Senior Departmental Buyer

Job Posting Title

Senior Departmental Buyer ----

Hiring Department

Bureau of Economic Geology ----

Position Open To

All Applicants ----

Weekly Scheduled Hours

40 ----

FLSA Status

Exempt from FLSA ----

Earliest Start Date

Immediately ----

Position Duration

Expected to Continue ----

Location

PICKLE RESEARCH CAMPUS ----

Job Details

General Notes

This is an in-person position located at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus in North Austin.

Purpose

The Senior Departmental Buyer serves as the lead procurement specialist for the Bureau of Economic Geology, overseeing the acquisition of goods, services, equipment, and materials essential to the Bureau’s research and operational activities. This position ensures that all purchasing activities comply with university, state, and federal procurement policies and procedures. The role requires a high level of autonomy, attention to detail, and the ability to manage complex purchasing transactions in support of scientific research and administrative functions. The Senior Buyer acts as the primary liaison between the Bureau, the University Purchasing Office, vendors, and internal stakeholders. Responsibilities include processing purchase orders, managing vendor relationships, resolving procurement issues, and maintaining accurate purchasing records. The position also supports inventory management, contract negotiation, and contributes to the development of procurement strategies that align with the Bureau’s mission and budgetary goals. This role is critical in ensuring timely and cost-effective procurement that supports the Bureau’s multidisciplinary research initiatives in energy, environment, and economics. In addition to procurement duties, the Senior Buyer serves as the team lead for the Bureau’s purchasing staff, providing guidance, training, and oversight to ensure consistent and compliant purchasing practices across the unit.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and execute the full procurement lifecycle for goods, services, and equipment, including vendor selection, bid solicitation, contract review, and purchase order processing. Performs purchasing, receiving, and reconciliation activities for the procurement of supplies, materials, equipment and services utilizing the Bureau’s internal Purchasing System. Performs buying and purchasing activities using the UT ProCard, PointPlus and UT Market. Submit agreements to UT’s Business Contracts Office and act as Senior Departmental contact for contract negotiations and final signature.  Provide guidance on contract negotiation including basic review on contract terms.  Ensure all purchasing activities adhere to UT Austin, UT System, and State of Texas procurement policies and procedures. Maintain accurate documentation and audit readiness.
• Assist in locating products and services required to meet contractual requirements. Provides pricing for contract cost estimates and planning. Provide advance planning and guidance concerning approvals and procedures.  Collaborate with financial staff to align purchases with budgetary constraints and grant requirements. Monitor expenditures and assist with financial reporting.
• Serve as team lead for departmental purchasing staff. Provide training, mentorship, and oversight to ensure consistent application of procurement standards and best practices.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, or a related field with at least three years' experience.
• Several years of purchasing experience in a complex organization.
• Knowledge of procurement policies and procedures.
• Experience with vendor negotiations and contract compliance.
• Proficiency in enterprise financial systems (e.g., UT Austin uses DEFINE, Contracts Plus and UT Handbook of Business Procedures.)
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to interpret and apply state and university purchasing regulations.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in higher education or state agency procurement.
• Familiarity with Texas state purchasing laws and HUB (Historically Underutilized Business) requirements.
• Experience managing complex or high-dollar procurements and vendor relationships.

Salary Range

$65,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions
• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

Required Materials

• Resume/CV
• 3 work references with their contact information
• Letter of interest

Important   for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:  You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:  As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ----

Retirement Plan Eligibility

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ----

Background Checks

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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