Procurement Specialist

Job Title

The Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) provides retirement, insurance, and related benefits to Texas public employees, retirees, and their families.

The Office of Procurement and Contract Oversight (OPCO) drives consistency, transparency, and accountability across all agency purchasing and contracting. In addition to managing procurements and the oversight of agency contracts, OPCO handles purchasing operations, including issuing purchase orders for the entire agency. The team works closely with Business Divisions to guide every stage of the process from early planning and solicitation development to contract execution, oversight, and final closeout. OPCO leads procurement activities, advises on requirements, and monitors contract performance to ensure the agency secures the best value while maintaining fairness and full compliance with state laws.

ERS offers a comprehensive benefits package valued at more than $1,690 per month, including:

• Defined benefit retirement plan
• Optional 401(k) and 457 savings plans
• Medical insurance
• Optional dental, vision, and life insurance
• 8 hours of sick leave per month
• 8 hours of vacation leave per month, with increases based on service
• Additional paid time off opportunities
• Employee assistance program (EAP)

ERS is not looking for a procurement expert or expecting any relevant procurement experience. A candidate will thrive in this role if they possess the following skills:

• Curiosity and a desire to learn and excel in a new area
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Strong written communication skills, including grammar and proofreading
• Excellent verbal communication and interpersonal skills
• Professionalism and a customer-service mindset
• A willingness and ability to learn new concepts and processes
• Strong organizational and critical-thinking skills
• Initiative, accountability, and pride in producing high-quality work
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines

The Procurement team manages the agency's formal purchasing process for goods and services over $25,000, ensuring every procurement follows state laws, regulations, and internal policies. The team leads planning efforts, develops solicitation documents, coordinates stakeholder input, manage publication requirements, manages vendor communication, and guides evaluation teams through reviewing proposals and selecting the best-value vendor. By partnering closely with business divisions, the team ensures a fair, transparent, and well-documented process that delivers high-quality goods and services to the agency.

Essential responsibilities include, but are not limited to for a Contract Specialist II:

• Oversee, develop, review, and publish solicitation documents, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and alignment with best-practice procurement standards.
• Coordinate cross-agency content development by engaging stakeholders, gathering feedback, and updating materials throughout the solicitation lifecycle.
• Plan and manage project timelines, milestones, and deliverables to ensure solicitations progress efficiently and align with strategic objectives.
• Identify project risks and implement mitigation strategies to maintain schedule integrity and successful outcomes.
• Coordinate and oversee kickoff meetings, evaluators, and other agency-wide activities supporting solicitation development and execution.
• Manage solicitation projects within Euna Procurement, ensuring accurate setup, tracking, and documentation for procurement staff, evaluators, and vendors.
• Review, prepare, and coordinate all required publication notices, including ESBD, CAT, LBB, and other mandated submissions.
• Coordinate the vendor clarification process and support evaluation teams in reviewing, scoring, and validating vendor responses.
• Assists with developing and maintain evaluation tools, including scoring matrices, clarification requests, meeting coordination, and reference checks.
• Assists with preparing accurate evaluation summaries and ensures all documentation meets legal, regulatory, and procedural requirements.
• Support contract award recommendations by preparing executive-level materials such as briefing documents, agenda items, and presentation content.
• Assist with contract finalization in collaboration with the Office of the General Counsel, including appendices, exhibits, and other required documents.
• Coordinate post-award communications, vendor notifications, conference calls, and activities related to bid protests.
• Facilitate lessons-learned sessions to identify process improvements and promote continuous enhancement of procurement

Contract Specialist III performs the essential functions as a Contract Specialist II in addition to:

• Performs administrative and technical support work with regard to development activities (research, content, scheduling, and project planning), publication activities, evaluation activities, bid recommendation activities, and contract/post-award activities for moderate to high-risk solicitations.
• Finalizes and reviews evaluation summaries, as necessary.

Other duties and responsibilities:

• Escalates critical issues for timely resolutions; negotiates time and resource commitments for project teams.
• May develop and assist in the preparation of administrative reports, studies, PowerPoint presentations, and specialized research projects.
• May assist with updates and maintenance of program policies and procedures.
• May serve as an administrative resource for the Division.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave and attendance policies.
• Complies with all applicable agency policies and procedures, including safety and standards of conduct.

Required minimum qualifications:

1. To qualify as a Contract Specialist II: Graduation from an accredited senior high school or equivalent and 60 semester hours of college credit. Qualifying experience beyond the minimum required may substitute for education. To qualify as a Contract Specialist III: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university. Qualifying experience beyond the minimum required may substitute for education.
2. Two (2) to three (3) years (depending on classification level) of advanced writing experience. Education may substitute for up to two years of the writing experience requirement.

Preferred qualifications:

1. Professional work experience as an auditor, paralegal, technical writer, or other similar roles.
2. Experience with SharePoint.
3. Experience with Adobe.

Additional information:

• CTCD certification. Individuals who do not have this certification must obtain it within six (6) months of hire date. Must maintain valid certification for continued employment in position.
• CTCM certification. Individuals who do not have this certification must obtain it within nine (9) months of hire date. Must maintain valid certification for continued employment in position.