Career Opportunity

Assistant Purchaser (1950) - Citywide - C00416

Recruitment: REF60225K

Published: April 24, 2026

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM POSTING. Your application to this posting is an application to take a citywide exam.

If you pass the exam, you will be emailed your score and ranking on the eligible candidate list. When a department has an open position with this job classification they will use this eligible list to hire for that position. Departments will contact candidates from this list to gauge interest in their specific roles. Learn more about the City’s hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/
 

The City and County of San Francisco is looking to bring on board multiple Assistant Purchasers to perform professional duties in connection with the procurement of a variety of materials, supplies and equipment in accordance with the San Francisco Controller’s Office administrative codes. We are looking for candidates with a passion for public service. 

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

In addition to establishing a career with purpose and opportunity for professional growth, the City offers excellent benefits that include: competitive salaries; medical, dental, and vision insurance; defined benefit retirement plan; deferred compensation plan; long-term disability insurance; life insurance; and a generous paid time off package.

Come explore first-hand the many opportunities that the City and County of San Francisco has to offer.

• Application Opening: April 24, 2026
• Application Deadline: Apply Immediately. Application filing will be open at least through April 30, 2026 and will close any time thereafter. 
• Compensation Range: $ 83,304 - 101,348
• Recruitment ID: REF60225K (C00416)

Role description

Under direct supervision, Assistant Purchasers are responsible for performing professional duties in connection with the procurement of a variety of materials, supplies and equipment in accordance with the San Francisco Controller’s Office administrative codes. Assistant Purchasers are typically assigned duties of a well-defined nature and with increased experience are gradually assigned projects with a greater scope of responsibility. 

MAJOR, IMPORTANT, AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Receives, analyzes and edits requisitions for the purchase of materials, supplies and equipment.

2. Confers with department personnel concerning the availability, cost and use of commodities.

3. Analyzes quotations and determines the most suitable vendors.

4. Advises user departments and vendors regarding appropriate purchasing methods and procedures.

5. Investigates and resolves complaints related to receipt of goods and performance of services.

6. Maintains detailed purchasing records including commodity and service codes.

7. Assists senior staff on large purchasing projects.

8. Uses computerized systems to process purchase order, research vendors and produce reports as required.

How to qualify

Education: 
Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university

Substitution: 
Professional purchasing experience with responsibilities such as: identifying vendors and ascertaining quotes, selecting a vendor based on a set of criteria, identifying and negotiating terms and conditions and procuring goods and services, may be substituted for the required degree on a year-for-year basis (up to a maximum of two (2) years). Thirty (30) semester units/forty-five (45) quarter units equal one (1) year.
 

Verification of Education and Experience:
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications for considerations taken when reviewing applications.  

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/. 

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

 

Selection Procedure:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:
 

Assistant Purchaser Written Exam (Weight: 100%):
Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualifications will be invited to participate in the online Assistant Purchaser Written Exam. Candidates will be sent a web link via email that will allow them to take the online Assistant Purchaser Exam that is designed to measure knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in job-related areas which have been identified as critical for positions in the Assistant Purchaser classification.

This computer-administered test can be taken at home at a designated time and the location of one’s convenience. Candidates must have access to a computer and reliable internet connection to participate in this exam.

Score Banking: Scores attained on the Assistant Purchaser Written Exam will be 'banked' for three years, starting from the date of the examination. This means that, during this three-year time period, candidates need not take this test again. Rather, if another announcement you applied to and are deemed qualified for requires the Assistant Purchaser Written Exam and is held within one year of your Assistant Purchaser Written Exam date, your score will be automatically applied to that announcement. However, after one year, a candidate has the option to either (a) apply their test score to the other announcement or (b) re-take the test. Re-testing is permitted no sooner than one year from the date of the test and only in association with a candidate’s eligibility for another announcement to which the candidate has applied and is deemed qualified. If a candidate opts to re-test, the re-test score becomes the candidate’s official score since it is the most recent.

If a significant modification is made to this exam in the future, the application of “banked” scores may no longer be appropriate. In such a rare circumstance, candidates with “banked” scores would be required to re-take the exam sooner than the three-year period specified above should they apply to another job opportunity where the modified exam is used.

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores, and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be 12 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city’s Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments.

What else should I know?

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.]

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4.  Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Where to Apply:

All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.  

Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110. 

Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

If you have any questions, you may contact Jaclyn Lerch at Jaclyn.Lerch@sfgov.org. Recruitment ID: REF60225K.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.