Architecture & Engineering Lead (Contract Specialist III)

Full Job Description

King County’s Finance and Business Operations Division, Procurement & Payables Section, is seeking a Lead Contract Specialist for the Architecture & Engineering (A&E) Procurement Team!

This position is responsible for leading, overseeing, and reviewing the work of the team, as well as providing expertise as a technical procurement specialist for major capital improvement projects involving architecture, engineering, and professional services.

This position is also responsible for managing and mitigating the risks inherent in contracting to protect the County from litigation, criticism, or unanticipated costs.

We are looking for a self-motivated, enthusiastic, forward thinking, agile, and customer service driven employee to join our high performing team.

If you are a natural leader who leads by example, is detail oriented, can work both collaboratively and independently, enjoys finding solutions to procurement challenges, and does all this with a positive attitude, this job is for you!

The ideal candidate has a sense of humor, gets along well with others, can lead team discussions, performs their work proactively, makes sound decisions, takes actions to resolve issues, knows when to escalate an issue, is organized and able to stay on schedule, values personal responsibility, and is able to hold the team accountable.

Candidates with backgrounds that demonstrate contract administration, contract compliance, or complex project delivery are encouraged to apply.

Scope of Job Duties:

Lead procurement staff for architecture, engineering, and professional services which include:

• Assigning and overseeing workload
• Resolving contract and procurement issues
• Identifying and removing roadblocks for the team
• Acting as point of contact for agency collaboration on contracting needs
• Providing training for staff and customers
• Leading process improvement projects
• Coaching, mentoring, and leading staff to high levels of professional development and productivity
• Research, prepare, and issue solicitation and contract documents in accordance with County policies and procedures.
• Determine applicability of federal and state requirements including but not limited to Federal Transportation Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and State Revolving Funds.
• Suggest alternative contracting methods such as general contractor construction manager, design-build, and job order contracting in compliance with state laws.
• Develop, review, and edit boilerplate documents such as RFPs, contracts, templates, guidelines, exhibits, forms, and manuals; and research cited references to RCW, WAC, or CFR to ensure references are current.
• Provide strategic advice, innovative solutions, technical expertise, and direction to ensure compliance with applicable policies, rules, and regulations.
• Support procurement’s position with knowledge of best practices, policies, executive orders, King County code, statutes, regulations, ordinances, and contract terms and conditions.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience planning, advertising, evaluating, and negotiating procurements and/or executing contracts for architecture and engineering services
• Strong problem-solving, analytical, and investigative research skills.
• Experience improving operations, decreasing cycle time, streamlining work processes, and providing quality customer service.
• Experience managing different opinions, facilitating discussion, resolving conflicts, and finding resolutions.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, writing and customer service skills
• Intermediate level of technology proficiency using MS Office Productivity tools in your daily work
• Ability to manage your time and adapt to changing priorities, work on multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, meet quick deadlines, and produce timely and quality work products.
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

We would love it if you have:

• Associate DBIA or DBIA certification from the Design Build Institute of America;
• Knowledge of industry principles and practices for construction and/or alternative public works procurements and/or contracts;
• Experience with LEAN processes and principles;
• Experience with SharePoint, MS Teams, and other collaborative online tools.

The Procurement & Payables Section is part of the larger Finance and Business Operations Division portfolio of countywide services. FBOD’s vision “Count on Us” reflects the division’s deep-seated commitment to customer success, equity, employee engagement, resource stewardship, and operational excellence. If these values align with your own, please apply and join FBOD for a rewarding career!

Position Information:

Work Site Details: 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 and is subject to change.

The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104. Please reach out for additional details at the contact below.

Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Work Schedule: This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and therefore is NOT overtime eligible. Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule, every other Thursday, comprising a 40-hour workweek; normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Union Representation: This position is Teamsters 117 represented.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work in our department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a county-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work. Employees will need to be available and responsive during scheduled work hours and follow FBOD’s hybrid/remote guidelines that include on-camera participation during virtual video meetings.

The Application/Selection Process: The recruitment for this position is open to all qualified candidates. A completed King County Application is required. Applicants from this recruitment may be used to fill future opportunities in this job classification including Term-Limited Temporary, Special Duty Assignment, Short-Term-Temporary and Career Service vacancies. We highly recommend that you provide a resume. A cover letter addressing how you meet the minimum qualifications and why you are interested in this position is encouraged as well.

The selection process consists of different phases: screening interview, virtual interview, and if successful, pre-hire reference checking.

For some positions, additional phases may also include skill testing, writing samples or additional interviews.

Candidates will be updated on the status of their application via the email address used to apply.

Each phase is set for a specific day. Different times will be available for those days only. Please reach out to the contact below to confirm dates. Rescheduling interviews may not be possible and may remove you from consideration if unavailable.

Note: Online applications are preferred. However, if you cannot apply online, go to www.kingcounty.gov/jobs for other options.

If you have any questions or concerns while applying, please contact: Michael Castro, Recruiter Email: mcastro@kingcounty.gov

Additional Information

Forbes 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" values, 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.

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.