Determines needs and makes direct purchases of buildings and grounds maintenance equipment and supplies and supervises all storekeeping and property control functions for an agency or institution.

The duties include acting for the Purchase and Stores Director A in the purchasing, storing, and accounting for all types of supplies and equipment. This work involves improving specifications for purchases, discussing requisitions with unit heads to eliminate uneconomical requests, and investigating excessive use of items. Responsibilities also include supervision and training of office clerks and personnel in several specialized storerooms in widely separated locations. General supervision is received from a higher-level administrator.

Examples of duties characteristic of positions in this class:

• Purchases bud, dings and grounds maintenance supplies and equipment on an emergency basis and procures items through the State Purchasing Agent; determines need and appropriate purchasing method; prepares specifications for purchases; reviews bids received from State Purchasing Agent and recommends acceptable one; makes emergency purchases of food, household and janitorial supplies.

• Reviews and corrects errors on quarterly orders for household and janitorial supplies; determines items to be stocked and specifies size, quality and number based on cost and usage; combines requisitions to increase volume of purchase.

• Plans and supervises the physical inventorying of stock; inspects storerooms periodically to work out problems and improve procedures.

• Interviews salesmen and develops new sources of supply.

• Discusses requests with agency units and recommends substitute items; investigates losses and excessive use of items and takes action to eliminate waste.

• Inspects merchandise damaged in shipment and secures adjustments from railway companies; secures adjustments from vendors on incorrect shipments.

• Supervises the transfer of surplus property between agency units and to the Department of Purchases and Supply.

Completion of a standard high school course and three years of administrative experience in the purchase, production, manufacture, processing, storing, or selling of a variety of commodities; at least two years of this experience must have been in volume purchasing and storage of a variety of commodities. Additional education related to the duties or the position may be substituted on an equivalent time basis.

Considerable knowledge of the business practices and procedures in the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of a variety; of commodities used by the agency; knowledge of items and ability to make substitutions; ability to supervise clerical operations; ability to deal effectively with requisitioning units and the general public.