Position Summary: The Executive Director, Operations Procurement Strategy will, with creativity, innovation, and a focus on maximizing outcomes for students and schools, develop and lead the comprehensive procurement strategy for this portfolio. The Executive Director will have a deep understanding of their respective client offices’ and schools’ entire portfolio and needs. They will proactively work together with their clients to review all contracts for goods and services periodically to advise on opportunities to rebid or resolicit contracts to obtain the best value for the New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) and to maximize awards and subcontracting to Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs).
The Executive Director will work closely with the Deputy Chief Procurement Officers (DCPOs) of Operations Procurement Strategy to ensure their portfolio’s strategy and implementation align with the overall strategic vision of the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), the Chief Operating Officer/ Deputy Chancellor of Operations + Finance, the Citywide Business Diversity Officer (CBDO), and the Mayor.
The incumbent will collect and utilize data to drive decision-making and accountability for their team. They will also use data to guide client offices and schools in best procurement practices to maximize outcomes.
The Executive Director will lead a team of about 15-20 staff of procurement analysts and coordinators, directors, and project managers, as well as a Deputy Executive Director.
This is a large-scale procurement operation involving the acquisition of goods and services that enable children to learn and schools to function, and that constitutes over 300 contracts annually in the amount of $2 Billion. Performs related work.
Reports to: Deputy Chief Procurement Officer, Procurement Strategy & Policy
Direct Reports: Deputy Executive Director of Technology Procurement and Deputy Executive Director of Transportation, Food, and Facilities Procurement.
Key Relationships: All levels of DCP staff, including the Chief and Deputy Chief Procurement Officers; NYCPS Office of General Counsel, Office of Supplier Diversity; New York City Comptroller’s Office, New York City Law Department, New York City Office of Management and Budget, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, New York State Office of General Services (OGS), various NYCPS Central Offices, Superintendents' Offices, Division of School Leadership, NYCPS/Non-Public Schools, vendors, and others as assigned.
Responsibilities
- Drives excellence in procurement service to students and schools by thoughtfully and strategically managing the Operations procurement portfolio, including technology, school operations, and administrative operations to maximize outcomes.
- Leads as steward over the portfolio, working closely with and anticipating the needs of their client offices and schools. Client offices include Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT), Office of Pupil Transportation (OPT), Office of Space Management (OSM), Division of School Facilities (DSF), Office of Emergency Planning & Response (EPR), Office of Food & Nutrition Services (OFNS), Division of Human Resources (DHR), Division of Finance, and Office of General Counsel (OGC), including suboffices like Office of Auditor General (OAG) and Impartial Hearing Office (IHO).
- Liaises with leadership at DIIT and the Office of Technology & Innovation (OTI) on technology procurements, technology strategy, and initiatives.
- Works closely with the Chief and Deputy Chief of School Operations to create and drive a procurement vision for school operations offices.
- Proactively stays abreast of all developments in procurement strategy and policy for the operational areas listed above for city agencies and nationwide and makes recommendations to the DCPOs and CPO regarding potential changes for improved procurement outcomes.
- Maintains a deep understanding of their client offices’ and schools’ procurement portfolios and their needs from their vendors to successfully implement initiatives and required work.
- Proactively reviews active contracts to determine recommendations for rebids or new procurements, limiting unnecessary renewals and extensions in order to maximize M/WBE participation and obtain the best discounts and value for NYCPS.
- Works with the procurement team, data & systems team, and program office leadership, specifically for DSF, OPT, and OFNS, to review legacy / decades-long contracts and find creative solutions to introduce diversity of vendors into the industries.
- Leverages data and reports to drive outcomes – both for the portfolio’s procurement strategic vision as well as accountability for team members.
- Leads, guides, and supports team members to provide best-in-class customer service to client offices and schools, intervening and providing professional development where warranted and/or requested.
- Intervenes if additional support or relationship-building is required to maintain a healthy relationship with a client.
- Provides procurement training to program offices, Superintendents’ offices, school principals, assistant principals, school business managers, purchasing secretaries, custodians, and directors and deputy directors of facilities.
- Develops and presents recommendations to senior leadership on reducing cycle time and developing and implementing best practices and process improvements.
- Oversees and drives strategy for large-scale procurements involving the acquisition of goods and services, which constitutes over 300 contracts annually.
- Enforces and monitors Agency compliance with New York State General Municipal Laws, Chancellor’s Regulations, Mayoral policies and procedures, and procurement-related laws, rules and regulations.
- Establishes procedures for administration of contract and procurement activities, such as solicitation, awarding and processing of bids and contracts, and effecting contract changes and modifications and ensures compliance from team members.
- Explores opportunities to leverage existing contracts procured by other municipalities, at the Federal, State, or Local level.
- Works collaboratively with other City agencies, including but not limited to the DCAS and NYS OGS to identify contracting opportunities that help to achieve cost savings and logistical efficiencies.
- Obtains corrective action where the contractor has failed to provide contracted goods or services or is deficient in honoring terms of contractual agreement.
- Oversees the coordination, planning and implementation of contract and procurement activities from pre-solicitation to award and registration, including drafting and/or reviewing Request for Bids, Request for Proposal, and other sourcing methods, conducting responsibility/responsiveness determinations, performance evaluations, and managing other procurement-related documents.
- Manages procurement staff as they engage in activities involving major procurement and contracting functions, specifications for services, and negotiations of prices, terms and conditions with vendors, contractors, and suppliers.
- Advises staff on procurement matters, local laws, City administrative requirements, and Comptroller’s Office policies and procedures regarding purchasing/contracting operations; disseminates alerts and updates as to developments in procurement-related law; recommends and oversees training for procurement staff and develops training guides.
- Implements best practices for increasing contracting opportunities for M/WBE.
- Proactively reviews contract statuses and identifies opportunities for competitive solicitations and opportunities to leverage M/WBE as either prime or subcontractors.
- Ensures monitoring, tracking, and reporting as well as preparation of briefings for senior leadership.
- Serves as a subject matter expert regarding contract management training.
- Ensures that timelines are met for deliverables.
Qualifications Requirements:
Minimum
- A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of full-time satisfactory professional experience in purchasing, procurement, contract administration or a related field, at least eighteen months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity or supervising professional personnel performing duties in one or more of the above fields; or
- A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have the eighteen months of administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory experience described in "1" above.
Note:
Possession of an acceptable professional procurement certification may be substituted for up to one year of the experience described in "1" above. However, all candidates must have the eighteen months of administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory experience described in "1" above.
Preferred
- Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) lifetime certification.
- NIGP - Certified Public Purchasing Buyer (CPPB) certification.
- Negotiation skills.
- Ability to analyze a problem or situation and quickly capture the important elements.
- Excellent writing skills.
- Ability to read and interpret laws, rules and policies.
- Ability to meet deadlines consistently.
- Attentive to detail, extremely well organized, and able to work under pressure.
- Strong interpersonal and customer-interface skills.
- Experience supervising staff.
- Experience working in a team environment and adhering to deadlines; the ability to multitask.
- Superior organizational, analytical, verbal and mathematical skills and the ability to work in a proactive, independent manner.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word and Excel.
Salary: $175,000 – $185,000
(Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not earn less than their current salary.)
Please include a resume and cover letter with your application.
NOTE: The filling of all positions is subject to budget availability and/or grant funding.
* New York City Residency is NOT Required *
We encourage all applicants from the New York City tri-state area to apply. |
