Salary : $83,725.00 - $101,794.00 Annually
Location : City Hall Annex, 90 Santa Rosa Ave Santa Rosa, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 26-27-17ASM-O
Department: Finance
Opening Date: 08/20/2026
Closing Date: 9/10/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: 07
The PositionWe are currently accepting applications for a Buyer to join our collaborative, interdisciplinary team. The Position:
The Finance Department is seeking a Buyer to fill one full time vacancy in the Purchasing and Stores Division. Incumbents in this position purchase and arrange for the purchase of a variety of supplies, equipment and services used by the City of Santa Rosa, as well as provide technical support for procurement related activities.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a procurement professional who has experience executing a full range of services, supplies, equipment, materials, and minor public work for a government agency comparable to the City of Santa Rosa, or a large private organization with similar purchasing requirements for informal and formal bidding. The ideal candidate will have basic knowledge of ability to develop, negotiate, and administer a wide range of contracts for goods and services.
The ideal candidate will have outstanding written and verbal communication skills; experience writing a wide variety of purchasing related documents; superior customer service skills; and the ability to work cooperatively with internal City departments and external customers. The ideal candidate will also be proactive, possess strong organizational, analytical, and problem solving skills, and be self-motivated to learn City processes from the ground up. The ideal candidate will also be proficient in the use of technology i.e. word, excel, PDF and Adobe Sign.
Examples of Duties and Responsibilities
The following duties are considered essential for this job classification: - Receive, examine and process departmental requisitions
- Accomplish the purchase of supplies, equipment and services used in City departments
- Solicit bids from vendors; conduct formal bid openings as assigned
- Prepare bid specifications and other necessary documents related to the purchase of services, supplies, equipment and materials
- Prepare written purchase recommendations following the opening of bids
- Compare costs and evaluate the quality and suitability of supplies, materials and equipment
- Analyze bids and quote and select appropriate vendors
- Maintain contact with vendors and evaluate vendor performance
- Administer contracts for purchase of supplies, equipment and materials
- Assist in the development and review of purchasing procedures and methods
- Expedite the delivery of goods
- Confer with departmental representatives to determine purchasing needs, specifications and areas of standardization
- Maintain working relationships with customers on matters relating to substitutions, equivalents, delivery schedules and vendor problems
- Keep informed of new products, market conditions, and current prices
Additional Duties:
In addition to the duties listed in the Essential Duties sections, each employee in this classification may perform the following duties. Any single position may not be assigned all duties listed below, nor do the examples cover all duties which may be assigned.
- Coordinate with other agencies in joint purchase arrangements
- Coordinate payments with Accounts Payable staff
- Prepare correspondence and periodic reports
- Perform related duties as assigned
Required Qualifications
Knowledge of: Public agency purchasing methods and procedures and of the techniques of specification writing; methods and techniques utilized in grading and analyzing the quality of supplies, materials and equipment; a variety of materials, supplies and equipment typically used in municipal services and the sources for such products; Federal, State and municipal purchasing laws and procedures.
Ability to: Evaluate quality and price of products to judge suitability of goods and alternatives offered; prepare specifications; establish and maintain cooperative relationships with departmental representative and vendors; communicate clearly and concisely, in writing and orally face to face or using a telephone; comprehend and make inferences from written material; produce written documents using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar; tactfully and skillfully obtain the right materials and services at the right time for a fair and reasonable price; interpret and explain City purchasing policies; learn and use computer programs used in purchasing; analyze quality and price of supplies, materials and equipment to determine best value; enter and retrieve data from a computer using a keyboard.
Experience and Education: Any combination equivalent to experience and education that could likely provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be: Experience - Sufficient years of experience in the volume purchasing of a variety of general and specialized items, preferably in a public agency to demonstrate possession of the knowledge and abilities listed above; Education -Equivalent to an Associate of Arts Degree in business administration or related field. Certification by a national purchasing organization such as the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council or the Institute for Supply Management may substitute for the experience and education requirement.
Additional Information
Work is performed indoors involving sitting at a desk for extended periods of time with the ability to change positions. Using a computer keyboard and 10 key calculator involves continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements. Removing bid folders and contracts from file cabinets involves moving objects weighing less than 20 pounds long distances.
In addition to offering a challenging, rewarding work environment and excellent salary, the City of Santa Rosa provides a generous suite of benefits.
This job classification is in Miscellaneous Unit 7, Technical. Please click to be redirected to the City's benefits information page.
01
The answers you provide to the supplemental questions will be used to evaluate your qualifications for this position and whether you will continue in the selection process. Incomplete responses, generic responses, or responses such as "see resume" can result in disqualification from the selection process. Specific work experience you claim in response to these questions must be clearly supported and described in the work history and education portion of your application. Do you accept these conditions?
02
How many total years of work experience do you possess in volume purchasing of a variety of general and specialized goods and services? - More than 5 years
- Between 2 and 5 Years
- Less than 2 years
03
How many of the above years of purchasing or procurement experience do you have with a government agency? - More than 5 years
- Between 2 and 5 years
- Less than 2 years
- None
04
For the years of government experience checked in question #2, please provide the name(s) of the Agency or Agencies, your title, and the years you were employed. If you chose "None", please respond N/A.
05
If you do not have government purchasing experience, please describe your Buyer experience as it relates to solicitations, the procurement of services, supplies, equipment, and materials, and any other related experience. Include in your response the name of the employer(s), your title(s), and the years you were employed followed by a brief description of the experience.
06
Please describe a conflict you encountered in a professional setting related to procurement, purchasing, or vendor/supplier interactions. What was the nature of the conflict, what approach did you take to resolve it, and what was the outcome?
07
Please describe your experience using Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, including specific examples of documents, spreadsheets, reports, or other work products you have created or managed.
08
Please describe your experience with each of the following tools. For each tool, indicate your proficiency level (Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced) and provide examples of tasks you can perform independently. Electronic bidding platforms PDF/document tools Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Outlook Adobe Acrobat Sign
Please provide specific examples of how you have used each tool in a work, school, or professional setting.
09
Please provide a specific example of a complex solicitation you completed.
In your response, please describe:
- The procurement need and the goods or services requested;
- The solicitation method used and why it was selected;
- Your role and responsibilities throughout the solicitation process;
- How bids or proposals were evaluated and how the award decision was determined;
- The applicable award authority or approval process; and
- The final outcome, including any challenges encountered and how they were addressed.
Required Question 
