Contracts Manager (Manager 2)

City of Seattle•Seattle, WA

13d•$57 - $85•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and play a crucial role in shaping Seattle’s infrastructure. SDOT is dedicated to moving people, connecting communities, building safer streets, and fostering a more sustainable city. With a focus on addressing challenges like making travel safer, reducing carbon emissions, and ensuring equitable transportation, SDOT is undertaking significant projects funded by a historic $1.55 billion investment. This is an opportunity to join a team of dedicated professionals working towards a Seattle that benefits everyone. SDOT is seeking a detail-oriented, contract compliance-minded, and collaborative leader for the Contracts Manager (Manager 2) position. This hands-on leadership role involves overseeing a high-volume contracting program, supervising a team of 5 staff and 2 interns, and guiding complex consultant contracting and procurement. The role requires supporting staff development, ensuring accuracy and compliance with federal, state, and City requirements, and collaborating with various stakeholders across the City to resolve contracting and procurement issues. You will also contribute to strengthening processes and partnerships for federally funded consultant contracts. SDOT’s consultant contracting portfolio exceeds $170 million in active contracts, with the team managing over 400 consultant contract actions annually. This position reports to the Contracts and Procurement Manager, operates with significant independence, and is key to advancing department goals, including diversity, race, and social justice.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public administration, finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or another related field.
Five (5) years of professional experience in contract administration, financial analysis, project management, grant administration, inter-agency agreements, contract administration or related work.
Two (2) years of experience in a management or supervisory capacity.
OR: An equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the position duties.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated record of exercising an extensive degree of independent judgment in assuring the integrity of procurement and contracting activities.
Demonstrated ability to work independently while leading, motivating, and supporting teams.
Proven success with public sector consultant contracting, including regulatory agency policies and procedures.
Experience with federal purchasing and public works contracting methods.
Demonstrated capability to actively manage multiple processes at once in a fast-paced work environment, prioritizing based on ever-changing situations.
Intermediate to advanced skills with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access), SharePoint, and Adobe Sign.
Advanced degree in law, public administration, business administration, finance, or related field.
Certifications in the National Institute for Public Procurement (NIPG) or the National Contract Management Association (NCMA).
Excellent oral and written communication skills to a broad audience, from Senior Management to Project Managers, with a broad range of experience regarding contracting policy and processes.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively in a wide range of work environments and personality types.
Demonstrated self-starter with attention to detail and follow-through on work commitments.
Ability to effectively work in a multi-cultural workplace with a diverse customer base.

Responsibilities

Supervising the day-to-day work of five staff and two interns.
Managing program workload, priorities, and assignments to meet deadlines and compliance standards.
Coaching, training, and supporting staff growth, performance, and team development.
Providing leadership and oversight for complex consultant contracting and procurement activities.
Guiding work across the full contract lifecycle, from solicitation and drafting through execution, amendments, invoicing, and closeout.
Promoting a culture of compliance through clear guidance, strong customer service, and continuous improvement.
Advising project managers and senior leaders on contracting laws, regulations, and requirements.
Providing contracting development support for high-profile, politically sensitive, and federally funded contract actions.
Helping resolve complex procurement and contract issues across the department.
Drafting and updating policies, procedures, checklists, workflows, and guidance documents.
Developing contract terms and conditions that reflect changes in federal, state, and City requirements.
Researching laws, regulations, and best practices and recommending process improvements.
Communicating department-wide on contracting and procurement topics, including updates for senior leadership.
Representing SDOT in trainings, public events, and conversations with consultants and federal agency staff.
Overseeing requests for sole source, adverse effect, and emergency contracts.
Serving as a backup to the Contracts and Procurement Manager.
Partnering with Finance & Administrative Services and Citywide interdepartmental teams on major procurement policy work.
Supporting improvements to the Citywide Contracting Management System, SharePoint resources, and other tools.
Planning and prioritizing work across a large and complex portfolio.
Developing workload tracking, reports, and data dashboards.
Creating and updating work plans to keep milestones on track and to address barriers early.
Supporting the resolution of complex project procurement issues through strong cross-team coordination.
Supporting the City’s Women and Minority-Owned Business Enterprise and federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs.
Assisting with reporting, budgeting, public disclosure, audit requests, and occasional purchasing processes.
Helping advance department goals related to diversity and social justice.