Salary : $118,206.40 - $149,822.40 Annually
Location : King Street Center - 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service (Exec)
Job Number: 2026-MC27618
Department: DES - Executive Services
Division: FBOD-Finance & Business Ops
Opening Date: 09/24/2026
Closing Date: 10/11/2026 12:00 AM Pacific
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: F3A : L117-P&T
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time
Hours/Week: 40 hours/week
SummaryNOTE: The application period has now closed. Only Priority Placement Program participant applications will be added to the candidate pool.
King County's Finance and Business Operations Division, Procurement & Payables section, is seeking a Sourcing / Procurement / Purchasing Lead (Contract Specialist III) on the Goods & Services team!
We are looking for a Contract Specialist Lead who exhibits a strong sense of team-oriented camaraderie and who understands and wholly embraces the value and importance of providing outstanding customer service to both internal and external customers.
We need an employee who brings creative ideas and suggestions to the workplace and who can lead and implement projects for process improvement.
Scope of Job Duties- Lead staff on the Goods & Services team, including:
- Distributing and overseeing workload
- Resolving contract and procurement issues
- Reviewing and approving solicitations and contracts
- Leading business process improvement projects
- Training, coaching, mentoring and leading staff to high levels of professionalism, productivity, and performance
- Participating in staff performance evaluations
- Work with King County agency staff, and interact closely with suppliers and contractors to ensure that County business is conducted openly, inclusively, and provides the best value
- Develop alternative contracting methods and appropriate procurement and contract documents
- Exercise independent judgment and initiative when working on issues that require interpretation of complex laws and regulations or where established guidelines or procedures may not exist
- Determine bidding requirements, selection criteria and general terms and conditions
- Develop scope of work and specifications with King County agency clients
- Facilitate evaluation meetings, interviews, proprietary meetings, and debriefs with suppliers, contractors and County staff
- Facilitate complex contract negotiations
- Prepare contract terms and conditions for execution
- Support spend analysis and benchmarking for best practices at the category level
- Support proactive procurement forecasting in conjunction with King County agencies
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, contract terms, policies, and procedures
- Have critical thinking skills and bring techniques to reduce waste and increase efficiency
Minimum Qualifications- Advanced understanding of contract law, regulations, procurement methods, industry principles and best practices
- Experience in leading teams in a culture of continuous business process improvement, including monitoring daily work production, resolving difficult and unusual situations, mentoring, coaching and training
- Experience conducting procurement processes including the preparation of complex Requests for Proposals and Invitations to Bid; and reviewing and approving evaluation scorecards, bid tabulations and vendor selection
- Experience leading staff in sourcing contracts across a wide range of commodities, and thorough knowledge of using and establishing cooperative contracts
- Experience reducing cycle times while maintaining a high level of customer service and compliance with policies and procedures
- Strong communication, interpersonal, writing and customer service skills
- Intermediate level of technology proficiency using MS Office Productivity tools in your daily work
- Ability to manage your time and adapt to changing priorities, work on multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, meet quick deadlines, and produce timely and quality work products
- Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds
Preferred Qualifications - Oracle EBS and/or Oracle Procurement Cloud or related experience utilizing procurement technology
- Procurement Certification(s) such as CPPB (Certified Professional Public Buyer), CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management) and/or CPSD (Certified Professional in Supplier Diversity)
- Experience with LEAN processes and principles
- Experience with SharePoint, MS Teams and other collaborative online tools
Position Information:- Work Site Details: The team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104. Please reach out for additional details at the contact below.
- Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
- Work Schedule: This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and therefore is NOT overtime eligible. Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule, every other Thursday, comprising a 40-hour workweek; normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
- Union Representation: This position is Teamsters 117 represented.
King County has a robust collection of to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work in our department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a county-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work. Employees will need to be available and responsive during scheduled work hours and follow FBOD's hybrid/remote guidelines that include on-camera participation during virtual video meetings.
The Application/Selection Process: The recruitment for this position is open to all qualified candidates. A completed King County Application is required. Applicants from this recruitment may be used to fill future opportunities in this job classification including Term-Limited Temporary, Special Duty Assignment, Short-Term-Temporary and Career Service vacancies.
We highly recommend that you provide a resume. A cover letter addressing how you meet the minimum qualifications and why you are interested in this position is encouraged as well.
The selection process consists of different phases: screening interview, virtual interview, and if successful, pre-hire reference checking. For some positions, additional phases may also include skill testing, writing samples or additional interviews. Candidates will be updated on the status of their application via the email address used to apply.
Each phase is set for a specific day. Different times will be available for those days only. Please reach out to the contact below to confirm dates. Rescheduling interviews may not be possible and may remove you from consideration if unavailable.
Note: Online applications are preferred. However, if you cannot apply online, go to www.kingcounty.gov/jobs for other options.If you have any questions or concerns while applying, please contact:
Michael Castro, Recruiter Email: mcastro@kingcounty.gov
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what's best for themselves and their eligible dependents
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite activity centers
- Employee Giving Program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
For additional information about employee benefits, visit our
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
01
Are you applying to this position as an eligible current or previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant? ANDIs this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff? ANDDo you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
- Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my Career Service role at King County and I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. Additionally, the position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
- No.
02
If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided:1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice2. The department you worked in3. The effective date of your layoff
03
I understand that the work associated with this position will be hybrid with 2 days in office per week (minimum).If relocating for this position, relocation assistance is not provided.In office requirements may change as required by King County business needs and for meetings/events. Type, "Understood" to confirm.
04
Without the use of AI, please describe your procurement experience that relates to being a lead or having direct reports. How many reported into you and what was your leadership style? Also include contract law, regulations, procur
