Contracts Specialist 1
About the University
Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report. Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.
About the Department
The Business Services Department supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
About the Position
The Contracts Specialist 1 performs a key role in Contract Administration by ensuring contracts are processed in accordance with University policies and state/federal regulations. With a focus on personal services, this position prepares contracts, interagency agreements, internship agreements, and memoranda of understanding to provide or obtain goods or services. They provide technical contract support activities such as contract cost/price analysis, contract compliance administration or contract property administration. This position provides guidance to the University on the appropriate course of action for procurement/contracting methodology.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in business related field or equivalent experience with public sector contracting.
- One year of experience in/or supporting contract negotiations, contract administration, and/or terminating contracts.
- Strong written and interpersonal skills; ability to provide process training to diverse stakeholders.
- Ability to work well in a diverse, high production environment.
- Demonstrated experience with the Microsoft Office Suite.
Preferred Qualifications
- Two years of experience with procurement/contract management in higher education.
- Knowledge of state procurement statutes and administrative code, government contracting and procurement techniques, regulations, policies and procedures for contract preparation and agreements, business and professional services, practices and trends, sources of supply and budgets, and contract terminology and development.
- Proficient with database applications.