Purchasing Manager

City of Kannapolis
City of Kannapolis

Kannapolis, NC, USA

USD 76,745-118,958 / year

Posted on Aug 18, 2026

Example of Duties

Salary Range: $76,745 - $118,958

This position is available due to upcoming long-tenured employee retirement. Applicants are encouraged to apply early. The application review process will take place immediately and continue until the position is filled. This recruitment may close any time after the first review or when a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.

JOB SUMMARY
The Purchasing Manager performs detailed technical and administrative work in the procurement of a variety of municipal supplies, materials, equipment, and services and is responsible for oversight of the purchasing unit. Reporting to the Finance Director, the Purchasing Manager works under general supervision sufficient to assess achievement of key performance indicators.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: These are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

  • Plans, supervises, and coordinates the operational and staffing activities of the Purchasing unit; trains and assigns work to the Purchasing Specialist.
  • Establishes, maintains, reviews, and proposes revisions to the City Purchasing policies and procedures to ensure compliance with governing guidelines and efficiency and effectiveness of City procurement processes.
  • Provides ongoing training, consultation, and assistance to City staff in all facets of Purchasing policies, procedures, and processes/systems.
  • Organizes and implements systems and procedures for procurement and appropriate disposal of the City's equipment, services, materials, and supplies in accordance with the North Carolina General Statutes including GOVDEALS; confers with department heads, and staff.
  • Reviews and authorizes purchases; exercises judgement in determining whether to pursue State contract, cooperative purchasing, or the bid process for applicable purchases.
  • Interprets procurement and contract related NCGS in making judgments, decisions, and recommendations in determining various facets of procurement (i.e., informal bids, formal bids, negotiated contracts, approval authority, or other procedures); recommendations are relied upon in almost all major City construction, renovation, and property projects.
  • Issues, distributes, and tracks purchase orders. Resolves open orders at the end of the fiscal year.
  • Reviews, approves, and amends contracts to ensure completeness and compliance.
  • Conducts or supervises bid openings and oversees detailed legal process for capital expenditures, analyzes bids, reports results, and recommends bid awards for purchase; works with departments or prepares bid specifications for procurement items, coordinates with budget for funds availability and spending authority.
  • Advises departments on equipment and supply specifications and the purchasing process; assists in determining standard products, equipment, supplies and materials to be acquired; and aids departments in the interpretation and application of purchasing procedures in accordance with City policies.
  • Prepares specifications for formal and informal bids; tabulates bids and makes recommendations to City Council.
  • Assists City staff in responding to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests through NCGS interpretation and document/information retrieval/preparation.
  • Manages and administers the purchasing card program including establishing policies, issuing p-cards, resolving purchase issues, processing the monthly bill, and posting to the General Ledger no later than by the 10th of the following month.
  • Prepares the Annual Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) Construction reporting quarterly to the State.
  • Assures compliance with requirements for federal or state grants or funding.
  • Performs a variety of special projects involving contracts and coordination with a variety of departments and vendors.
  • Attends North Carolina Association of Governmental Purchasing (NCAGP) training to stay up to date on purchasing laws and regulations.
  • Presents to City Council and other groups as required.
  • Review and Compliance: Reviews contracts, service agreements, and amendments to ensure full adherence to NC General Statutes, local ordinances, and internal purchasing policies.
  • Interdepartmental Coordination: Coordinates routing and execution of final agreements, working alongside the Finance Department, internal risk management, and the City/County Attorney’s Office.
  • Administration and Tracking: Maintains accurate tracking systems for active contracts, monitors vendor performance, change orders, renewals, and ensures proper record retention.
  • Performs related duties as required.

Typical Qualifications

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

  • Thorough knowledge of North Carolina statutory provisions controlling purchasing and construction contracts.
  • General knowledge of modern purchasing methods and procedures.
  • General knowledge of various grades and qualities of a variety of materials, supplies and equipment used by municipalities.
  • Working knowledge of accounting in relation to procurement and purchasing.
  • Ability to demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement through participation in ongoing learning and development opportunities.
  • Ability to interpret and explain laws and procedures relating to the purchasing process.
  • Ability to develop bid specifications and evaluate bids.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the public, vendors, management, government officials and other employees.
  • Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING
Bachelor’s degree with major work in business administration, purchasing, or marketing and five to seven years of experience in the procurement of a variety of supplies, materials and equipment accounting and auditing of which at least three years is in a supervisory capacity; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING
Experience in North Carolina local government purchasing and procurement certification (CLGPO, CPPO, or CPM) is desirable.

Other Necessary Requirements

JOB RELATED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. If requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

This position primarily operates in an office setting, performing mostly sedentary work. Physical activity related to this position may include constantly operating a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine and printer, frequently moving about the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc. and communicating information and ideas so others will understand. Sufficient visual acuity is required to prepare and analyze data and figures and do extensive reading. May require the physical exertion of up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to move objects. An employee in this position will occasionally be subjected to inside and outside environmental conditions.


Please be sure to complete the application in full. Resumes may be uploaded with your application but will not be accepted in lieu of a fully completed application and will not be considered for qualifying credit. "See Resume" or "See Attachment" will NOT be accepted.

If multiple applications are submitted to an individual position, only the most recent application received prior to the posting closing date will be accepted. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the closing date

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information regarding the status of your application over the phone. To check the status of your application, please log in to your account. Processing applications will take an average of 6 – 8 weeks due to the high volume of applications received. It is not necessary to contact the Human Resources Office to check the status of an application.

For technical issues with your applications, please call the NEOGOV Help Line at 855-524-5627. If there are any questions about this posting other than your application status, please contact HR at 704-920-4301.