print logo
Main Content Anchor

Procurement Engineer Series

Procurement Engineer Series

California State Personnel Board Specification

Series established February 5, 1975

Scope

This class series describes four levels in the procurement engineering field with responsibility for (1) the designing, formulation and performance of quality control sampling, field inspection, and laboratory or other testing programs for the purpose of assuring that materials purchased for the State comply with specifications of purchase; and (2) development of statewide purchasing standards and specifications which are capable of conformance evaluation and which assure competitive acquisition through the State's centralized procurement system of a wide variety of systems, equipment, materials and supplies of appropriate quality, service reliability and energy utilization efficiency.

 

Incumbents formulate research and resolve engineering problems in determining that the quality of materials purchased comply to specifications; define product specifications precisely for scientific evaluation; specify criteria used to determine product acceptance; design chemical, physical or innovative testing procedures; train personnel in point-of-use inspections, sampling techniques and testing procedures.

 

Incumbents collect, analyze and interpret technical engineering data and other information relative to product quality evaluation, assurance and energy utilization in the planning, development and operation of quality control systems and the development of statewide standards and specifications for commodities purchased by the State.

 

Incumbents examine, evaluate and test products to develop technical information from which purchasing descriptions or formal specifications can be developed; interpret laboratory results to assure proper contract testing and perform plan inspections of vendors' facilities and confer with vendors' engineers concerning adequacy of quality control procedures used and capabilities to produce material required; witness manufacturers' tests on products as a basis for acceptance or rejection; assist and advise personnel in State agencies on methods for testing and measuring product performance; establish cooperative working relationship with personnel in other State agencies involved in enforcing conformance with manufacturing or processing standards and requirements; recommend or issue waivers for failure to comply with contract terms; investigate complaints of using agencies to determine the validity of alleged product deficiency; act as a consultant to acquisition staff in evaluating costs of product as a function of its effective life; prepare correspondence and reports.

 

Advise buyers and State agency staff on the relative merit and availability of products offered by vendors based on research and supervised pilot tests. Incorporate life-cycle costing methods and energy utilization data into purchasing decisions; establish advisory committees of agency staff for commonly used materials to develop statewide purchasing standards and specifications; apply purchasing contract law to assure the State's legal rights and ability to obtain recourse are protected when noncompliant materials are received.

 

Procurement Engineer Series Specification - Class Titles and Codes
Schem Code Class Code Class
GY58 3395 Assistant Procurement Engineer
GY57 3396 Associate Procurement Engineer
GY56 3393 Senior Procurement Engineer
GY55 3304 Standards and Quality Control Manager

Entry Level

Entry into this series typically will be through various lower level engineering classifications.

Factors Affecting Position Allocation

Factors affecting position allocation include level, variety, and complexity of work; independence of action and decision-making responsibility; degree of supervisory responsibility; supervision received; and independent program responsibilities.

Definition of Levels

Assistant Procurement Engineer

This is the first level journeyperson in this series. Under supervision, incumbents perform engineering work of average difficulty, assist in making quality control engineering surveys and studies, and assist in developing technical purchasing specifications and standards.

Associate Procurement Engineer

This is the fully qualified professional level engineer in the series. Under direction, incumbents perform difficult quality control engineering work or develop technical procurement specifications and standards; act as leadperson over subordinate staff members in connection with research studies and investigations of data for standards and specifications for materials, equipment and supplies; the design, installation, maintenance and operation of statewide quality control sampling, inspection and testing programs; independently make or supervise quality control engineering surveys, research and studies; make engineering calculations of energy consumption and life-cycle costing.

Senior Procurement Engineer

This is the first supervisory level of the series. Under general direction, to plan, organize and direct a staff of engineers and analysts performing product and vendor evaluation, quality assurance research and testing, and specification and project standards development; or as a nonsupervisor, make procurement engineering studies and surveys of major statewide importance.

Standards and Quality Control Manager

This is the second level supervisor and program manager level of the series; under general direction of the Office Chief, incumbents plan, organize and direct the work of the Quality Control and Purchasing Standards functional area. This level is responsible for work of the highest level technical and professional engineering expertise performed in the office. As assigned, the incumbent represents the office on departmental, agency or interagency committees or task forces and on Federal, local agency or national industrial association committees.

Minimum Qualifications

All Levels:

The following educational requirement must be met when non-State experience is used to qualify for any level.

 

Education: Equivalent to graduation from college with major work in engineering or one of the physical sciences. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for up to two years of the required education on a year-for-year basis.) (A Master's Degree in Engineering or one of the physical sciences may be substituted for the experience required for the Assistant Procurement Engineer level.)

Assistant Procurement Engineer

Either I

 

Education: Equivalent to graduation from college with major work in engineering or one of the physical sciences. (Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.) and

 

Experience: Two years of experience in engineering or a related physical science field, one year of which shall have been in quality control testing and inspection in the manufacture of products or materials, or in the development of purchasing specifications for material selection.

Or II

 

Experience: One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a "Junior" or "Range A" engineer.

Or III

 

Two years of experience in the California state service in a subprofessional engineering classification which involved material design, testing or selection.

