Contract Management Specialist 1, or Trainee 1 / Trainee 2

About the role

The Office of Financial Administration is responsible for overall agency fiscal management and administering the procurement process. As the Department carries out key initiatives to transform the way services are delivered to partner agencies and to the public, this position will play an important role in ensuring the success of these modernization efforts.

Responsibilities

• Assist with all aspects of the contractual process, including requests for proposals, invitation for bids, request for quotes, single and sole source procurements, and contract assignments.
• Assist with contract development from the solicitation through evaluations, pre-awards, the drafting of resultant contracts, and the monitoring and enforcing of contractual terms.
• Coordinate all procurement activities within the Department, including working with Program staff in understanding and documenting requirements for assigned procurements and consulting with Counsel’s Office on draft solicitations and contracts.
• Work with staff in the Office of the Attorney General to secure contract approval and the Office of State Comptroller for CRER’s and contract approvals.
• Create and review procurement materials and other related proposal documents, identify areas of concern, communicate concerns and recommendations to agency staff.
• Coordinate vendor management, such as participating in contract renewal and vendor meetings pertaining to current or prospective procurements.
• Provide guidance to agency staff on the evaluation and selection process for various procurement methodologies.

Requirements

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status without having to compete in an examination.

Non-competitive Minimum Qualifications (NY HELPS):

• Contract Management Specialist Trainee 1: Four years of experience managing contracts and related budgets including one or more of the following areas: negotiation with contractors and vendors; fiscal management, including bidding, payment, analysis, and fiscal reporting; contract development, including developing requests for proposals; contract execution, including securing signatory approval from control agencies; monitoring and review of contract terms.
• Contract Management Specialist Trainee 1 Substitution: Associate degree may substitute for two years of specialized experience; bachelor's degree may substitute for four years of specialized experience.
• Contract Management Specialist Trainee 2: Five years of experience managing contracts and related budgets including one or more of the following areas: negotiation with contractors and vendors; fiscal management, including bidding, payment, analysis, and fiscal reporting; contract development, including developing requests for proposals; contract execution, including securing signatory approval from control agencies; monitoring and review of contract terms.
• Contract Management Specialist Trainee 2 Substitution: Associate degree may substitute for two years of specialized experience; bachelor's degree may substitute for four years of specialized experience; master's degree may substitute for five years of specialized experience.
• Contract Management Specialist 1: Six years of experience managing contracts and related budgets including one or more of the following areas: negotiation with contractors and vendors; fiscal management, including bidding, payment, analysis, and fiscal reporting; contract development, including developing requests for proposals; contract execution, including securing signatory approval from control agencies; monitoring and review of contract terms.
• Contract Management Specialist 1 Substitution: Associate degree may substitute for two years of specialized experience; bachelor's degree may substitute for four years of specialized experience; master's degree may substitute for five years of specialized experience; J.D. may substitute for six years of specialized experience.

Reassignment Qualifications:

Current Department of Civil Service employees with one year of permanent, contingent permanent, or 55 B/C service as a Contract Management Specialist 1, or Trainee 1 / Trainee 2. If less than one year, you must be currently reachable on the Public Administration Traineeship Transition Program (PATT) or Professional Career Opportunities (PCO) eligible lists for the Albany location.

Competitive Qualifications:

You must be reachable on the current eligible list or eligible for transfer.

Transfer Qualifications:

• 70.1 Transfer Qualifications: One year of permanent, contingent permanent, or 55 B/C service in a title eligible for transfer and determined to be similar by Civil Service.
• 52.6 Transfer Qualifications: One year of permanent, contingent permanent, or 55 B/C service in a title eligible for transfer and determined to be similar by Civil Service.

For transfers, a list of approved titles is available through Civil Service GOT-IT at https://careermobilityoffice.cs.ny.gov/cmo/gotit/.

Subsequent 55b/C Qualifications:

A subsequent 55 B/C appointment may be considered if you have one year of permanent, contingent-permanent, or 55 B/C service in an eligible position allocated to Grade 8. To be considered, you must provide a copy of your letter of eligibility with your response.

55 B/C Qualifications:

Individuals certified eligible for the 55 B/C program under the Governor's Program to Hire Persons/Veterans with Disabilities pursuant to Section 55 B/C of the Civil Service Law will also be considered. To be considered, you must provide a copy of your letter of eligibility with your response.

Open Competitive Minimum Qualifications:

• Contract Management Specialist Trainee 1: A bachelor's or higher degree.
• Contract Management Specialist Trainee 2: A bachelor’s or higher degree and one year of professional experience managing contracts and related budgets including one or more of the following areas: negotiation with contractors and vendors; fiscal management, including bidding, payment, analysis, and fiscal reporting; contract development, including developing requests for proposals; contract execution, including securing signatory approval from control agencies; monitoring and review of contract terms.
• Contract Management Specialist 1: A bachelor's or higher degree and two years of professional experience managing contracts and related budgets including one or more of the following areas: negotiation with contractors and vendors; fiscal management, including bidding, payment, analysis, and fiscal reporting; contract development, including developing requests for proposals; contract execution, including securing signatory approval from control agencies; monitoring and review of contract terms.

Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet at http://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of NYS procurement laws, rules, and regulations.
• Experience with developing Request for Proposals (RFPs) or Invitation for Bids (IFBs), contract development, bidding, and award processes.
• Familiarity with the Statewide Financial System (SFS).
• Strong analytical and writing skills for drafting, reviewing, and editing procurement documents.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams).
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills for interacting with vendors, agency staff, and control agencies.

It is essential that candidates clearly and concisely indicate exactly how they meet the above minimum qualifications in their resume. Failure to show how you meet the minimum qualifications may result in disqualification and removal from consideration.

Benefits

Employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package. The Department of Civil Service administers the New York State Health Insurance Program, one of the largest public employer health insurance programs in the nation, serving more than 1.2 million lives.

Additional Information

The Department of Civil Service is the central personnel agency for the Executive Branch of New York State government, serving approximately 150,000 employees. Our mission is to build tomorrow's workforce today by promoting a diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce.

Among its duties, the Department:

• Partners with State agencies to offer workforce recruitment and placement services, including developing minimum qualifications, classifying positions, developing civil service examinations, and administering performance assessment tests.
• Assists municipal agencies with civil service administration of more than 360,000 local government employees.
• Oversees the Governor's Program to Hire Individuals and Veterans with Disabilities to place individuals with disabilities in State jobs and the New New York Leaders Initiative Student Intern Program.

DCS employees may be approved for a maximum of 50% telecommuting, however, they are required to apply and obtain approval through management in accordance with DCS Telecommuting Program Guidelines.