Director Of Contracts

Executive Service

Closing Date: 03/09/2026

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Fiscal

Nashville, TN

Salary: $8,620.00-$13,754.00

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is to operate safe and secure facilities and provide effective community supervision in support of successful reentry. TDOC is responsible for 14 adult prisons across the state, housing approximately 20,000 inmates. Ten of these facilities are operated by TDOC, while four are managed by a private contractor. In addition to the prisons, TDOC oversees 46 probation parole offices across 13 judicial districts, supervising 75,000 adult offenders in the community.

The department also operates eight Day Reporting and Community Resource Centers, which serve as alternatives to incarceration. The department is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA).

The Contracts Director is responsible for TDOCs contracts management function and a diverse, high-value portfolio of contracts supporting correctional facilities, district offices, and community-based programs statewide. The portfolio includes professional and non-professional services, interagency agreements, grants, and other complex contractual instruments, with individual contract values ranging from no-cost agreements to over $1 billion. This is a working executive role that combines people leadership with direct management of complex, high-risk contracts.

The Contracts Director advises TDOC leadership on contract strategy, risk, and compliance and exercises independent judgment consistent with the scope and fiscal exposure of the portfolio.

Contracts Leadership and Oversight:
Lead TDOCs contracts management function by setting priorities, allocating resources, and ensuring timely, high-quality execution of contract actions. Supervise and mentor contracts staff, establish clear expectations, and foster a culture of accountability, sound judgment, and risk awareness. Serve as the primary escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk contractual matters affecting agency operations or fiscal exposure.

Contract Portfolio Management:
Oversee the full contract lifecycle for the team while personally managing a portfolio of complex, high-value, or strategically significant agreements. Ensure timely execution of amendments, renewals, extensions, and closeout actions, with attention to operational continuity, fiscal controls, and risk mitigation. Monitor contract performance, identify emerging issues, and provide leadership with clear assessments and recommended courses of action.

• Solicitation and Award Execution:
  Lead competitive solicitation activities, including RFPs, ITBs, and other competitive processes, from requirements development through contract award. Ensure evaluation processes are rigorous, transparent, and well-documented to withstand audit, protest, or legislative scrutiny. Advise executive leadership on solicitation strategy, evaluation outcomes, and award recommendations, emphasizing defensibility and risk-informed decision-making over negotiation outcomes.
• Cross-Functional Coordination and Program Support:
  Collaborate closely with fiscal, procurement, and property management staff to ensure contract actions are aligned with funding, operational, and asset management requirements. Partner with program offices to translate operational needs into effective contract strategies and executable agreements, ensuring programs receive the services and support necessary to carry out TDOCs mission. Coordinate complex or high-risk contract actions across functional areas and advise executive leadership on cross-cutting risks, dependencies, and recommended courses of action.
• Policy, Procedure, and Governance:
  Develop, revise, and maintain TDOC contracting policies and standard operating procedures in alignment with Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.), Central Procurement Office (CPO) regulations, and agency objectives. Translate statutory and regulatory requirements into practical, standardized processes that support consistent contract execution across facilities and programs. Ensure policies and procedures are implemented through clear guidance, training, and oversight.
• Data, Systems, and Process Improvement:
  Use contract data and raw datasets to identify trends, forecast workload and risk, and recommend operational or policy improvements. Develop and maintain executive-level reports and dashboards that provide insight into portfolio health, compliance, and performance. Maximize use of TDOCs ERP system (e.g., Edison) to support contract lifecycle management, reporting, and audit readiness. Identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and control gaps and implement corrective actions to improve effectiveness and reliability.
• Risk…