilizing a capital
assets software program. This position will assist the Purchasing Manager with maintaining and updating the purchasing policies
and procedures including research to develop policies and/or procedures as needed. The work is performed under the general
supervision of the Purchasing Manager with leeway allowed for the exercise of independent judgment. Supervision may be
exercised over clerical and assigned staff. The position requires that the incumbents maintain a wide range of professional
contacts and that he or she be able to provide instruction to departments, officials, and vendors on the proper procedures. The
incumbent will perform all related duties as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES:

• Assist with preparing specifications or standards for bids, RFP's, and written price quotations;
• Places legal ads, distributing bid packages to vendors, holding bid openings, and analyzing bids;
• Assist in evaluating bids received to ensure that they are in accordance with specifications and legal requirements;
• Purchasing of materials, equipment and supplies for the County;
• Receiving and reviewing purchase requisitions/purchase orders from County Departments for content, accuracy and

Superintendents to assure that their needs are addressed in bid specifications for services and for procurement of
equipment, services, and supplies;

• Assist with providing training to County departments and municipalities, as needed upon request, regarding purchasing

procedures;

• May consult with vendors regarding payment, invoice, delivery, and service issues, including the issuance of complaint

letters and contract cancellation notices;

• Provide assistance with the year end processes including rolling of purchase orders and closing of capital assets as

required;

• Provide accounting and reporting of the County’s capital assets, including processing, sorting, recording, scanning and

filing of documents electronically as needed;

• Assist with physical inventory for all capital assets and provide departmental reports;

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS:

• Good knowledge of principles, practices and technical resources of purchasing and specification writing, inclusive of

typical documents, contracts, and forms as well as bidding and procurement practices;

• Good knowledge of ethical and acceptable business practices;
• Knowledge of legal requirements and procedures of competitive bidding;
• Familiarity with Web based RFP/Bid programs including virtual bid openings;
• Knowledge of ‘Best Value’ purchasing practices;
• Knowledge of Collaborative and/or piggybacking purchasing contracts;
• Knowledge of technical resources and information used in specification writing;
• Good knowledge of properties, uses, costs and standards of business, commercial, industrial, and construction materials,

PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS:

The physical and mental 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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit for extended
period in an office setting, use hands to keyboard, handle, or feel objects, manipulate tools, or controls, and reach with hands and
arms. The employee is required to see, walk, talk and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 45 pounds.
Due to extensive computer usage, the job requires considerable visual effort. Vision abilities required by this job include close
vision and the ability to adjust focus to a mid-range. The employee’s physical and mental condition shall be commensurate with
demands of the position, either with or without reasonable accommodation. Psychological demands are moderate for this position.
Considerable interpersonal skills are necessary in order to create connections, obtain buy-in, cooperation with community
agencies, municipalities and throughout the organization. The employee is required to have a valid NYS license in order to drive
to various remote Tompkins County locations. Internal contacts may include work with elected officials, department heads or
deputies and will require professional collaboration on overlapping projects. External contacts are with professional associates,
liaisons, community groups and involve the development of professional networks. The work environment has minimal exposure
to disagreeable conditions. The incumbent will perform all related duties as required.

Originally Created: 1/2023

P140

FURTHER INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS

Falsification of any part of the "Application for Employment" will result in disqualification.

Accepted candidates will be notified when and where to appear for the examination. If you do not receive your notice to appear at least three days before the
date of the written examination, call Tompkins County Department of Human Resources at 274-5526. If an application is disapproved, due notice will be
sent. This department does not make formal acknowledgment of the receipt of an application or take responsibility for non-delivery or postal delay.

Applicants must answer every question on the application form and make sure that the application is complete in all respects. Incomplete applications will
be disapproved.

