Contracts & Procurement Unit Manager

This role represents an important organizational shift– creating a dedicated unit and manager for procurement and contracting activities in recognition of the exponential growth in our capital program, changing needs of our operations & maintenance partners, as well as the Countywide priority of compliance and financial stewardship. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to influence long‑term change, limit risk, protect county resources, and lead a high‑functioning team in ongoing process improvement.

The Contracts & Procurement Unit Manager position leads a critical team responsible for ensuring effective, efficient, and timely support to agency procurement and contract administration as well as contract compliance. You will serve in a key Finance & Administration leadership role that reports to the Chief Financial Officer and collaborates with other Finance unit managers and supervisors to ensure the suite of Finance services are provided with unified and coordinated excellence.

This position will have two direct reporting supervisors with the potential for additional team growth. This includes a Capital Procurement & Work Order Team, as a well as a Goods, Services, and Technology Contracts & Procurement team. This is an opportunity to serve the people that live, work, and play in King County by leading the Contracts & Procurement Unit for one of the largest wastewater utilities on the west coast.

You will lead the way through active engagement with staff to foster an anti‑racist, pro‑equity workplace where everyone can thrive, and work with Finance leadership and Division partners to ensure services are equitably provided to the residents of King County. You will foster relationships, collaboration, and teamwork across units and the division, so the division functions as "One King County."

• 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

• 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

• Work Location:
  
  The team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs. The primary onsite location is the collaboration space at King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104. Employees must reside in…