Purchasing (Contract) Specialist I

King County•Seattle, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

King County’s Finance and Business Operations Division, Procurement & Payables section, is seeking a Contract Specialist I for the Goods & Services team. The team procures materials, supplies, equipment, and services to support King County’s operational needs. Its procurement value stream includes planning, strategic sourcing, solicitation, and post-award metrics to ensure contracts meet expected standards for quality, cost, delivery, and service. The role facilitates and manages procurement activities, works with clients and suppliers to develop and execute contracts, and ensures compliance with relevant policies, laws, regulations, and contract terms. The successful candidate will provide customer service to internal and external customers, collaborate with county staff and suppliers, and contribute to strategic sourcing, relationship management, and supplier performance initiatives. The position follows a hybrid work model, with office and telecommuting days determined by business needs. The primary onsite location is King Street Center in Seattle, Washington. Employees must reside in Washington state within a reasonable distance of their King County worksite. The position is overtime eligible, with a 40-hour workweek normally scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Employees receive a county-issued laptop and must maintain a reliable home workspace with internet access, be available during scheduled hours, and follow hybrid/remote guidelines, including on-camera participation in virtual meetings. The role is represented by Teamsters 117.

Requirements

Knowledge of competitive procurement solicitations, contracting, and vendor management.
Basic understanding of contract law, regulations, procurement methods, industry principles, and best practices.
Knowledge of Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel.
Intermediate proficiency with MS Office productivity tools.
Strong communication, interpersonal, writing, and customer service skills.
Ability to manage time and adapt to changing priorities.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, meet quick deadlines, and produce timely, quality work products.
Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

Nice To Haves

Public procurement experience.
Experience conducting solicitations such as ITBs (Invitations to Bid), RFPs (Requests for Proposals), and/or RFQs (Requests for Qualifications) to establish contracts.
Experience with Oracle EBS and/or Oracle Procurement Cloud.
Experience with LEAN processes and principles.
Experience with SharePoint, MS Teams, and other collaborative online tools.

Responsibilities

Facilitate and manage multi-step procurement processes, including determining bidding requirements, selection criteria, and general terms and conditions.
Develop scopes of work and technical specifications with clients.
Prepare contract terms and conditions for execution.
Ensure compliance with applicable policies and procedures.
Hold evaluation meetings, interviews, proprietary meetings, and debriefs with consultants and County staff.
Facilitate contract negotiations between County agencies and suppliers.
Resolve disputes in coordination with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Risk Management.
Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and contract terms and conditions.
Assist clients with post-award documentation.
Update and manage standard documents used in the procurement process.
Support strategic initiatives involving Strategic Sourcing, Relationship Management, and Supplier Performance Management.