Director, Purchasing Services

Position Description Under the guidance and supervision of the Assistant Purchasing Agent, the Director of Purchasing Services provides strategic leadership and enterprise oversight for the Purchasing Services Division, including the Buyer team and associated operational support functions. This position supports county-wide operations serving approximately 5 million residents, 20,000 employees in 80 departments, and manages roughly $5.5B in annual expenditures, 18,500 purchase orders, and 4,000 contracts and agreements. The Director directs division-wide procurement operations, sets performance expectations and standards aligned with departmental vision and leading practices, and ensures consistent, compliant, and timely service delivery across departments. The role leads performance management, continuous improvement, and executive coordination to strengthen operational readiness, contract utilization, and county-wide procurement outcomes. Duties and Responsibilities: Provide division leadership, management, and oversight for Purchasing Services functions, establishing expectations and guidelines for requisitioning, catalogs, PO processing, and vendor setup/onboarding aligned with leading practices. Lead Sr. Buyers and Buyers in managing and processing requisitions, change orders, and vendor setup and master maintenance, driving value generation through consistent execution, stakeholder engagement, and continuous process improvement. Drive operational performance by assessing, developing, coaching, and motivating staff; set standards, training expectations, and accountability measures to maintain a high-performing team and consistent service delivery. Identify and implement initiatives to decrease cycle time and increase productivity across purchasing workflows, including intake, processing, approvals, PO issuance, and customer support touch points. Develop, manage, and maintain key business relationships with departments using County purchasing services, external stakeholders, and vendors to support alignment, issue resolution, and customer satisfaction. Collaborate with the Auditor’s Office to support AP resolutions; monitor purchasing services assigned contracts to ensure proper contract utilization and leakage monitoring; ensure adherence to compliance standards, policies, and procedures; support vendor negotiations and compliance activities; and provide analysis and reporting to measure buying effectiveness. Ensure full compliance with: Texas Local Government Code Chapter 262, Texas Government Code Chapter 2269 (Construction), 2 C.F.R. 200 (federal awards), as amended, GLO CDBG-DR/CDBG-MIT requirements. Foster a positive, productive work culture that encourages employee engagement and professional growth. Implement structured onboarding and ongoing training for all new hires and current staff; support career development, certification, and advancement opportunities for team members. Monitor and address turnover rates, actively developing strategies to retain high-performing employees. Maintain a pipeline of qualified candidates to respond quickly to attrition while also developing hiring practices that reflect current departmental needs and retention goals. Conduct regular performance reviews and provide targeted coaching and feedback. Purchasing F.I.R.S.T. Standards The Director must embody and enforce the Purchasing F.I.R.S.T. values: Fairness: Apply procurement and training requirements consistently across divisions. Integrity: Ensure all actions and communications reflect accurate laws, policies, procedures, and approved business practices. Responsiveness: Complete reviews and approvals within established timeframes to avoid unnecessary delays. Stewardship: Protect County resources by reducing errors, inconsistent practices, compliance risk, and rework. Teamwork: Collaborate with subject-matter experts, Training, Process Improvement, Business Analysis, and operational leadership to develop effective employee training…

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