Salary: $7,518.00 - $9,598.00 Monthly
Location : Salinas City Hall, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 26-00759
Department: Finance
Division: Purchasing
Opening Date: 07/30/2026

The City of Salinas is accepting applications for Senior Buyer with the City of Salinas Finance Department.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: All applicants must provide proof of the required education and applicable certifications at the time of application or submit to the Human Resources Department. Applicants with foreign degrees/transcripts must provide U.S. degree equivalency by submitting a credential evaluation report. Applications are incomplete without the required documents and will be disqualified. Applicants are responsible for ensuring all documents are received.
Summary of Duties: Under general supervision and within general legal and procedural guidelines, purchases a variety of materials, supplies, equipment, and services for use by all City departments; develops sources of supplies; prepares requests for proposal for complex, large-scale and/or difficult to obtain items.
Distinguishing Characteristics: This is the senior level in this technical purchasing series, performing the most complex and technical purchasing and expediting activities.
Supervision Received and Exercised: Receives general direction from the Department Director or designee. Exercises direct and indirect supervision over lower-level technical and supporting personnel.

Essential Job Functions

1. Confers with City department personnel and vendors to process complex purchasing transactions in compliance with established laws, ordinances, policies and ethical principles
2. Purchases products and services to maximize savings by determining appropriate methods of procurement, i.e. bid or negotiation, volume purchase, based on available competition and/or complexity of services, and Purchasing Policy
3. Develops specifications, terms and conditions; solicits competitive bids and proposals; evaluates and analyzes bids and proposals; awards bids within established guidelines
4. Identifies and selects suppliers and monitors performance of suppliers
5. Expedites and coordinates deliveries and conducts follow-up procedures when necessary
6. Reviews all departmental requests for equipment included in the Annual Operating Budget and six-year Capital Improvement Program
7. Pursues cooperative agreements with State of California and other government agencies to obtain cost savings for the City and where appropriate, make these agreements available for use by each City department
8. Reviews and approves purchase orders and change order requests; assists departments to resolve purchase order and contract differences or quality problems with suppliers when necessary
9. Provides professional procurement consultation, assistance and training to City staff at all organizational levels
10. Prepares detailed and complex written purchasing related reports and makes recommendations to management and City Council
11. Prepares and manages the purchasing division's budget
12. Participates in the development of Citywide purchasing policies and procedures; recommends and implements policies and procedures
13. Keeps informed of new products and market trends
14. Supervises the preparation of surplus or obsolete items for City sale, auction or disposition as needed.
15. Supervises, schedules, trains and evaluates supporting staff; recommends the selection, promotion, and discipline of Division employees
16. Promote and maintain safety in the workplace
17. Perform other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications
Knowledge of:

• Public purchasing methods and procedures, particularly in the area of services, sources of supplies, market and economic trends and conditions that affect procurement
• Industry standards and practices for delivering products and services
• Contract development and administration
• Competitive bidding and legal requirements
• Federal, State and municipal purchasing laws and procedures
• Storekeeping and warehouse methods and practice including inventory control procedures
• Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluations
• Computer and automated purchasing systems

Ability to:

• Apply good judgment and make sound purchasing decisions. Interpret laws, policies, procedures and regulations
• Identify potential sources and evaluate their financial stability and performance capabilities
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with suppliers and City officials and staff at all levels
• Follow complex written or verbal instructions and procedures
• Communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing
• Maintain records, logs and databases. Make mathematical calculations, use computer word-processing, spreadsheet and purchasing software to prepare reports and maintain purchasing records, transactions and data
• Work with frequent interruptions
• Supervise, train, and evaluate technical and clerical staff members
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• Instruct others in work procedures and provide lead direction in specified areas
• Promote the mission, values and standards of an effective public organization, particularly in the area of customer service

Education and Experience:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in business, public administration, marketing or related field; and two (2) years of journey-level purchasing experience involving competitive bidding and the development of contracts, service agreements, leases, or other purchasing documents or
Associate's degree or completed 60 semester units at an accredited college or university in business administration or related field; and four (4) years of journey-level purchasing experience involving competitive bidding and the development of contracts, service agreements, leases, or other purchasing documents or
High school diploma/G.E.D. and six (6) years of journey-level purchasing experience involving competitive bidding and the development of contracts, service agreements, leases, or other purchasing documents.

(The selected applicant will be required to present official proof of education upon the background process.)
Supplemental Information
Physical Demands and Working Conditions: Physical, mental and emotional stamina to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position; manual dexterity sufficient to write, use telephone, computers, business machines and related equipment; vision sufficient to read printed materials, visual display terminals, fine print on product labels; hearing sufficient to conduct in person and telephone conversations; speaking ability in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in a normal conversational distance, on the telephone and in addressing groups; physical agility to push/pull, squat, twist, turn, bend, stoop and reach overhead; physical mobility sufficient to move about the work environment, physical strength to lift up to 40 lbs.; physical stamina sufficient to sit for prolonged periods of time; mental acuity to collect and interpret data, evaluate, reason, define problems, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, make valid judgments and decisions. Business office working environment subject to sitting at a desk or standing at a counter for long periods of time, bending, crouching, or kneeling at files, pushing/pulling of file drawers and supplies, reaching in all directions and prolonged periods of time working at a computer terminal.
Employee must complete SB 1343 Sexual Harassment Prevention Training within six months of appointment and every two years thereafter.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills which may be required.

For questions, please contact Isabel Yzquierdo, Human Resources Technician, at (831) 758-7232 or
Veteran's Preference: A veteran is defined in accordance with California Government Code 18540.4. In order to exercise this preference, the veteran must submit the and provide a copy of the DD-214 form at time of application as proof of military status. Failure to submit the required forms will be deemed a waiver of veteran's preference. Military veterans shall be given preference in initial appointment to City service. Further details can be obtained from the Human Resources Department, at 831-758-7254.
Public Employee Disaster Service Worker: In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, all City of Salinas employees are required to perform assigned disaster service worker duties in the event of an emergency or a disaster.
Selection Process: Applicants' qualifications will be evaluated based on the information provided on the employment application. The exam process may consist of an application appraisal, oral interview, assessment center and/or written exam. The City reserves the right to use alternate testing procedures if deemed necessary. CITY COMMUNICATION REGARDING THE SELECTION PROCESS WILL BE VIA E-MAIL. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO THE E-MAIL ON YOUR APPLICATION.Finalist interview/assessment will be held with the City of Salinas.
Oral Board Interview FAQ - Applicants who are invited to the oral board interview or have questions on what to expect during an oral board interview, are encouraged to review the City of Salinas Tips for a Sucessful Oral Board which can be found

Salary Steps: The following applies for Full-Time Regular positions only. Appointments are normally made at the first step. Consideration is given for increase to the second step after successful completion of the probationary period. (Employees appointed at a higher step will be eligible for consideration for the next step after one year, providing they successfully complete a probationary period.)
For a complete listing of benefits, please click to visit the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for this position.