Contract Management Specialist III

City of Austin•Austin, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Under limited supervision, develops and manages complex contracts and grants. This role helps guide contracts through their entire lifecycle—from drafting and negotiation to execution, amendment, and closeout. It collaborates regularly with colleagues across HSO to support the programmatic work behind each agreement. Once contracts are in place, this role monitors them to ensure compliance with City policies, legal requirements, funding rules, and approved budgets. This role reviews provider claims carefully for accuracy and allowability, and keeps close track of deadlines, deliverables, spending and budgets, performance measures, and any needed corrective actions. This role analyzes financial and performance data, spots errors, trends, service gaps, and opportunities to strengthen results. This role will offer clear, practical technical assistance to grantees on everything from allowable costs and documentation to reporting and amendments. Working closely with providers and internal team finance, legal, procurement, program staff, and leadership, it will help resolve issues and support strong program implementation. It will also manage multiple evolving projects at once, maintain organized and confidential records in City systems, and share your expertise with colleagues through knowledge-sharing, reviewing work, and supporting training on contracts, grants, financials, and documentation practices.

Requirements

Knowledge of contract law, contracting practices, regulations, policies and techniques.
Knowledge of contract development, contract language, terms, conditions, etc.
Knowledge of Federal, State and Local laws.
Knowledge of city practice, policy and procedures.
Skill in oral and written communication.
Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing.
Skill in using computers and related software applications.
Skill in data analysis and problem solving.
Skill in planning and organizing.
Ability to evaluate contract agreements.
Ability to write specific terms or conditions for contracts.
Ability to enforce contractual obligations.
Ability to evaluate contractor performance
Ability to resolve complex problems.
Ability to leading a work group.
Ability to work with frequent interruptions and changes in priorities.
Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with other City employees and the public.
Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to Business Administration, Public Administration, plus four years of experience in a related field.
Experience may substitute for education up to the maximum of four (4) years.
A Master’s Degree may substitute for required experience up to two (2) years

Nice To Haves

Public or Grant Funded Contracting | Experience supporting agreements funded by federal, state, or local government, including grants or social-service contracts.
Contract Development and Negotiation | Experience drafting work statements, budgets, terms, amendments, or corrective-action documents and resolving differences with partners.
Compliance Monitoring | Experience conducting desk reviews, site visits, audits, quality assurance, or other monitoring activities.
Homelessness Response or Human Services | Familiarity with programs serving people experiencing homelessness or other community-based health and human services.
Relevant Systems | Experience with Microsoft 365 suite, PartnerGrants, eCAPRIS, HMIS, another grants-management platform, or comparable contract and case-data systems.
Training and Technical Assistance | Experience helping colleagues or partners understand financial, grant, documentation, or compliance practices.

Responsibilities

Prepares for bids process by gathering and coordinating contract requirements from designated departmental liaisons, deciding appropriate commodities or scope of work to include on contract bid; recommending and preparing effective supplemental terms and conditions, and drafting purchase documents for bid.
May also perform spot buying off existing contracts (per Central Purchasing policy limitations).
Develops and maintains contract database(s) spreadsheets and/or other contract management software tools.
Enters data into the system of record and generates approval documents to support purchases.
Establishes budgeted base and resolves variances.
Submits and/or coordinates submission of requisitions, evaluates bid files and prepares recommendations for award.
Develops and manages requirements for complex contracts or grants for effectiveness by monitoring budgeted amounts to expended amount and/or contract's dollar balance and time remaining, recommending whether to extend an existing contract or prepare for a new bid process, processing contract modifications and performing contract releasing activities.
Manages contractor and subcontractor performance for compliance to contract terms and conditions by monitoring contractor performance which includes but not limited to inspecting product to ensure compliance with specifications, preparing and discussing contractor performance evaluations with the contractor and/or departmental liaison to explain performance evaluations and obtain feedback, and reporting and resolving complex contractual issues.
Prepares and/or develops reports by collecting, analyzing and summarizing information regarding contractor performance, supply chain effectiveness, contract expenditures, purchase history, etc., for reporting to management, team members and customers.
Manages supply chain by reviewing status of selected materials, identifying problems and recommending and/or implementing solutions.
Coordinating product demonstrations.
Provides technical and contractual assistance by developing, advertising, coordinating and conducting workshops, training sessions and orientation sessions.
Conducts site visits to educate contractors and subcontractors about contract requirements, to conduct interviews with contract workers, to obtain payroll records for audit purposes and/or to inspect products to ensure compliance with contract requirements.
Develops requirements for new contracts by researching purchase history and product information; coordinating and compiling requirements; deciding and preparing effective supplemental terms and conditions; deciding and preparing effective contractor performance measurements.
Researches and responds to inquiries from City Council, City Management, Boards and Commissions, vendors, and other stakeholders.
May provide leadership, work assignments, evaluation, training, and guidance to others.