What are the responsibilities and job description for the Supervising Buyer position at Kern County?
Position Information
Examination Schedule
Written Exam (Weight 100%): May include knowledge of purchasing practices and ethics, bid preparation and competitive bidding procedures; budgetary controls; statistical analysis; and accounting and completing bid tabulations.
Applicants must attain at least a 70% score on each phase of the exam process.
Minimum Qualifications / Employment Standards
Completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public or Business Administration, Communications, Economics, or related field,
AND
Two (2) years of purchasing, contract administration and/or public works large scale construction experience equivalent to a Buyer III with the County of Kern. Experience may be substituted for education on a year for year basis.
Certificates/Licenses
Full job description for: Supervising Buyer
This position works within the CAO-General Services Division. For more information about the department, please view their website here .
About Kern County
Kern County employees provide opportunities that are purposeful to our community. Every employee and every action contributes to the improvement and strengthening of our county.
To learn more about Kern County, click here or follow us:
Growth Mindset
We always encourage our employees to grow and develop. Kern County has a culture of innovation that allows employees to explore creative and more efficient ways to accomplish their work. We provide access to training and continued professional development in an effort to ensure that our employees have opportunities for career growth.
Additional Information
Admittance to the examination will require a valid government issued photograph identification. Applicants who are unable to present proper identification must make arrangements with the Human Resources Division prior to the test date.
A background check may be conducted for this classification.
Following an offer of employment, you may be required to submit to post offer medical and drug screening tests at County expense.
This examination will establish an eligible list from which immediate appointment(s) will be made. Other permanent and temporary appointments will be made as needed.
Successful candidates will remain on the eligible list for a period of twelve-months, unless specified otherwise by the Civil Service Commission.
Candidates are encouraged to indicate acceptable geographical locations in which they would accept employment on their application form. Candidates MUST be willing to travel to these locations (areas/district offices).
For more information regarding Kern County's recruitment process, please see our FAQ page .
Kern County is an ADA compliant and an equal opportunity employer and encourages all qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply.
Examination Schedule
- Written Exam: will be conducted on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
Written Exam (Weight 100%): May include knowledge of purchasing practices and ethics, bid preparation and competitive bidding procedures; budgetary controls; statistical analysis; and accounting and completing bid tabulations.
Applicants must attain at least a 70% score on each phase of the exam process.
Minimum Qualifications / Employment Standards
Completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public or Business Administration, Communications, Economics, or related field,
AND
Two (2) years of purchasing, contract administration and/or public works large scale construction experience equivalent to a Buyer III with the County of Kern. Experience may be substituted for education on a year for year basis.
Certificates/Licenses
- Accredited Purchasing Practitioner (A.P.P.) preferred.
- Certified Public Purchasing Buyer (C.P.P.B.) preferred.
- Certified Purchasing Manager (C.P.M.) preferred.
- Certified Purchasing Officer (C.P.P.O.) preferred.
- Applicants must submit all applicable diplomas, transcripts, license(s) and or certificate(s) with their application by the final filing deadline.
Full job description for: Supervising Buyer
This position works within the CAO-General Services Division. For more information about the department, please view their website here .
About Kern County
Kern County employees provide opportunities that are purposeful to our community. Every employee and every action contributes to the improvement and strengthening of our county.
To learn more about Kern County, click here or follow us:
Growth Mindset
We always encourage our employees to grow and develop. Kern County has a culture of innovation that allows employees to explore creative and more efficient ways to accomplish their work. We provide access to training and continued professional development in an effort to ensure that our employees have opportunities for career growth.
Additional Information
Admittance to the examination will require a valid government issued photograph identification. Applicants who are unable to present proper identification must make arrangements with the Human Resources Division prior to the test date.
A background check may be conducted for this classification.
Following an offer of employment, you may be required to submit to post offer medical and drug screening tests at County expense.
This examination will establish an eligible list from which immediate appointment(s) will be made. Other permanent and temporary appointments will be made as needed.
Successful candidates will remain on the eligible list for a period of twelve-months, unless specified otherwise by the Civil Service Commission.
Candidates are encouraged to indicate acceptable geographical locations in which they would accept employment on their application form. Candidates MUST be willing to travel to these locations (areas/district offices).
For more information regarding Kern County's recruitment process, please see our FAQ page .
Kern County is an ADA compliant and an equal opportunity employer and encourages all qualified individuals from diverse backgrounds to apply.