Associate Procurement Engineer

Either I

 

Two years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of an Assistant Procurement Engineer.

Or II

 

Two years of engineering or related physical science experience, two years of which must have included quality control testing and inspection in the manufacture of products or materials or in the design or specification of materials. and Education: As indicated above.

Senior Procurement Engineer

Either I

 

Two years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of an Associate Procurement Engineer.

Or II

 

Five years of responsible experience performing quality control inspection and testing in a large organization utilizing a wide variety of materials, equipment, and supplies and the development of standards and specifications for a wide variety of commodities comparable to those purchased by the State of California, three years of which must have been in direct support of a major centralized procurement function. and Education: As indicated above.

Standards and Quality Control Manager

Either I

 

Two years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Senior Procurement Engineer.

Or II

 

Five years of increasingly responsible experience related to quality control inspection and testing in a large organization utilizing a wide variety of materials, equipment and supplies and the development of standards and specifications for a wide variety of commodities comparable to those purchased by the State of California of which a minimum of two years shall have involved supervision of engineering subordinates in direct support of a major corporate centralized procurement function. and Education: As indicated above.

Knowledge and Abilities

All Levels:

Knowledge of: Engineering mathematics, engineering fundamentals, methods of physical and chemical testing of raw and finished products; statistical methods of data reduction and presentation; sample methods by variance and attributes; testing methods, machines and equipment used in chemical and physical measurement involving factors such as spectorscopy, viscometry, tensile strength, dielectric properties, dimensional tolerance and opacity, testing methods and limitations as to repeatability, accuracy and reliability; purchasing standard and specification development, legal aspects of rejecting nonconforming purchases; and Uniform Commercial Code.

 

Ability to: Make engineering computations; analyze design capabilities of scientific equipment, determine compliance with written specifications and determine relevance of deviation from specifications with respect to utility, suitability and usage; prepare accurate and concise reports; speak and write effectively; and develop accurate and concise standards of specifications reflecting product suitability, adaptability and utility of items in relation to their use.

Assistant Procurement Engineer

Knowledge of: Engineering mathematics, engineering fundamentals, methods of physical and chemical testing of raw and finished products; statistical methods of data reduction and presentation; sample methods by variance and attributes; testing methods, machines and equipment used in chemical and physical measurement involving factors such as spectorscopy, viscometry, tensile strength, dielectric properties, dimensional tolerance and opacity, testing methods and limitations as to repeatability, accuracy and reliability; purchasing standard and specification development, legal aspects of rejecting nonconforming purchases; and Uniform Commercial Code.

 

Ability to: Make engineering computations; analyze design capabilities of scientific equipment, determine compliance with written specifications and determine relevance of deviation from specifications with respect to utility, suitability and usage; prepare accurate and concise reports; speak and write effectively; and develop accurate and concise standards of specifications reflecting product suitability, adaptability and utility of items in relation to their use.

Associate Procurement Engineer

Knowledge of: All of the above, and basic principles of effective supervision and training.

 

Ability to: All of the above and serve in a lead capacity over other technical personnel.

Senior Procurement Engineer

Knowledge of: All of the above, and principles of personnel management and supervision; department's Affirmative Action Program objectives; a manager's role in the Affirmative Action Program and the processes available to meet affirmative action objectives.

 

Ability to: All of the above, and plan, direct and coordinate a staff of engineers and analysts in performing quality control engineering and purchasing standards and specification development; direct research studies and investigations relating to quality control; supervise the preparation of accurate and concise standards of specifications reflecting product suitability, adaptability and utility of items in relation to their use; ability to supervise staff in the analysis and evaluation of the relative merits of competitive commodities and in designing uniform procedures for sampling and testing commodities to assure their conformance to specifications; supervise staff in preparing training materials on receiving point inspection methods and evaluating supplier capability; formulate methods and procedures to improve quality and reduce the number of rejected or inferior products; effectively contribute to the department's affirmative action objectives.

Standards and Quality Control Manager

Knowledge of: All of the above, and methods of organization and principles of budgeting; procedures used in hearings before regulatory bodies and ability to plan, organize and direct the work of engineers in a major program area; department's Affirmative Action Program objectives; a manager's role in the Affirmative Action Program and the processes available to meet affirmative action objectives.

 

Ability to: All of the above; effectively contribute to the department's affirmative action objectives.

Special Personal Characteristic

All Levels:

Willingness to travel throughout the State; tact and reliability.

Senior Procurement Engineer

Standards and Quality Control Manager

In addition to the above, demonstrated administrative ability.

Class History

Procurement Engineer Series History - Dates Established, Revised, and Title Changed
Class Date Established Date Revised Title Changed
Assistant Procurement Engineer 09/06/1972 06/19/1984 06/19/1984
Associate Procurement Engineer 05/08/1974 06/19/1984 06/19/1984
Senior Procurement Engineer 02/05/1975 06/19/1984 06/19/1984
Standards and Quality Control Manager 06/19/1984 -- --
  Updated: 6/3/2012
One Column Page
Link Back to Top