Principal Buyer - City of Birmingham

TARGET CLOSE DATE:

05/08/2026

PAY GRADE:

Grade 23

TYPE:

Full time

JOB SUMMARY:

The City of Birmingham is seeking a well-qualified and motivated Principal Buyer. This position is responsible for planning, coordinating, analyzing, and evaluating bid activities for materials, supplies, equipment, and services on behalf of the City. The Principal Buyer procures goods and services for purchasing association member agencies and assists Buyers and Senior Buyers with large and complex purchases to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. This role also reviews and approves vendor invoice payments and performs administrative functions that support the procurement process. They communicate regularly with vendors, maintain accurate documentation and records, and assist in preparing the department’s budget by compiling and analyzing relevant information. In addition, the Principal Buyer supervises administrative personnel by assigning work, monitoring performance, and providing guidance and training.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

The City of Birmingham provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The pay range for this job is presented below:

$52,249 - $81,057

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

The following are job-related qualifications that are required for employment consideration for this position:

Option A:

• Experience conducting negotiations with vendors to achieve the best value for commodities and/or services with regard to terms, conditions, and price.

• Experience analyzing departmental requests for commodities and/or services and preparing invitations to bid and/or request for proposals.

• Experience with contract administration to include resolving disputes and/or performance issues.

• Experience analyzing and evaluating product specifications and price variables on requested commodities and/or services and making recommendations to award.

Option B:

• Associate’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Public Administration, Procurement or a related degree.

• Experience conducting negotiations with vendors to achieve the best value for commodities and/or services with regard to terms, conditions, and price.

• Experience analyzing departmental requests for commodities and/or services and preparing invitations to bid and/or request for proposals.

TYPICAL JOB DUTIES:

• Assesses bid proposals and bids, negotiates and awards contracts to appropriate vendor and/or submits bid award contract to appropriate authority.

• Performs administrative duties including maintaining records, producing documentation and responding to inquiries about purchasing policies and procedures in order to complete daily tasks.

• Purchases materials, supplies, equipment, and professional services by preparing product specifications and processing requests for a wide range of products and commodities via quotes, bids and contracts.

• Researches information on potential bidders, product costs, and vendors in order to obtain needed items and/or services from the most appropriate and responsible vendor.

• Reviews invoices to ensure accurate pricing, quantity and items that have been received, resolve discrepancies, and forwards invoices to end users and Accounts Payable.

• Supervises staff by assigning and distributing work, directing staff in their job duties, monitoring progress of work, providing feedback and/or training.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

Job is primarily sedentary involving sitting for long periods of time, but may involve occasional walking or standing for brief periods.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work is conducted almost exclusively indoors in an office setting. Work involves use of standard office equipment, such as computer, phone, copier, etc.

EEO STATEMENT:

The Personnel Board of Jefferson County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment with the Personnel Board of Jefferson County, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.  Each Merit System member city/agency operates its own equal employment opportunity policies available on the individual city/agency website.

ACCOMMODATION:

NOTE:

This job posting may close before, or be extended beyond, the listed Target Close Date based on the employment needs of the Merit System. More detail regarding this job is available by clicking Apply.

DISCLAIMER:

This job posting is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of the job duties, responsibilities, or skills and abilities required for this position and may be changed at the discretion of the Personnel Board at any time.