Salary : $117,096.00 - $142,332.00 Annually
Location : Oakland, CA
Job Type: Full-time
Job Number: 26-100
Department: Finance Dept
Opening Date: 08/10/2026
Closing Date: 8/14/2026 4:30 PM Pacific

The Position

East Bay Municipal Utility District's (EBMUD's) Purchasing Division is seeking an energetic, motivated Buyer II to purchase materials, supplies, equipment, general services, and other items used by EBMUD, a large municipal water supply and wastewater treatment utility. Buyer II is a journey-level position, which will require the incumbent to perform the more difficult and complex purchasing.

Typical responsibilities of the position include:
• Developing diversified sources for purchasing supplies and equipment.
• Providing information regarding procedures and policies to others.
• Preparing formal purchasing proposals for materials, supplies, services, and equipment.
• Conducting studies, surveys, and investigations as required.
• Preparing purchasing specifications when standard or other specifications are not available.
• Establishing order points and determining standard and economical order quantities for materials and supplies, keeping in mind the present and projected demands and market conditions.
• Advising management of market conditions and supplier base activity which could affect pricing and/or delivery.
• Providing general advice and guidance to managers on EBMUD standards and industry practices in the development of contracts for products and services.
• Enhancing product knowledge and familiarity with the end user of assigned commodities in order to propose alternative materials or specifications.
• Developing annual vendor contract performance objectives in concert with departmental and EBMUD goals.
• Evaluating and documenting suppliers' contract performance through such methods as on-site visits and/or actual contract compliance measurements, such as on-time delivery or price performance.

The ideal candidate will have the following knowledge and abilities:

Knowledge of:
• The identification, use, and lot sizes commonly used in purchasing heavy construction materials and equipment and office supplies.
• Supply sources; standard price and purchasing reference sources.
• Purchasing principles and practices, especially in the public procurement environment.
• Microsoft Office and other commonly used general software, and common purchasing software applications related to ordering, billing, and inventory control, preferably Oracle Fusion Cloud.
• Accounting and statistics as applied to purchasing.
• Forecasting.
• Legal aspects of purchasing contracts.
• Inventory control.

Ability to:
• Initiate and follow through purchasing transactions.
• Express self clearly and concisely.
• Generate effective communications, good relations, and a positive image with suppliers, coworkers, and the general public that promotes courtesy, objectivity, and fairness.

The salary range is $9,758 per month increasing to $10,246, $10,758, $11,296, and $11,861 after 6, 18, 30, and 42 months, respectively.

Requirements

1. A bachelor's degree* AND

2. Two years of experience performing at the level of EBMUD's Buyer I in purchasing a variety of materials, supplies or equipment which included developing specifications, establishing sources of supply and soliciting price quotations.

3. Possession of a valid California driver's license and satisfactory driving record.

4. Willingness to work overtime as needed.

* Additional experience performing at the level of EBMUD's Buyer I in two or more of the following areas of a centralized purchasing operation may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis: bid evaluation including price and source analysis, supplier expediting, buying, contract management and/or inventory administration. To be considered under this provision, it is your responsibility to provide written evidence of employment performed at the level of this position or coursework in areas directly related to this position.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered. To be considered under the "equivalent combination of education and experience" provision, it is your responsibility to include in your application materials written evidence of employment performed at the level of the typical duties of this position and/or coursework in subject areas directly related to this position. For more information, see our FAQ page at http://www.ebmud.com/jobs/job-resources/job-faqs-frequently-asked-questions/.
The Selection Process

1. Submit a completed EBMUD application and the required supplemental question responses online at www.ebmud.com by 4:30 p.m., Friday, August 14, 2026. Only application materials submitted online during the filing period will be accepted.

2. Candidates must achieve a passing score on each test part in order to advance to the next step in the selection process.

3. All qualified applications and supplemental responses will be competitively evaluated, with those candidates demonstrating the strongest qualifications to be invited to a panel interview.

4. Successful candidates will be placed on the hiring list, based on rank, for further consideration to fill the current regular vacancy, as well as others occurring over the next 12 to 24 months.

5. The probation period for this position is 12 months. For those holding civil service status the probation period is 6 months.

6. All employment offers are conditional, pending the results of a Live Scan background screening. All selected finalists must participate in the Live Scan background screening process to remain in consideration for EBMUD employment.
Supplemental Information

As the first step in the selection process, responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted online with the regular EBMUD application. Please provide thorough, accurate descriptions of assignments you have personally performed. Should you respond with comments such as "see application" or "see resume" instead of addressing the questions directly, your application may not be considered.
Our excellent benefits package includes:

• 12 days paid vacation; 16 holidays; 13 days paid sick leave;
• Family health insurance (choice of Kaiser fully paid or Sutter Health Plus or Anthem Blue Cross 85% paid);
• Fully paid family dental and vision care plans; life insurance; long-term disability insurance;
• EBMUD Retirement Plan (reciprocal with CalPERS);
• $1,000/yr. contributed to flexible spending account or cash;
• $145/mo. public transit subsidy;
• 401(k), 401(a) and 457(b) tax-deferred retirement plans; Roth 401(k);
• $3,500/yr. tuition reimbursement;
• And opportunities for professional growth including training and career development.

01

Do you have two years of experience performing at the level of EBMUD's Buyer I in purchasing a variety of materials, supplies or equipment which included developing specifications, establishing sources of supply and soliciting price quotations?

• Yes
• No

02

Describe your procurement experience in a private and/or public sector setting. Be specific and describe your duties, processes you have executed, procedures you developed, interactions with the vendor community, etc.
03

Describe your experience dealing with internal clients who utilize the services of the purchasing department. Be specific as to any standout interactions or processes you have implemented to assist in working with internal clients.
04

Describe your experience working with an enterprise resource planning system or financials system which automates procurement processes (i.e. Peoplesoft/Oracle). Be specific as to your knowledge, training, and experience using the system.
Required Question