PURCHASING & CONTRACT SPECIALIST (BUYER)

State of Illinois

$73K — $105K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in public or business administration or related field preferred.
  • Two years of professional experience in centralized procurement required.
  • Experience in a Buyer role focused on acquiring supplies or services preferred.
  • Familiarity with procurement systems such as BidBuy or SAP preferred.
  • Professional certifications like CPPB, CPPO, or CPP are preferred.

Responsibilities

  • Administer development of solicitation specifications and evaluate purchases in Equipment and Commodities.
  • Process solicitations within the eProcurement system efficiently.
  • Prepare management reports and correspondence regarding requisition statuses.
  • Conduct surveys on agency users about master contracts and assess vendor performance.
  • Respond to inquiries from vendors and agencies through various communication channels.

Benefits

  • Competitive group insurance including health, life, dental, and vision plans.
  • Flexible work schedules depending on position availability.
  • Annual paid vacation time ranging from 10 to 25 days based on tenure.
  • 12 days of paid sick time that carryover year-to-year.
  • 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
Full Job Description
Job Requisition ID: 57575 Opening Date: 07/21/2026Closing Date: 08/04/2026Agency: Department of Central Management ServicesClass Title: BUYER - 05900 Skill Option: None Bilingual Option: NoneSalary: Anticipated Starting Salary $6,135/monthly; Full Range $6,135 -$8,790/monthlyJob Type: SalariedCategory: Full Time County: SangamonNumber of Vacancies: 1Bargaining Unit Code: RC062 Technical Employees, AFSCMEMerit Comp Code:

This position is a union position; therefore, provisions of the relevant collective bargaining agreement/labor contract apply to the filling of this position.

All applicants who want to be considered for this position MUST apply electronically through the illinois.jobs2web.com website. State of Illinois employees should click the link near the top left to apply through the SuccessFactors employee career portal.

Applications submitted via email or any paper manner (mail, fax, hand delivery) will not be considered.

****** A RESUME IS RECOMMENDED ******

Posting ID #57575

Position Summary

The Department of Central Management Services Bureau of Strategic Sourcing (BOSS) is seeing to hire a Buyer/Purchasing & Contract Specialist. This professional level position has the ability to positively affect the daily work conducted by numerous State employees around the State of Illinois by ensuring that necessary contracts that meet the needs of agencies and units of local government are available. The ideal candidate would be detail orientated, a dynamic leader who will help expand the Bureau's contract catalog in Equipment and Commodities Portfolio. We invite all qualified candidates to apply.

Position Essential Functions

  • Under the direction of the Sourcing Specialist, performs professional tasks such as administering the initial development of solicitation specifications and evaluation of purchases in the Equipment and Commodities portfolio.
  • Executes procedures necessary to process solicitations in the current eProcurement system.
  • Prepares correspondence, management reports, memoranda, and various documents regarding status of requisition, purchase orders, and complaints.
  • Survey agency users regarding master contracts and evaluates vendor performance.
  • Responds to a variety of inquiries or requests from vendors and agencies that are received via telephone, written correspondence, in person, the Internet or Intranet which are related to areas of responsibility.
  • Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.


Minimum Qualifications

  • Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college, preferably with major courses in public or business administration.
  • Requires two (2) years of professional experience in centralized procurement.


Preferred Qualifications

  • Prefers two (2) years of professional experience in a Buyer's role where the acquisition of supplies or services is the primary responsibility in accordance with established policies and procedures for a public or business organization.
  • Prefers two (2) years of professional experience working with procurement systems including, but not limited to BidBuy, Systems Applications and Products (SAP) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM), Illinois Procurement Gateway, or comparable systems, etc.
  • Prefers two (2) years of professional experience creating, managing, negotiating, and executing Invitations for Bid (IFB).
  • Prefers a Certified Professional Procurement Buyer (CPPB), Certified Public Procurement Officer (CPPO), or Certified Procurement Professional (CPP) Certification.
  • Prefers one (1) year of experience working with a Business Enterprise Program (BEP).
  • Prefers a bachelor's degree or higher.


Conditions of Employment

  • Requires completion of a background check and self-disclosure of criminal history.
  • Overtime is a condition of employment, and you may be requested or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime. This may require the ability to work evenings and weekends.
  • Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.
  • Requires the ability to use agency technology/equipment (i.e., mobile phone, laptop, etc.) properly in accordance with information security awareness policies and confidentiality guidelines.
  • Requires ability to attend seminars, conferences, and trainings to stay current on methods, tools, ideologies, or other industry related topics relevant to the job duties.
  • Per Executive Order 2018-07, requires engagement with Business Enterprise Program (BEP) contractors and subcontractors and support for the goals of the BEP program and the Fair Contracting Task Force when applicable.
  • Certain provisions of the revolving door restrictions contained in 5 ILCS 430/5-45 apply to this position. As a result, the employee should be aware that if offered non-State employment during state employment or within one year immediately after ending State employment, the employee shall, prior to accepting any such non-State employment offer, notify the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG) or may be subject to a fine.
  • This position has been found to meet the requirements in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requiring the occupant/employee to file a Statement of Economic Interest. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.) requires certain state officials and employees to file annual Statements of Economic Interest with the Office of the Secretary of State that will be made available for examination and copying by the public. All employees required to file a Statement of Economic Interest are also required to file the Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission. (See Executive Order 15-09) Fines and penalties apply to untimely filings.


The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

Position Summary

State of Illinois Benefits

As a State of Illinois employee, you receive a comprehensive benefits package including:

  • Competitive Group Insurance benefits including health, life, dental and vision plans.
  • Flexible work schedules (when available and dependent upon position).
  • 10 -25 days of paid vacation time annually (10 days for first year of state employment).
  • 12 days of paid sick time annually which carryover year to year.
  • 3 paid personal business days per year.
  • 13-14 paid holidays per year dependent on election years.
  • 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
  • Pension plan through the State Employees Retirement System.
  • Deferred Compensation Program - voluntary supplemental retirement plan.
  • Optional pre-tax programs -Medical Care Assistance Plan (MCAP) & Dependent Care Assistant Plan (DCAP).
  • Tuition Reimbursement Program and Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligibility.


For more information regarding State of Illinois Benefits follow this link: https://www2.illinois.gov/cms/benefits/Pages/default.aspx

If this opportunity appeals to you, please apply today!

Work Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Headquarter Location: 300 W Jefferson St, Springfield, Illinois, 62702
Work County: Sangamon

CMS Human Resources
Agency Contact: Mahalia Ross
Email:
Phone #: 217-725-2415
Job Family: Fiscal, Finance & Procurement

This position DOES NOT contain "Specialized Skills" (as that term is used in CBAs).

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Use the "Apply" button at the top right or bottom right of this posting to begin the application process.

If you are not already signed in, you will be prompted to do so.

State employees should sign in to the career portal for State of Illinois employees - a link is available at the top left of the Illinois.jobs2web.com homepage in the blue ribbon.

Non-State employees should log in on the using the "View Profile" link in the top right of the Illinois.jobs2web.com homepage in the blue ribbon. If you have never before signed in, you will be prompted to create an account.

If you have questions about how to apply, please see the following resources:

State employees: Log in to the career portal for State employees and review the Internal Candidate Application Job Aid

Non-State employees: on Illinois.jobs2web.com - click "Application Procedures" in the footer of every page of the website.

The main form of communication will be through email. Please check your "junk mail", "spam", or "other" folder for communication(s) regarding any submitted application(s). You may receive emails from the following addresses:

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