ACTIVE MILITARY PERSONNEL, VETERANS OR DISABLED VETERANS desiring to claim additional credit will request the Veterans Credits
application form, at any time between the date of application for examination(s) and the date of the establishment of the resulting eligible list. You must
meet the requirements set by NYS for these credits and they may be used only once. YOU MAY NOT CLAIM ADDITIONAL CREDITS AFTER THE
ELIGIBLE LIST HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED. IT IS THE CANDIDATE'S RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST THE VETERANS CREDIT
APPLICATION FORMS AND TO SUBMIT THESE FORMS AND ANY SUPPORTING PAPERWORK BEFORE THE ELIGIBLE LIST IS
ESTABLISHED.
Tompkins County's written examinations are prepared and rated by the New York State Department of Civil Service in accordance with Section 23-2 of
Civil Service Law. The provisions of the New York State Civil Service Rules and Regulations, which deal with the rating and review of the examinations
apply.

The duration of the eligible lists may be fixed for a minimum of one and a maximum of four years and may be extended beyond four years if there has been
a restriction against the filling of vacancies in that title.
The candidates must complete a separate "Application for Employment" for each open-competitive and/or promotional examination that the candidate is
eligible to take.

All experience required meeting the acceptable training and experience is full-time experience. (Part-time experience will be credited on a prorated basis).

Appointment from an eligible list must be made from the top three candidates willing to accept the appointment.

Tompkins County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As part of its efforts to provide employment opportunities to the physically handicapped, Tompkins
County Civil Service has adopted a rule permitting the employment of qualified physically handicapped persons without competitive examination (pursuant
to Section 55 of Civil Service Law). If you meet the minimum qualifications for this position and wish to know more about this rule, please contact the
Tompkins County Department of Human Resources Office.

Unless otherwise notified, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand-held, and solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with Typewriter Keyboards,
Spell Checkers, Personal Digital Assistants, Address Books, Language Translators, Dictionaries or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring
books or other reference materials.

CROSS-FILING - APPLYING FOR CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS WHEN EXAMINATIONS ARE
SCHEDULED ON THE SAME DATE: When applying for examinations across multiple jurisdictions - all of which are scheduled on the same day - you
must submit a Tompkins County Cross-Filing Form. This form must be submitted no later than 4:30 PM on the final filing date of the examination. On this
form, list each examination that you are taking and then tell us where you would like to sit. The purpose is to ensure that all of the test materials for the
various examinations that you are taking will be available in one location. If you do not provide the cross-filing form to us by the final filing date, we cannot
ensure that we can accommodate your desire to cross-file. If any of the examinations are State level examinations, you must sit at the State test center. You
will still need to complete the Tompkins County cross-filing form. If sitting at the State site, the State will notify you of when and where to report for your
examination(s) and you should bring all admittance letters to the State site. If you are not taking a State examination, bring all admittance letters to your
chosen testing site. If you have any question please call Tompkins County Department of Human Resources Department (607) 274-5526. The Cross File
form is located at http://www.tompkins-co.org/personnel/CivilSrvForms/index.html

FOR RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION AND HANDICAPPED PERSONS: If special arrangements for testing are required, please indicate this on
your application.

ALL CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT FOR POSITIONS IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND BOCES GOVERNED BY TOMPKINS COUNTY
CIVIL SERVICE MAY HAVE THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL REQUIREMENT. PER CHAPTER 180 OF THE LAWS OF 2000, AND BY
REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, TO BE EMPLOYED IN A POSITION DESIGNATED BY A SCHOOL
DISTRICT OR BOCES AS INVOLVING DIRECT CONTACT WITH STUDENTS, A CLEARANCE FOR EMPLOYMENT FROM THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT IS REQUIRED.
In conformance with Section 85-a of the Civil Service Law, children of firefighters and police officers killed in the line of duties shall be entitled to receive
an additional ten points in a competitive examination for original appointment in the same municipality in which his or her parent has served. If you are
qualified to participate in this examination and are a child of firefighter or police officer killed in the line of duties in this municipality, please inform this
office of this matter when you submit your application for examination. A candidate claiming such credit has a minimum of two months from the
application deadline to provide the necessary documentation to verify additional credit eligibility. However, no credit may be added after the eligible list has
been established.⒝

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be required to undergo a State and national criminal history background investigation, which will
include a fingerprint check, to determine suitability for appointment. Failure to meet the standards for the background investigation may result in
disqualification.

TOMPKINS COUNTY PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT, 125 EAST COURT STREET, ITHACA, NY 14850