Purchasing Assistant Jobs in Arkansas (NOW HIRING)

Position Title:
Purchasing Assistant
Compensation:
$13.80 - 14.95
Department:
Purchasing Services
Start Date:
08/10/2026
About this opportunity:
This is a great opportunity to join the Ball State Purchasing Services team and help reach the goal of continuous improvement, great customer service, and support for the Ball State campus community. This opportunity comes with an excellent benefit package that includes medical and prescription plans, dental, flexible spending and health savings accounts, paid time off, holiday pay, University-funded retirement, tuition discounts, and more! The ideal candidate will possess great customer service skills with a willingness to learn. This is a full-time, on-campus opportunity. Starting pay is $13.80/hour.
Candidates for searches must have current authorization to be employed in the United States without employer sponsorship.
What you'll do and what you'll bring:
Position Function: Create all suppliers and direct payees in Banner and SciQuest; prepare, process, and maintain files and data for all Public Works Projects.
Duties & Responsibilities:
1. Create and update all suppliers and individuals for the university using Banner and SciQuest programs; verify information is up to date; email or contact departments to let them know the new supplier is ready to use in the system.
2. Troubleshoot and make revisions on the PO Distribution Maintenance and the Missing PO Distribution Info in SciQuest daily; investigate why a purchase order didn't leave the system electronically and make corrections accordingly; process the purchase order.
3. Initiate and process the Purchasing Services web page for Public Works projects using SiteCore and Adobe format; keep web site updated and maintained for each Public Works project daily.
4. Email invites to vendors from Bid Document Request Forms and /or from the Senior Purchasing Agent's compiled list of new Public Works projects. Send drawings and specifications received from Facilities Planning and Management through Microsoft One Drive. Check bid doc emails daily for new request forms, prepare a Plan Holders list of vendors receiving project specifications, and update daily.
5. Extract legal advertisements from newspaper publications on dates the project comes out in the newspaper and file with project information, prepare legal advertisement invoices from newspapers for Accounts Payable, mark each invoice with their PO number, make copies for our records, enter invoice information in Public Works Project Book kept by Senior Purchasing Agent, email invoices to Accounts Payable. After job has been awarded for Public Works all information is scanned for electronic retention in Microsoft One Drive under the name of that job, move job from Current Public Works to Completed Public Works by year end completed.
6. Email pre-bid and bid opening date notifications to campus personnel involved in Public Works project via Outlook appointment calendar; schedule room for pre-bid meeting and bid openings.
7. Provide back-up assistance for the front office as needed by answering phones and greeting visitors; schedule, update, and maintain Purchasing and Central Stores electronic calendar for meetings, vacations, and absences.
8. Compile statistics for yearly Public Works reports; includes total number of projects, name of project, awardee, dollar amount of project, and date awarded.
9. Contact companies and individuals for their W-9 tax form and handle sensitive documents containing employee identification numbers and social security numbers; maintain security of documents.
10. Scan and ind3ex all Public Works projects for electronic retention in BDMS and maintain in stored area.
11. Collect and record small business supplier information as made available.
12. Compile FUPLOAD documentation, compile the FPM report, and perform other duties needed to be completed and perform other duties needed to be completed on a daily basis as needed for Central Stores.
13. Perform other related duties as assigned.
14. Maintain regular and predictable attendance.
Minimum Qualifications:

• Up to eighteen months of training or education beyond high school in office administration, secretarial, and computer skills training or equivalent.
• Over one through three years of office, secretarial, word processing, and/or computer software applications experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Associate's degree in office administration or related field.
• Administrative experience in a purchasing function.

How to apply:
For inquiries, please contact:
Interim Senior Director of Business Services for Purchasing, Printing, and Contracts and Director of Purchasing Services at rahassenzahl@bsu.edu or (765) 285-1532.
Supporting Documents Upload Instructions:
Please follow upload instructions to attach all of the required supporting documents listed below.
Important: Do not use the Autofill feature when uploading your resume.
Required Document:
1. Resume.
Optional Document (Recommended for Best Consideration):
2. Cover Letter detailing your qualifications for the position.
What we offer:
At Ball State University, we understand the importance of balancing professional responsibilities with personal well-being. That's why we offer paid 10 to 24 vacation days, 12 sick days, and 10 holidays a year. Plus, our paid parental leave (6 weeks) is there for life's most significant moments. We offer affordable health and dental insurance, robust long-term disability and life insurance plans, as well a range of retirement benefits to provide financial security to you and your family. These benefits ensure that you can focus on your work and personal growth without worrying about the unexpected.
When you work for us, you are family. And to show our support of your family, we will cover 90 percent of your child's (or children's) undergraduate college tuition at Ball State. We do the same for you. In fact, we'll cover 100 percent of the tuition costs for you to earn your undergraduate degree and 80 percent of your graduate tuition. This offer is good from the very first day you start. It's just one way we do our part to uplift you.
Let's fly together toward a secure and prosperous tomorrow.
Curious about our excellent benefits package?
We have developed a calculator that show you the value of our core benefits. Select the Total Compensation Calculator - Staff (Exempt) and download our calculator spreadsheet.