Director of Purchasing and Contracts

Director of Purchasing and Contracts
Eastern Municipal Water District

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) provides water, wastewater, and recycled water services to nearly one million customers across a 682-square-mile service area in Western Riverside and Northern San Diego Counties.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Administrative Services, the Director of Purchasing and Contracts provides executive leadership for EMWD's purchasing, contracting, warehousing, and materials management functions and an approximately 20-person department. The Department manages competitive solicitations, purchase orders, professional services and other agreements, supplier negotiations, and approximately 3,800 inventory line-items supporting District operations. The next Director will lead continued modernization through Workday Strategic Sourcing and Contract Lifecycle Management, stronger contract life-cycle practices, warehouse and inventory improvements, vendor engagement, policy and process modernization, team development, and performance improvement.

The ideal candidate will be an accomplished, forward-looking procurement executive with depth in public procurement, strategic sourcing, complex contracting, negotiations, and materials management, along with the judgment and communication skills to advise senior leadership, present to the Board, develop staff, and build constructive relationships with vendors and internal partners.

Requires ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in government procurement, including at least five (5) years in a management capacity, and education equivalent to a bachelor's degree with major coursework in public or business administration, finance, or a related field. A master's degree and professional procurement credentials such as CPPO, NIGP-CPP, and CPSM are desirable.