CHIEF OF CONTRACTS - 60009332

Requisition No: 832503 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: CHIEF OF CONTRACTS - 60009332

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 60009332 

Salary:  75,000 - 89,500 

Posting Closing Date: 07/14/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Chief of Contracted Services

Department of Children and Families

Tallahassee, Florida

Open Competitive

THIS IS NOT A TELEWORK POSITION. CANDIDATE WILL BE REQUIRED TO WORK IN THE TALLAHASSEE OFFICE.

Location: Centre of Tallahassee Building, 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 400 Tallahassee, FL 32303.

Regular business hours of operation are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST, Monday - Friday.

Some travel will be required.

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

Job Description:

This is a highly responsible management position located within the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in the Office of Child and Family Well-Being. This position is responsible for the coordination, management, and development of the Contracts Unit responsible for managing Family-Safety contracts across the state of Florida. This position manages supervisors who oversee teams of contract managers, grant managers, and procurement officers. This position requires extensive leadership experience and knowledge of contract management, procurement, state grants, and federal grants. Travel will be required in this position.

This position will build collaborative and meaningful partnerships that lead to successful outcomes for clients, providers, and vendors; will maintain awareness and involvement in changes affecting service programs as they relate to contracts, grant agreements, and interagency agreements; will maintain oversight of contract activities; will ensure the Contracts Unit is using a prevention lens; will drive change through creating advanced accountability procedures; will ensure procurements are completed timely; and will represent the Department and the Office of Child and Family Well-Being at meetings and conferences, as requested. 

This position requires a focus on driving accountability, increasing centralization, and closing gaps from decentralization.

Duties will include the following:

• Managing and directing a Contracts Unit in the Office of Child and Family Well-Being, including managing the workflow of professional and support staff.
• Providing leadership in directing contract management service delivery.
• Developing and implementing technical assistance to be delivered to Department staff regarding contract management, procurement, accountability, and process improvement.
• Providing guidance to the Contracts Unit on goals and objectives relating to contract, procurement, and grant activities.
• Acting as the primary contact between the Contracts Unit, senior leadership, and other Department areas.
• Working collaboratively with program areas to ensure a seamless coordination of all contract-related issues.
• Collaborating with program leadership, administrative divisions, and regional staff to plan, develop, and implement a system for monitoring and tracking contract activity, accountability, and return on investment.
• Compiling and analyzing contract data, determining effectiveness, and approving appropriate actions regarding contract amendments, extensions, renewals, etc.
• Reviewing and approving Corrective Action Plans, as necessary.
• Reviewing and approving procurement documents.
• Reviewing reports and policy recommendations related to contracts and making appropriate recommendations to leadership for decision-making and planning.
• Providing recommendations for improving processes to ensure the highest standards of timeliness, accuracy, and quality.
• Ensuring team members are developed and trained to assume more complex contract activities, including mentoring team members, to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Developing, implementing, and maintaining a formal process for invoice receipt, review, approval/disapproval, and processing.
• Seeking methods to provide the most cost-efficient services possible and to improve contract management capabilities and operational procedures in accordance with state and federal requirements, department policy, and region-specific policy. 
• Interpreting applicable laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures and recommending relevant new and revised policies.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and abilities:

• Knowledge of Chapters 39 and 287 Florida Statutes, Chapter 60A-1, Florida Administrative Code and all Department handbooks, manuals, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to communicate effectively;  establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies and procedures;  professionally interact with both internal and external customers in a tactful, courteous and effective manner; record, collect, evaluate and analyze data;  work independently by planning, organizing and coordinating work assignments;  communicate effectively orally and in writing; utilize problem-solving techniques.
• Ability to provide effective senior leadership briefings to facilitate decision-making.
• Strong decision-making skills.
• Strong leadership skills.

Minimum Requirements: To be considered for this position, responses to the qualifying questions are required and must be verifiable based on your submitted application.

• Florida Certified Contract Manager (FCCM) certificate.
• At least three (3) years of state government contract and/or procurement experience.
• At least three (3) years in an official professional supervisory role.
• A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of professional experience.  Professional or nonprofessional experience can substitute on a year-for-year basis for the required college education. 
• This position will require travel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Preference will be given to applicants who are a Florida Certified Contract Negotiator (FCCN).
• Preference will be given to applicants who have at least five (5) years of state government contract and/or procurement experience.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have at least five (5) years in an official professional supervisory role.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have documented experience developing and implementing new processes.
• Preference will be given to applicants who are familiar with Florida’s Child Welfare System.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have experience supervising managers.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits. For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

To better understand the value of the benefits package offered, please visit our Total Compensation Estimator at: State of Florida Total Compensation Estimator (myflorida.com)

 Growth Opportunities:

With 12,000 employees across the state DCF promotes opportunities and training for all.  Our jobs are among the most challenging, complex, and difficult in State government. They are also among the most rewarding. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of available Department opportunities for advancement and professional development.

Where you will work:

Florida is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.  In other words, no matter where you land in Florida, you’re never more than 60 miles from a body of saltwater.  And if the beach isn’t your scene, there are 175 state parks to explore!  Meanwhile, Floridians hail from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and walks of life, making it an incredibly diverse melting pot that many residents and visitors to Florida love.  The Sunshine State is a great place to live and work – Come join our team!

About Department of Children and Families:

Mission:  The mission of the Department of Children and Families is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.

Vision:  We are a highly skilled workforce committed to empowering people with complex and varied needs to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and their families. In collaboration with community stakeholders, we will deliver world class and continuously improving service focused on providing the people we serve with the level and quality that we would demand and expect for our own families.

Values:  A workforce that operates with integrity maintains loyalty to a code of ethics that requires the courage to take responsibility for providing the highest quality of service to the vulnerable. We are a solutions-focused learning organization built on a foundation of transparency in action and accountability of results. Both within the organization and among our stakeholders, we thrive in a culture of respect for diversity of opinion that is nurtured through open communication. High performing and committed, we are unified in our goal of excellence in achieving quality outcomes for those we serve. 

To learn more please visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/.

• If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.
• The position will perform all job tasks in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and requirements applicable to state and federal laws or procedures.

We hire only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers.

Participation in the State of Florida Direct Deposit Program is required as a condition of employment per F.S. 110.113, and enrollment must be completed within the first 30 calendar days of your appointment.

SELECTIVE SERVICE:  Male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion into an authorized position unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS) before their 26th birthday or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS.  Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire.  For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov.

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT: It is the policy of the Florida Department of Children and Families that any applicant being considered for employment must successfully complete a State and National criminal history check as a condition of employment before beginning employment, and also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and, if applicable, Chapter 408, F.S. 

No applicant may begin employment until the background screening results are received, reviewed for any disqualifying offenses, and approved by the Agency.  Background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for State and Federal criminal records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and may include local criminal history checks through local law enforcement agencies.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.