Senior Director of Procurement Strategy and Interagency Coordination, DECE - 27012

About the Role

The Senior Director of Procurement Strategy and Contract Management serves as the Division of Early Childhood Education (DECE)’s most senior leader for procurement strategy, contract lifecycle management, and vendor engagement. This role is responsible for setting the vision, policies, and long-term strategy for DECE procurements, ensuring that contracting processes are mission-aligned, compliant, transparent, and operationally effective.

The Senior Director oversees high-value, complex procurements that support early childhood education services citywide and ensures that procurement and contract management practices advance equity, fiscal stewardship, and program quality. The role works closely with executive leadership across NYC Public Schools (NYCPS) and DECE, including the Division of Contracts and Purchasing (DCP), the Office of General Counsel (OGC), Central Finance, and City oversight entities. The Senior Director provides enterprise-level guidance on procurement risk, regulatory compliance, funding structures, and vendor performance and leads a team responsible for procurement design, solicitation development, contract implementation, and ongoing contract oversight.

Reports to: Chief of Policy and Program Implementation

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Planning
  • Serve as DECE’s senior advisor on procurement strategy, contract management, and interagency coordination.
  • In partnership with the Senior Director of Policy and Program Implementation, design and implement a comprehensive, long-term procurement and contract strategy that supports DECE’s policy priorities, programmatic goals, and fiscal environment.
  • Lead multi-year procurement planning informed by enrollment trends, funding models, provider capacity, regulatory requirements, and operational needs.
  • Advise DECE and NYCPS leadership on procurement risks, contracting challenges, compliance considerations, and strategic opportunities.
  • Contribute to division-wide and agency-wide strategic planning initiatives related to system expansion, sustainability, and continuous improvement.
  • Champion procurement best practices that promote equity, transparency, accountability, and accessibility for community-based partners.
• Procurement & Contract Management
  • Provide executive oversight of the full procurement and contract lifecycle, including needs assessment and scope development, solicitation design, procurement project management, vendor evaluation, negotiations, contract award, launch, monitoring, renewal, and close-out.
  • Partner closely with DCP to ensure compliance with NYCPS Procurement Policy and Procedures, applicable city and state regulations, and all local, state, and federal requirements.
  • Oversee the management of high-value, complex, and multi-year contracts with community-based organizations and other service providers.
  • Establish and monitor timelines, milestones, and performance metrics to ensure procurements and contract implementations are completed accurately and on schedule.
  • Oversee forecasting and analysis of contracting and funding needs to proactively plan solicitations and mitigate implementation risks.
  • Ensure contract management practices support fiscal integrity, audit readiness, and effective service delivery.
• Interagency Coordination
  • Set the strategy for stakeholder engagement, communication, and support to ensure streamlined coordination across regulatory and other oversight agencies.
  • Serve as a lead interagency coordinator for procurement and strategic initiatives, aligning procurement strategies across federal, state, and local partner agencies.
  • Maintain high-level relationships with partners across City and State governments, as well as Mayoral offices.
  • Represent DECE in discussions with City, State, and Federal oversight agencies and external partners related to early childhood procurement and contracting.
  • Facilitate interagency working groups to resolve procurement challenges and drive consensus on strategic sourcing decisions.
  • Partner with legal, finance, program, and policy teams across agencies to ensure procurement actions support mission delivery and comply with regulatory requirements.
• Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Lead, manage, and develop a team responsible for procurement strategy, contract implementation, and interagency coordination.
  • Provide coaching, supervision, and performance management to foster staff growth, accountability, and excellence.
  • Promote collaboration and alignment across DECE finance, operations, program, and data teams to ensure procurement decisions support program quality, compliance, and operational effectiveness.
  • Oversee special initiatives and cross-functional projects that respond to evolving NYCPS and DECE priorities.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• A master’s degree from an accredited college or university in education, educational psychology, educational leadership, public administration, public policy, social work, or a closely related field, and two years of satisfactory, full-time progressively responsible professional experience in education administration (e.g., portfolio planning, educational grants/funding, student enrollment, assessment and accountability, youth development, special education, early childhood, program evaluation, policy research, college and career readiness, health and wellness, immunization, diagnostic and treatment services for parents and children, out-of-school programs, career and occupational education, curriculum development, evaluation and testing, educational planning, and educational statistics, or a related field). At least 18 months of this experience must have been in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative, or supervisory capacity in education administration.
• OR a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and four years of satisfactory, full-time progressively responsible professional experience in one or more of the areas described above, at least 18 months of which must have been in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative, or supervisory capacity.
• OR a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and six years of satisfactory, full-time professional experience in one or more of the areas described above, at least 18 months of which must have been in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative, or supervisory capacity.
• OR education and/or experience equivalent to the above. Undergraduate education above the high school level may be substituted for professional experience at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college or university for each year of experience, up to a maximum of 4 years. Graduate education in areas other than those mentioned above may be substituted for the professional experience at the rate of 15 graduate semester credits from an accredited college or university for 6 months of experience, up to a maximum of 1 year of professional experience. However, all candidates must have a high school diploma or its educational equivalent and 18 months of experience in an executive, managerial, consultative, administrative, or supervisory capacity in education administration.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive experience with public sector procurement processes, including NYC or NYCPS procurement rules, PASSPort, and oversight requirements.
• Demonstrated expertise managing complex, high-value, and multi-year contracts.
• Experience contracting with community-based organizations, particularly in early childhood or social service settings.
• Strong executive leadership and people management skills, with a proven ability to build and sustain high-performing teams.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills, with the ability to convey complex procurement, regulatory, and policy concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills across government, provider, and community partners.
• Exceptional organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment.
• Knowledge of NYCPS policies and procedures, particularly as they relate to DECE.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 applications and comfort working with procurement, contract, and financial systems.

Pay

$159,660 - $175,626 (Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not earn less than their current salary.)