Contracts & Procurement Unit Manager

King County•Seattle, WA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position represents a significant organizational shift, establishing a dedicated unit and manager for procurement and contracting activities due to exponential growth in the capital program, evolving operational needs, and a countywide priority on compliance and financial stewardship. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to drive long-term change, mitigate risk, safeguard county resources, and lead a high-performing team focused on continuous process improvement. The Contracts & Procurement Unit Manager leads a crucial team responsible for ensuring effective, efficient, and timely support for agency procurement, contract administration, and contract compliance. This is a key leadership role within Finance & Administration, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer and collaborating with other Finance unit managers to ensure coordinated excellence in financial services. The position directly supervises two teams: a Capital Procurement & Work Order Team and a Goods, Services, and Technology Contracts & Procurement team, with potential for future team expansion. This role offers the chance to serve the residents of King County by leading the Contracts & Procurement Unit for one of the largest wastewater utilities on the west coast. The manager will foster an anti-racist, pro-equity workplace, collaborate with Finance leadership and Division partners to ensure equitable service delivery, and build relationships across units to promote a unified "One King County" approach.

Requirements

Advanced experience with procuring and administering WA state construction, architecture, and engineering contracts
Advanced experience with procuring and administering WA state goods, services, and technology contracts including purchased services
Experience monitoring for vendor compliance with prevailing wage, Davis Bacon, and other relevant requirements
Supervision or leadership experience
Experience with large government agencies
Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions
Decision Quality: Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward
Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies
Manages Conflict: Handling conflict situations effectively, with a minimum of noise
Plans and Aligns: Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals

Nice To Haves

Experience with wastewater utilities
Experience with King County procurement and contracting requirements

Responsibilities

Work with the team supervisors to facilitate procurement, contract administration and compliance
Coordinate with other King County departments such as the Finance and Business Operation Division (FBOD) as needed to support the work of this unit, resolve issues, and represent WTD initiatives and interests
Ensure Finance provides exceptional service to our partners and colleagues across WTD
Build and invest in the unit team including hiring, training, facilitating resources for career advancement opportunities, and performance management and evaluation (providing guidance, support, identifying development needs, resolving issues)
Lead change management efforts to identify and reassign appropriate contracting/purchasing/procurement bodies of work from teams outside of finance to appropriate unit staff
Stay apprised of relevant changes to County code, state law, and federal funding requirements on procurement
Work closely with the Project Control Officer to ensure contract compliance