Procurement Specialist I

State of North Carolina

7d • $41,206 - $72,133

About The Position

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is one of the largest, most complex agencies in the state, and has approximately 17,000 employees. It is responsible for ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all North Carolinians, providing human service needs for special populations including individuals who are deaf, blind, developmentally disabled, and mentally ill, and helping poor North Carolinians achieve economic independence. This position supports the Division of Public Health (DPH) Purchasing Office in the Administrative, Local & Community Support Section of the Division. DPH, is a vast and diverse organization both in size and in mission and has an unusual history. Historically, DPH has been moved between departments as a multi-divisional organization and is now consolidated into a single division with ten specific Sections including the Director’s Office, Administrative, Local and Community Support; Chronic Disease & Injury; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; Oral Health; State Center for Health Statistics and Vital Records; Women, Infant and Community Wellness; and State Laboratory of Public Health. This DPH Purchasing Office serves as the centralized authority for procurement policy and oversight across the division’s diverse sections. Its primary mission is to ensure that all DPH sections can acquire the necessary goods (tangible commodities like supplies and equipment) and simple to complex services (routine tasks with straightforward deliverables) in a way that is both cost-effective and compliant with state, federal and departmental procurement policies and procedures ultimately resulting in more efficient and better services to the people of North Carolina to include key procurement services for the entire division. Description of Work: This role supports the procurement process for a wide range of goods and services for the Division, with a primary focus on the State Laboratory of Public Health.

Requirements

• The incumbent in this position is required to be knowledgeable in Department of Administration, Division of Purchase & Contract and State Information Technology procurement, procedures, rules and guidelines, procurement general statutes, and administrative codes and directives to ensure purchase of goods and services are executed in a timely manner.
• Bachelor’s degree from an appropriately accredited institution, OR Associate degree in business or related field of study from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of procurement experience. OR Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

• 1 year of experience in a large-scale centralized state government purchasing operation with knowledge of NC governmental procurement policies and procedures.
• Experience with NC eProcurement Purchasing & Sourcing System, NC eVP, and NC Financial System (NCFS)
• Experience working with and analyzing multiple types of commodities and services and commodity specifications, developing specialized contract specifications for goods and services and interpreting policy and procedures.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines with limited notice and able to work effectively and collaboratively with other division and department personnel.
• Highly detailed oriented and able to communicate effectively in oral and written form using Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Word and Excel.
• Position is funded in part through federal funds.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the review of procurement request approval process and processing of purchase orders.
• Independently develop and prepare highly complex specifications for a large range of diverse programs within the Division with a sole focus with the State Laboratory of Public Health.
• Coordinate with programs to evaluate and analyze bids for recommendation to award.
• Coordinate with programs and end users to determine procurement needs and legal requirements.
• Advise on current technologies, procurement methodologies, sourcing strategies and best practices.
• Analyze, negotiate and process change order requests.
• Monitor executed contracts for vendor compliance.
• Ensure appropriate sourcing methods for purchases.
• Manage purchasing timelines and milestones to ensure renewals and ongoing procurement activities are completed in a timely manner.
• Ensure functions for business continuity and public safety are implemented immediately in the event of a public health emergency.
• Provide guidance for procurement guidelines, policies and procedures to DPH including fiscal year end close out activities.
• Analyze, research and advise on budgetary and fiscal discrepancies related to Division procurement and invoice issues.
• Monitors compliance with federal and state policies and procedures, general statutes, administrative codes, and directives

Benefits

• The State of North Carolina offers excellent comprehensive benefits.
• Employees can participate in health insurance options, standard and supplemental retirement plans, and the NCFlex program (numerous high-quality, low-cost benefits on a pre-tax basis).
• Employees also receive paid vacation, sick, and community service leave.
• In addition, paid parental leave is available to eligible employees.
• Visit website for benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level