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The Senior Contracts Specialist (SCS) will identify contracting opportunities, conduct solicitations, and execute and manage the resulting contracts. The position serves as a purchasing authority for UW Bothell responsible for identifying emerging issues and trends in various commodity areas and assuring compliance with federal, state, and University requirements while meeting the business needs of customers and suppliers.
As the campus liaison for UW Bothell, the SCS will be a member of the university UW Procurement Services Contracting and Sourcing team with delegated authority to execute contracts, while collaborating closely with other campus and institutional stakeholders such as Internal Audit, Compliance and Risk, the Privacy Office, the Office of the Chief Information Security Officer, Accessibility, the Tax Office, and the Office of the Attorney General.
The SCS will provide campus-wide procurement guidance as well as work directly with campus units to provide oversight, information, and guidance, advise on risk management, and ensure fiscal compliance.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Execute Contracts:
• Conducts solicitations, reviews, and negotiates contracts in the best interest of the University, applying an understanding of the fundamentals of contract law, the elements of a contract, contracting authority and working with legal counsel. Identify, assess, and mitigate risks for the University.
Contract Management:
• Creates contract management plans. Serves as liaison with other buying staff, the customer, and the supplier to ensure a seamless procure-to-pay process. Regularly reviews contract spend analytics, contract life-cycle milestones and communicates with suppliers and customers. At contract end, reviews and implements extension or other options in the best interest of the UW. • Serves as campus point of contact for non-procurement contracts and memorandums of understanding supporting various new and ongoing projects in academic and administrative units. • Identifies individuals/units who need to be involved in contract development and ensures required review and approval signatures are obtained before the submittal of proposals or execution of contractual documents. • Authors and manages agreements using the Workday Strategic Sourcing application, in accordance with contract requirements and university policies and procedures; maintains all correspondence and contract documentation in an organized manner. • Researches and develops contract language and seeks guidance on complex terms and conditions; communicates issues to the Associate Director. • Consults with the Office of the Attorney General, Risk Services, the Tax Office, and other resources as appropriate.
Procurement Services:
• Establishes and updates campus policies and procedures for key procurement functions. • Provides guidance and training to units on changing financial and compliance policies. • Develops and reports financial performance metrics and creates custom reports as requested. • Partners with UW Bothell Information Technologies on technology-related procurement strategies and purchases, including the coordination and negotiation of Data Processing Agreements (DPA), accessibility, and security reviews; escalates risk concerns to the UW Bothell Chief Information Officer, UW Privacy Office, Office of CISO and other subject matter experts and stakeholders. • Leads the UW Bothell Supplier Diversity program in collaboration with UW Business Diversity and Equity and UW Procurement Services, focusing on the awareness and utilization of small, local, and diverse suppliers on campus while promoting avenues of opportunity to the external business community. • Leads the work of a Fiscal Specialist 2 and/or planned Program Operations Specialist (ES7), who reports to the Associate Director, with a dotted line reporting structure. The Program Operations Specialist (ES7) assists requestors with identifying the right purchasing method for goods and services and guides them through the purchasing process. • Submits contracts and other procurement documents for review and approval in accordance with the level of SCS’s delegated authority for contract execution. • Demonstrates proficient use of Ariba and Workday core procurement systems, other applications such as GHX and Workday Strategic Sourcing, Workday reports, and other spend analytics and planning tools and assists customers and suppliers to utilize systems efficiently. • Conducts ongoing research to maintain knowledge of emerging market trends and current technical expertise knowledge of commodities.
Strategic Planning:
• Assists Associate Director with developing short and long-term plans in support of FAS and institutional strategic goals, and integrates activities with strategic goals. • Guides and supports FAS and the overall campus through the UW Finance Transformation ERP transition. • Utilizes reporting tools to manipulate data for analysis. Identify gap opportunities for creating contracts that will increase the University’s contract-covered spending. • Provides spending reports to campus and institutional leadership as needed.
Vendor Management:
• Develops an interactive relationship and communicates with key suppliers. • Identifies metrics for evaluation and develops a scorecard or rating system. • Conducts ongoing business reviews with suppliers to identify emerging trends, key issues, and new opportunities to collaborate and improve business efficiency.
Risk Management:
• Collaborates with UW Bothell IT, UW partner offices (e.g. Privacy, CISO, Procurement), and local stakeholders on the following: • Assessing campus software purchases for security, privacy, and accessibility. • Identifying, escalating. and contextualizing institutional risks for various audiences. • Contract reviews, modifications, and UW riders.
Other Duties:
• Serves on campus-wide committees associated with financial and administrative issues, including the UW Bothell Administrator’s Council. • Develops, organizes, and conducts training programs and presentations on various topics related to this position’s area of expertise. • Participates in or leads special projects, both internal or cross-departmental continuous improvement projects utilizing LEAN methodology and tools. Contributes to all assigned project teams. • Performs other duties as required to meet the operational needs of Fiscal and Audit Services
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
•Bachelor's degree in Business or related field, and three years of progressively responsible experience in purchasing, contracting negotiation, and management or related field.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
•An equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills have been acquired may substitute for a degree. •A track record of successfully managing multiple procurement projects and delivering projects on schedule. •Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the delivery of impactful training and presentations. •Ability to lead meetings, give presentations, work with facts, and be able to tell a story with numbers. •Demonstrated success in collaborating with diverse internal and external constituencies, including students, staff, and faculty. •Ability to effectively handle conflict respectfully and positively. •Commitment to working within an organization framework of continuous process improvement.
DESIRED:
•Experience in public higher education, especially in a research or information technology setting. •Certified Professional in Supply Chain Manager (C.P.S.M.) or Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO) certifications. •Experience in developing and implementing new system applications.
WORKING CONDITIONS:
Work is performed in an office setting within a hybrid workplace model, which combines aspects of remote working and in-office working during regular business hours. Occasional evening work.
Application Process: The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.
Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest public institutions in the west coast and one of the preeminent research universities in the world. The University of Washington is a multi-campus university comprised of three different campuses: Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell. The Seattle campus is made up of sixteen schools and colleges that serve students ranging from an undergraduate level to a doctoral level. The university is home to world-class libraries, arts, music, drama, and sports, as well as the highest quality medical care in Washington State and a world-class academic medical center. The teaching and research of the University’s many professional schools provide undergraduate and graduate students the education necessary toward achieving an excellence that will serve the state, the region, and the nation. As part of a large and diverse community, the University of Washington serves more students than any other institution in the Northwest.
