Procurement Specialist - Missouri Dept. of Agriculture

Job Location: Jefferson City, MO

Why you’ll love this position:

The Missouri Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the promotion and protection of the state’s agriculture industry. With nearly 100,000 farms on more than 28 million acres of farmland, the state’s Department of Agriculture works to connect farmers with consumers. Nearly 90% of Missouri’s farms are family owned, and our family farms are committed to producing a safe and secure food supply for customers locally and globally. Additionally, more than one in every ten Missouri jobs are in agriculture and forestry.

This is a senior-level professional position accountable for managing and overseeing the competitive procurement process on behalf of state agencies. Employees direct and manage the inputs or components (e.g. research, compliance, RFPs, etc.) involved with developing and executing on high level contracts. At this level, incumbents give consultative advice on contract methods including, but not limited to: identifying and prioritizing needs, assessing the impact of contract decisions, and developing strategies to mitigate risk. Employees are also accountable for recommending State policies and guidelines, training State agency staff, and reviewing State procurements for compliance with statutes, administrative rules, and policies.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assist with Department’s contract management system.
• Communicate with vendors regarding contractual language, agency needs, terms and conditions, license agreements, etc.
• Maintain the contract database.
• Coordination and implementation of centralized agency purchasing procedures.
• Procure a wide variety of procurements for commodities, services, and/or information technology projects, many of which are highly technical and require complex procurement standards and procedures such as negotiation, including conducting evaluations of bids received and leading evaluation teams of subject matter experts as needed.
• Determine which method of procurement process is appropriate to initiate and manage each specific procurement’s circumstances.
• Prepare detailed solicitation documents to solicit proposals from responsible vendors.
• Advise and train user agency staff regarding state statutes, regulations, and procedures for the procurement of commodities, IT, and/or services.
• Performs advanced analytical work in deciding which methods of procurement, such as negotiation, single feasible source, emergency, multi-year terms, etc. is appropriate; uses that procedure to prepare invitations for bids, requests for proposals, and purchase orders, and to solicit bids or proposals from responsible bidders.
• Contacts vendors to resolve contractual problems and to gain knowledge of the products, sources, prices, marketing practices, design, and capabilities of highly technical and complex commodities and services.
• Coordinate all aspects of the procurement card program, including but limited to: process new card requests, monitor and adjust usage limits as needed, replace lost/stolen cards, and reconcile monthly procurement card and/or direct bill logs.
• Assist with grants maintenance.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Seven (7) or more years of technically relevant experience in procurement, finance, or fiscal administration. Experience can come from a combination of direct work experience and/or completion of a relevant bachelor’s degree.
• Must posses a valid Driver’s License.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of SAMII, MissouriBUYS and SharePoint
• Effective written and oral communication
• Strong knowledge and understanding of Chapter 34 and Missouri's procurement rules
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, Outlook and Word)

Lack of post-secondary education will not be used as the sole basis denying consideration to any applicant.

Benefits Include:

• 3 weeks paid vacation AND 3 weeks paid sick leave
• 13 paid holidays per year
• Insurance: health (medical, dental, vision) and free life insurance
• Retirement: including up to a $75.00 per month match on savings plan
• Up to 6 weeks paid parental leave for birth or adoption
• And several additional resources including the SELF program (formerly EAP), discount websites, and healthy living incentives!

The State of Missouri offers an excellent benefits package that includes a defined pension plan, generous amounts of leave and holiday time, and eligibility for health insurance coverage. Your total compensation is more than the dollars you receive in your paycheck. To help demonstrate the value of working for the State of Missouri, we have created an interactive Total Compensation Calculator. This tool provides a comprehensive view of benefits and more that are offered to prospective employees. The Total Compensation Calculator and other applicant resources can be found here .

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• State of Missouri

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