Purchasing Program Assistant*

General Description

This is highly responsible administrative and financial work which involves coordinating the Madison Police Department uniform procedures and purchases; maintaining accounting ledgers and work sheets; preparing reports; processing purchase orders, vouchers and other purchasing information; managing purchasing processes, including coding and entering information related to billing; communicating and working with command staff to comply with all purchasing requirements; researching purchasing requests specifically as they relate to police functions; problem-solving issues that may arise in regards to purchases; and ensuring that all requests are processed, delivered, and paid accurately. Work is performed under the general supervision of an Accountant.

This position is based at the Madison Police Department's Central District.

This position is regularly scheduled for 38.75 hours per week. Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

 

The City of Madison is an equal opportunity employer functioning under an affirmative action plan. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, trans, nonbinary, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply!

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

Uniform Program

• Coordinate the complex uniform systems for authorized commissioned staff, including verifying authorized items on uniform lists; ordering, coding, and entering requests; tracking receipt of items; and processing payments to vendors. Track in detail and communicate with individual police employees in order to maintain individual account balances as allowed by labor contracts.
• Work closely with vendor for uniform contract to ensure contract compliance and resolution of all issues related to uniform contract.
• Serve on Department Uniform Committee and assist in implementing approved recommendations.
• Manage online uniform ordering system.

General Purchasing

• Process Department purchases at the direction of the Police Finance Unit Accountant, including researching equipment requests, placing orders, coding bills, processing purchase orders, coordinating credit card purchases, entering information in the financial system. Coordinate the receipt of items ordered and delivery to appropriate personnel.
• Track employee travel and training requests and process reimbursements.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three (3) years of responsible administrative support experience that included significant administrative responsibilities involving complex clerical, administrative, and/or accounting/financial systems and procedures.
• Coursework in secretarial, business, accounting, and/or finance.

-OR-

Three (3) years of experience in applying purchasing and procurement policies and procedures; AND

Two (2) years of experience in applying the following:

• Office administrative methods, practices, and equipment.
• English composition, correct punctuation, spelling, grammatical usage, and acceptable business letter and report formats.
• Computers and computer software applicable to the duties of the position, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and similar database programs.

-OR-

• Associate's degree (or higher) from an accredited college or university in Purchasing, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, or a closely related field.

-OR-

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) from an accredited college or university in any field; AND
• Coursework in Accounting, Finance, or Business Math.

Physical requirements:

Work in this position is primarily sedentary, requiring the ability to sit/stand at a desk, work on a computer, and use a monitor for extended periods of time under varied and occasionally stressful situations.

*Payroll title for this position is Program Assistant 1