Contract Specialist I
- Summary
These positions, which are managed within the River and Floodplain Management Section (RFMS), will provide procurement, contract administration and management support to King County's Water and Land Resources Division. These positions will support the administration of approximately 6-8 contracts. These contracts include multiple work order contracts, project specific contracts for technical or architectural and engineering (A&E) services and Public Works Construction to support the various section's capital programs. Incumbents will be called upon to ensure contract documents are compliant with King County policy and relevant state regulations.
Commitment to Equity and Social Justice:
As the only jurisdiction in the world named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.
We have a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from vulnerable communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts. To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.
Who is Eligible: This position is open to all qualified applicants. This posting will be used to fill three (3) positions: one (1) career service position, and two (2) term-limited temporary (TLT) positions that are expected to end on March 31, 2023. If the successful applicant for the temporary position is a King County career service employee, the position will be offered as a Special Duty Assignment (SDA), and must have their current supervisor's approval to accept the assignment. This recruitment may also be used to create an eligibility pool to fill future career service or SDA positions.
Telecommuting Requirement
The work associated with these positions will be performed by teleworking with some onsite work and meetings. The frequency of onsite work will be informed by business needs. Employees will have access to shared workspaces as needed at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.
King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team.
Work Location: Predominately teleworking and the King Street Center 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle WA 98104.
Work Schedule: These positions are covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and are overtime eligible. These full-time positions work a 40-hour work week. Periodic extended hours are sometimes required.- Job Duties
- Support Water and Land Resources project managers and King County Procurement and Payables (P&P) staff to procure and administer construction, A&E, and professional services contracts for the Water and Land Resources Division, including several multi-million dollar contracts.
- Provide expertise to project managers and administrative staff about the requirements and regulations concerning the procurement process, and answer questions about procurement tools and options.
- Assist project managers in writing and editing scopes of work and evaluation criteria for consultants and contractors. Give guidance on how to procure using our equity and social justice lens.
- Provide support necessary to ensure that documents are in compliance with relevant codes, policies, and procedures.
- Develop and maintain all pertinent contract files electronically to ensure audit accountability.
- Monitor scope, schedule, and budget of contracts; track and report contract progress; process contract invoices; and assure timely payment for services.
- Assist project managers in writing and editing amendments and change orders.
- Perform other contract administration and management tasks as needed.
- Participate in flood warning and emergency response programs and activities.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Our Ideal Candidate Will Have The Following Competencies:
- Learning on the Fly - Learns quickly when facing new problems, a relentless and versatile learner, open to change; analyzes both successes and failures for clues to improvement, experiments and will try anything to find solutions, enjoys the challenge of unfamiliar tasks, quickly grasps the essence and the underlying structure of anything.
- Problem Solving - Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions, probes all fruitful sources for answers, can see hidden problems, is excellent at honest analysis, looks beyond the obvious and doesn't stop at the first answers.
- Priority Setting - Spends their time and the time of others on what's important, quickly zeros in on the critical few and puts the trivial many aside, can quickly sense what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal, eliminates roadblocks, creates focus.
- Organizational Agility - Knowledgeable about how organizations work, knows how to get things done both through formal channels and the informal network, understands the origin and reasoning behind key policies, practices, and procedures, understands the cultures of organizations.
- Approachability - Is easy to approach and talk to, spends the extra effort to put others at ease, can be warm, pleasant, and gracious; is sensitive to and patient with the interpersonal anxieties of others, builds rapport well, is a good listener, is an early knower, getting informal and incomplete information in time to do something about it.
- Humor - Has a positive and constructive sense of humor, can laugh at themselves and with others, is appropriately funny and can use humor to ease tension.
- Increasingly responsible procurement and administration experience. Related education may substitute for work experience.
- Ability to collaborate and work with multidisciplinary staff with diverse personal and professional backgrounds. Participate with perseverance, patience, and humor in high-paced contracting environment with overlapping deadlines.
- Ability to use established policies and procedures, maintain and appropriately handle confidential information, and establish administrative systems relating to contract budget tracking.
- Knowledge and understanding of procurement audits.
- Demonstrated experience assisting project staff with procurement options and drafting scopes of work.
- Experience in using spreadsheets for tracking and planning purposes. Proficient with Microsoft Word and Excel and email, preferably Outlook. Excel proficiency must include the ability to develop well-organized tracking forms, possibly including worksheet formulas.
- Knowledge and understanding of contracting policies and procedures to procure and administer contracts.
- Skilled in making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward using a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement when making decisions.
- Experience in working and communicating with people from a variety of backgrounds and representing a variety of interests.
- Strong organizational skills and demonstrated ability to multi-task and produce quality, audit-defensible products and services while under the pressure of multiple deadlines and with minimal supervision.
- Ability to maneuver comfortably through complex policy, process and people-related organization dynamics while steering through the organizational maze to get things done.
- Experience with SharePoint, MS Teams and OneNote.
- Experience with contracting or project management software/databases.
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience within the last 5 years with public works contracting under RCW 39.04.
- Experience with County contracting procedures.
- Experience with administering work order contracts.
- Supplemental Information
Application and Selection Process: Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for these positions.
- King County application
- Resume
- Cover Letter (max 2 pages) detailing your background and describing how your education and experience meets the qualifications and has prepared you to perform the job duties
- Responses to supplemental questions
For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Calvin Rivers, Senior Human Resources Analyst
crivers@kingcounty.gov
206-263-1986
Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
King County Executive Branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are the successful candidate for the position you applied for, the County will send you a conditional offer letter.
As a condition of employment, prior to a final offer of employment, you will be required to:- submit proof of vaccination, or
- have an approved request for medical or religious exemption and an approved accommodation. Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation.
The Executive Branch includes employees in the Executive branch, the Assessor's Office, Elections, the King County Sheriff's Office, and the Executive Office.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
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01Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? Is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? Do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
- Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
- No.
02If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided: 1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice 2. The department you worked in 3. The effective date of your layoffRequired Question