Contract Specialist II

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City's square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for Contract Specialist II position.

An Overview
The City of Alexandria's Finance Department is looking for a sharp, collaborative and responsible Contract Specialist II to join our team. As a member of the Purchasing Division, the Contract Specialist II performs professional public procurement activities in a highly responsible environment, such as creating and maintaining solicitation, bid, and contract records as part of managing procurements through the City's request for proposal (RFP) and invitation to bid (ITB) processes, as well as administering purchase requisitions, change orders, and sole source justifications. A significant aspect of this work involves use of the City's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Munis.

What You Should Bring
The ideal candidate is a knowledgeable, detail-oriented, self-starting public procurement professional who is able to manage formal solicitations with both a high level of customer service and high level of attention to process. Additional knowledge, skills, and abilities include:

• Knowledge of public purchasing principles, methods, and procedures, including buying, inspection, storage, and shipping methods, and accounting practices as applied to procurement procedures;
• Knowledge of the laws, ordinances and other requirements governing the purchase of commodities and services, or the ability to readily acquire such knowledge;
• Knowledge of the various grades and qualities of a variety of materials, supplies, equipment, and services;
• Knowledge of different procurement methods (e.g. public / private partnerships, design-build processes, etc.) and the work of professional architecture and engineering firms;
• Skill with complex financial software systems (e.g. Munis, Oracle/PeopleSoft, etc.) as an end user;
• Ability to make impartial, objective, and well-supported decisions;
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing.

The Opportunity - Examples of Work

• Designs and formats formal solicitations (e.g. RFPs, ITBs, RFQs, etc.) and develops purchasing strategies to maximize responses;
• Creates and maintains bid records in the City's bids database, part of the City's ERP, Munis;
• Tabulates and analyzes bids and proposals, determines lowest responsible bidder, refers to clients for review and award of contract;
• Creates and maintains contract records in the City's contract database, part of the City's ERP, Munis;
• Collaborates with Budget Office staff on procurement matters related to the administration of the City's capital improvement program (CIP);
• Collaborates with Accounting staff on procurement matters related to invoices, receiving reports, and fixed asset creation;
• Provides department fiscal and subject matter staff with advice and guidance on acquisition planning and associated procurement issues;
• Troubleshoots issues with purchase order and purchase order change order records in the City's ERP, Munis;
• Performs other duties, as assigned.

About The Department
The City of Alexandria's Finance Department is a fast-paced, diverse, and customer service focused operation that serves both members of the public and the other departments of the City itself. The Finance Department has seven divisions and in fiscal year 2020 is operating with a total budget of $13.9 million and 108.75 FTE positions. The main responsibilities of the Finance divisions are as follows:

• The Revenue Division assesses personal property (car tax), meal sales, transient lodging and other taxes, and also issues business and professional licenses;
• The Treasury Division bills, collects, invests, and manages all City monies;
• The Real Estate Division appraises each parcel of real estate in the City, the value of which is used to bill for the real estate tax;
• The Purchasing Division is responsible for centralized City procurement;
• The Accounting Division maintains records on the financial operations of the City and prepares the City's monthly and annual financial reports;
• The Pension Division manages pension plans for City employees; and
• The Administration Division provides executive-level strategy and direction via the Director and Deputy Director and also administers the department's budget, human resources, and performance management. This division also provides risk management services for the City and manages the City's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, Munis.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

Bachelor's degree and two years of experience in procurement and contract management; or a combination of education, experience and training which are equivalent to the minimum requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or related field; Virginia Contracting Associate (VCA) or other similar certification; experience utilizing a complex financial software system (e.g. Munis, Oracle/PeopleSoft, etc.) as a highly skilled end user; experience drafting requests for proposal (RFPs), invitations to bid (ITBs), or other formal solicitation documents; experience interacting with external vendors in a professional capacity.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to drug testing, criminal background.