Junior Buyer PROMOTIONAL

Modified: March 7, 2019 3:53pm

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Junior Buyer PROMOTIONAL

#77-002 - Promotional (for current employees only)

Salary: $43,223- $55,743 Annually
Opening Date: March 7, 2019
Closing Date: April 3, 2019
Application fee: None

**********************Application Fee Waiver**********************

Employees of Erie County CSEA collective bargaining unit shall have all fees associated with County provided promotional civil service examinations waived.

Residence Requirements:

THIS EXAMINATION IS OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER CORPORATION. At present there is one anticipated vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center Corporation.

Examples of Duties:

Junior Buyer performs entry level work as a member of a team engaged in the purchasing of a variety of commodities and services for the County;

Corresponds by phone and by letter with dealers, firms and suppliers to obtain price quotations on materials and supplies needed, and makes effort to facilitate the delivery of delayed materials and incomplete orders;

Places verbal and written orders with the vendors for supplies, materials, and equipment after receiving requisitions from operating departments; orders by phone or personal contact with a supplier, outlining the type, quantity
and brand of commodity needed; written orders entail completing a requisition form with this information and initiating the purchase order;

Lists price quotations obtained from vendors through personal, phone and written contact for use in purchasing commodities;

Performs arithmetic computations on purchase requisition forms from operating departments ordering supplies and bids from vendors;

Reviews requisitions for the purchase of commodities for consistency with standard specifications;

In consultation with senior buyers, assists in preparation of specifications for purchases and processing of bids;

Interviews salesmen regarding purchase of commodities.

 

Qualifications:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST: Candidates must be permanently employed in the competitive class and must be serving and have served continuously on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class for 24 months immediately preceding the date of the written test in the position of Job Grade VII or VIII plus open competitive qualifications; or 36 months immediately preceding the date of the written test in the position of Job Grade V or VI plus the following: 

A) Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor's degree and two (2) years of business experience, including at least one (1) year in a position with purchasing
responsibilities; or:

B) Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and six (6) years of business experience, including at least one (1) year in a position with purchasing responsibilities; or:

C) An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

 

Notes:

1. Purchasing responsibilities" include such duties as preparing purchasing documents (i.e. requisitions, simple bid specifications, and related shipping and pricing documents): contacting suppliers to obtain
price quotations, descriptions and availability of goods, and the expediting of shipments; and the actual purchasing of goods and services (placing orders with vendors and the checking and/or receiving of goods). Clerical, accounting and bookkeeping duties and responsibilities are not deemed to be "purchasing responsibilities."

2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

3. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

Examination date:

May 11, 2019

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

April 3, 2019

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

SUBJECTS OF EXAMINATION: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. Arithmetic computation with calculator

These questions test for the ability to use a calculator to do basic computations. Questions will involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You may also be asked to calculate averages, to use percents, and to round an answer to the nearest whole number. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

2. Principles and practices of purchasing

These questions test for candidates' knowledge of the principles guiding governmental purchasing operations and the ability to put them into practice. These questions may deal with but are not necessarily limited to such matters as the analysis of bids, the use of specifications, the award of contracts, the analysis of market factors that can affect the cost of a purchase, and the application of a set of rules to determine how to proceed with a purchase. Some arithmetic computation may be necessary. No specific knowledge of NYS purchasing laws, rules and regulations will be required to answer these questions.

3. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

4. Understanding and interpreting written material

These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic.    

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.


INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES

 Unless otherwise indicated, the eligible list resulting from this examination will have a duration of four years and will not supersede existing promotional lists, if any.

RATINGS REQUIRED:  Test is rated on a scale of 100 with a passing mark at 70.  Test instructions may further divide the tests into parts and set minimum standards for each part.

Points will be added to scores of candidates who achieve a passing mark as follows: Seniority:  For each year of service in the classified service:

Less than 1 year……………………..................…0 points

1 year up to 6 years…………….…........................1 point

Over 6 years up to 11 years.....………......….........2 points

Over 11 years up to 16 years….…........….........…3 points

Over 16 years up to 21 years………..................…4 points

Over 21 years………………………..................…5 points

VETERANS:  Disabled and non-disabled veterans as defined in Section 85, New York State Civil Service Law, will have 5 and 2.5 points, respectively added to their earned scores if successful in the examination.  You must claim these credits when you file application but you have an option to waive them any time prior to appointment.  If you have already used these credits for a permanent position in NYS, you may not claim them again.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A None filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.