Contracts Manager (Manager 2)

Contracts Manager (Manager 2)

Join us in shaping Seattle's streets! At the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), we don't just move people—we connect communities, build safer streets, and create a more sustainable city.

With a bold vision for the future, we're tackling big challenges: making travel safer, cutting carbon emissions, and ensuring reliable, affordable transportation for everyone—no matter who they are or where they live.

Seattle is growing fast, and we're growing with it. Thanks to a historic voter-approved $1.55 billion investment in transportation in 2024, we're building sidewalks, fixing bridges, and improving transit connections to keep our city moving.

We're a team of problem solvers, planners, engineers, communicators, and field crews—bringing purpose-driven work to life. Now, we need passionate, innovative talent like you. Let's build a Seattle that works for everyone—together!

SDOT has an opportunity for a detail-oriented, contract compliance-minded, collaborative people leader! As the Contracts Manager (Manager 2), you'll join and lead a great team of contracting professionals. This is a hands-on leadership role overseeing a high-volume contracting program and supervising a team of five staff members and two interns. You will guide complex consultant contracting and procurement work, support staff development, and help ensure work is completed accurately, on time, and in compliance with federal, state, and City requirements.

In this role, you will work across the City with department leaders, project managers, staff, consultants, and agency partners to resolve contracting and procurement issues. You will also help strengthen processes and partnerships that support more complex and federally funded consultant contracts.

SDOT's consultant contracting portfolio includes more than $170 million in active contracts, with the team supporting more than 400 consultant contract actions each year. This position reports to the Contracts and Procurement Manager but operates with a high degree of independence and plays a key role in advancing department goals, including diversity, race, and social justice. If you value public service, collaboration, and practical leadership, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Job Responsibilities

What you'll be doing in this role:

• Supervising the day-to-day work of five staff and two interns.
• Managing program workload, priorities, and assignments to meet deadlines and compliance standards.
• Coaching, training, and supporting staff growth, performance, and team development.
• Providing leadership and oversight for complex consultant contracting and procurement activities.
• Guiding work across the full contract lifecycle, from solicitation and drafting through execution, amendments, invoicing, and closeout.
• Promoting a culture of compliance through clear guidance, strong customer service, and continuous improvement.

• Advising project managers and senior leaders on contracting laws, regulations, and requirements.
• Providing contracting development support for high-profile, politically sensitive, and federally funded contract actions.
• Helping resolve complex procurement and contract issues across the department.
• Drafting and updating policies, procedures, checklists, workflows, and guidance documents.
• Developing contract terms and conditions that reflect changes in federal, state, and City requirements.
• Researching laws, regulations, and best practices and recommending process improvements.
• Communicating department-wide on contracting and procurement topics, including updates for senior leadership.
• Representing SDOT in trainings, public events, and conversations with consultants and federal agency staff.
• Overseeing requests for sole source, adverse effect, and emergency contracts.
• Serving as a backup to the Contracts and Procurement Manager.

• Partnering with Finance & Administrative Services and Citywide interdepartmental teams on major procurement policy work.
• Supporting improvements to the Citywide Contracting Management System, SharePoint resources, and other tools.
• Planning and prioritizing work across a large and complex portfolio.
• Developing workload tracking, reports, and data dashboards.
• Creating and updating work plans to keep milestones on track and to address barriers early.
• Supporting the resolution of complex project procurement issues through strong cross-team coordination.
• Supporting the City's Women and Minority-Owned Business Enterprise and federal Disadvantaged Business Enterprise programs.
• Assisting with reporting, budgeting, public disclosure, audit requests, and occasional purchasing processes.
• Helping advance department goals related to diversity and social justice.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, finance, accounting, business administration, economics, or another related field.

Experience:

• Five (5) years of professional experience in contract administration, financial analysis, project management, grant administration, inter-agency agreements, contract administration, or related work.
• Two (2) years of experience in a management or supervisory capacity.

OR: An equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform the position duties. Though not requirements, strong candidates will have some of the following experience or be able to describe comparable experience:

• Demonstrated record of exercising an extensive degree of independent judgment in assuring the integrity of procurement and contracting activities.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while leading, motivating, and supporting teams.
• Proven success with public sector consultant contracting, including regulatory agency policies and procedures.
• Experience with federal purchasing and public works contracting methods.
• Demonstrated capability to actively manage multiple processes at once in a fast-paced work environment, prioritizing based on ever-changing situations.
• Intermediate to advanced skills with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access), SharePoint, and Adobe Sign.
• Advanced degree in law, public administration, business administration, finance, or related field; certifications in the National Institute for Public Procurement (NIPG) or the National Contract Management Association (NCMA).
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to a broad audience, from Senior Management to Project Managers, with a broad range of experience regarding contracting policy and processes.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively in a wide range of work environments and personality types.
• Demonstrated self-starter with attention to detail and follow-through on work commitments.
• Ability to effectively work in a multi-cultural workplace with a diverse customer base.

Other Requirements:

Work Environment / Physical Demands:

• Work is typically performed in a hybrid work environment in which a minimum of three days of work is completed in a City office, and two days of work is completed remotely in a regular 40-hour work week.

Additional Information

Your application will not be reviewed if these items are missing or incomplete.

Hiring Process Applications are reviewed after the posting closes. Qualified candidates must submit the following to be considered:

1. Completed NEOGOV online application.
2. Supplemental questionnaire responses
3. Cover letter describing how your skills and experience align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications.
4. Current résumé indicating relevant experience and education.

Offers of employment are contingent on verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process, including a potential background check. Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The City's full salary range for this position is $56.57 - $84.88 hourly.

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact: Ryan Jones at View email address on click.appcast.io.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at:

This position is open to all candidates that meet