Supervising Purchasing Agent

Orange County Fire Authority•Irvine, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) is recruiting to fill one (1) Supervising Purchasing Agent position which will provide full supervisory responsibilities to the Purchasing Division. This recruitment will fill the current vacancy and establish an eligibility list for future vacancies. The ideal candidate for the Supervising Purchasing Agent position with the OCFA will be an experienced, ethical, and service-oriented procurement professional with a strong background in public sector purchasing, contract administration, and staff supervision. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to ensure purchasing activities are conducted in a fair, transparent, timely, and legally compliant manner. The ideal candidate will have a thorough understanding of competitive bidding, requests for proposals, purchase orders, vendor management, contract terms, cooperative purchasing agreements, and applicable public procurement policies and procedures. Experience supporting a fire authority, public safety agency, or other governmental organization is highly desirable, particularly where purchasing decisions directly support emergency response, operations, fleet, facilities, technology, equipment, or professional services.

Requirements

High School Diploma, or General Equivalency Diploma (GED)
Five (5) years of professional level purchasing experience in a public sector environment
One (1) year of supervisory experience in a public sector environment

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, finance, accounting, supply chain management, or a related field
Strong knowledge of public procurement laws, policies, and competitive bidding practices, including RFPs, RFQs, IFBs, purchase orders, contracts, and cooperative purchasing agreements
Contract development and administration experience, including vendor negotiations, scope review, insurance requirements, renewals, amendments, and compliance monitoring
Experience purchasing specialized goods and services, such as emergency response equipment, fleet parts, technology, professional services, facilities-related services, uniforms, or public safety equipment
Knowledge of ERP or financial systems, purchasing modules, workflow approvals, vendor records, and electronic requisition/purchase order processes
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including evaluating bids, conducting cost analysis, reviewing specifications, and resolving vendor or internal customer issues
Professional certification, such as CPPB, CPPO, CPSM, NIGP-CPP, or similar procurement certification
Demonstrated experience supervising, mentoring, and developing procurement staff; assigning and reviewing work; managing competing priorities; and ensuring consistent compliance with procurement policies and procedures
Experience supporting a fire authority, public safety agency, or other governmental organization is highly desirable, particularly where purchasing decisions directly support emergency response, operations, fleet, facilities, technology, equipment, or professional services.