Rural Tx Strong Contract Manager

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Austin, TX

16d•$4,801 - $6,300•Hybrid

About The Position

The Rural Texas Strong Contract Specialist IV will manage contracts for the Texas Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program under the direction of the Contract Administration Manager I. Work involves coordinating, developing, negotiating, monitoring, and evaluating a broad range of contracts including but not limited to Interlocal, Interagency, grants, open enrollments, and IT-related contracts. This position requires advanced (senior level) contract management proficiency and the ability to work under limited supervision. The Contract Specialist IV must exercise sound judgment and independently initiate appropriate contract administration actions. In this role, the Contract Specialist IV must demonstrate the ability to collaborate with various leadership levels across multiple departments such as Legal division, procurement and contracting staff, other agencies, and external stakeholders. This position serves as a subject matter expert in all contract management activities related to the RHT Program.

Requirements

Advanced knowledge of state procurement and contract management requirements, regulations, and best practices; business administration and accounting principles and practices; and of policies and procedures of contract management.
Knowledge of organizational planning, organizational development, and implementation methods needed to establish and administer complex contracts.
Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws related to Contract Management and Accounting.
Skill in leading and conducting meetings within internal and external stakeholders using Teams/Go-To-Meetings/Go-to-Webinars or related products.
Skill in synthesizing, analyzing, and evaluating extremely complicated and technical information and translating that information into clear and concise documents or presentations.
Skill in making effective presentations, written analyses and in preparing administrative reports; excellent written and oral communications skills.
Skill in establishing quality assurance job aids and performance measurement tools.
Skill in analyzing and solving problems and making recommendations affecting overall contracting activities; and comprehensively and accurately evaluating different types of administrative reports.
Ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts; to devise solutions to problems; to prepare reports; to communicate details effectively; and ability to train others.
Ability to be self-directed and capable of independent decision-making; exercises sound judgment to resolve critical issues.
Ability to rapidly resolve complex problems using critical thinking.
Ability to manage and track contracts in compliance with HHS policies.
Ability to work in a professional setting with diverse groups, stakeholders, agency departments, leadership, and contractors.
Ability to establish and maintain positive, effective working relationships with others.
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university. A degree with major coursework in business administration, human resource management, finance, public administration, or a related field is generally preferred. Contract management experience and education may be substituted for one another on a year-for-year basis for up to four years.
A minimum of two (2) consecutive years of demonstrated experience in contract management and financial oversight specifically within governmental entities.

Nice To Haves

Certified Texas Contract Developer (CTCD) preferred or must obtain within 12 months of employment.
Four (4) years of experience in government contract and financial monitoring preferred.

Responsibilities

Manages the full contract lifecycle from initial requirements gathering and procurement support to drafting, participating in negotiations, and execution. Responsible for ongoing compliance monitoring, contract amendments, and final contract close outs.
Serves as the primary point of contact for the contract and maintains deep knowledge of contracts terms including the purpose, scope, milestones, deliverables, reporting requirements, deadlines, and the financial obligations of the contract.
Develops, monitors, tracks, and documents all: contract expenditures, invoices, cost variances, budgets, contract schedules, deliverables, risks, actions, decisions, issues, vendor communications, contract remedies, corrective actions, enforcement activities, change orders, and vendor performance.
Completes contract monitoring reviews within assigned time limits and in accordance with the contract, state rules, federal regulations, and agency guidelines.
Performs contract close out activities within 45 calendar days of contract expiration.
Performs all contract record management functions to include routing contract documents through CAPPS, uploading contract documentation in System of Contract Operation and Reporting (SCOR) within required timeframes, performing contract record maintenance tasks, maintaining contract checklists, and entering contract information into the Grant Management System (GMS).
Ensures contract records are accurate and in compliance with state laws and/or regulations, best practices, HHSC policies, record retention policies, and audit standards.
Responds and provides documentation as needed for audit inquiries.
Contributes to continuous process improvements activities including developing internal contract policies and procedures.
Completes baseline and annual risk assessments on all assigned contracts within required timeframes.
Actively monitors, assesses, identifies, and manages risks throughout the contract term.
Escalates matters as needed to leaderships; consults with management and legal as need to address legal or contract compliance issues.
Provides excellent customer service through written and oral communications; maintains initiative-taking and professional communications with contract stakeholders at all times.
Serves as the central coordinator for all stakeholder communications, including planning, leading, and participating in all contract meetings; conducts post-award contract meetings with contractor and stakeholders to develop a mutual understanding of performance and administrative expectations.
Communicates complex contract information in an easily understandable way to diverse audiences.
Maintains positive and productive working relationships with contractors and internal stakeholders.
Creates and maintains CFO-PC internal policies, procedures, and job aids as needed to align with best practices, Comptroller guidelines, and HHS policies and procedures.
Attends trainings and other seminars as directed by management or as required for contract management.
Prepares special correspondence or reports, analyze data, and compile statistical reports or surveys using Word and Excel or other word processing and spreadsheet applications.
Other duties as assigned by management.