Contract Specialist II

The Department of Community and Human Services values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experiences.

King County's Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, and connected to community.

DCHS invests more than one billion a year via public procurements and contracting with local human services organizations to provide a robust array of programs to create equitable opportunities for people to be happy, healthy, and connected to community. DCHS is looking for skilled, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic team players to join our centralized Contracts & Procurement (C&P) unit, supporting staff to develop and conduct procurements and draft contracts that are effective, efficient, and equitable. We are currently recruiting for one career service position but may use this recruitment to fill several more positions by the end of the year.
 
The Contract Specialist II is a professional classification. The most competitive candidates will have experience in government procurements and contract drafting and execution, and a proven track record partnering with staff to creatively solve problems and continually improve processes. The ideal candidates will also prioritize equity, race, and social justice in advising staff on approaches to procurement and contracting and working with partners and coworkers.

WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. Interviews for this selection process will take place on or around October 26, 2026.

APPLICATION PROCESS
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.
 The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NeoGov Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

This selection process may also be used to create a pool of candidates for current and future career service, term-limited-temporary, and special duty opportunities. The pool will be active for 6 months. 

WORK SCHEDULE/CONDITIONS:  This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is not eligible for overtime. Typical hours are Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm. This position is represented by PROTECT 17. This position is scheduled to work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm. 

MISSION CRITICAL POSITION STATUS: This position has been designated Non-Mission Critical. Unless otherwise directed by the County Executive, department director or agency head, all employees, regardless of designation, are expected to report to work or request leave during an emergency or inclement weather. For more detailed information, please visit HR Policy County Operations During Emergency Situations and the King County Guidelines for Workforce Management in an Emergency.

RECRUITER: Alan Wedge, [email protected]

• Support the preparation and implementation of competitive solicitations; coordinate public pre-bid/pre-proposal meetings; open submittals and assure compliance with bid or proposal requirements.
• Work with subject matter experts to edit scopes of work, technical specifications, and other solicitation/contract documents for clarity and consistency, technical specifications, and other solicitation/contracts.
• Review, draft, and advise program staff on all terms and conditions on a variety of contracts implementing human and related services throughout the department.
• Regularly meet with program work units to design appropriate alternative procurement approaches, and ensure process meets all applicable federal, state, and county requirements.
• Assist and provide direction and training for other DCHS program staff in the requirements and regulations concerning procurement and contracting processes.
• Support the maintenance and enhancement of contract templates.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

• Demonstrated understanding and experience with the principles, practices, and terminology typically used to procure contracts funding human services.
• Knowledge of contract administration and federal, state, and county statutes and regulations pertaining to procurement of human service contracts.
• Experience facilitating discussion, resolving conflict, and finding creative solutions to contract and procurement issues.
• Demonstrated ability to provide excellent customer service to interested parties both within and outside the organization.
• Strong communication and training experience, writing, problem-solving, analytical, and investigative research skills.
• Demonstrated ability and comfort in prioritizing workloads, working successfully under pressure with tight timelines, changing priorities, and ambiguous information.
• Ability to work collaboratively with program staff and to interface effectively with County officials and senior management.
• Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office suite.

Experience: Requires a minimum of two years of professional experience in in procurement, running solicitation or writing contracts or related work.

Desired Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• Experience using contract lifecycle management software, such as Agiloft, lcertis, Periscope, etc.
• Experience streamlining work processes, improving operations, and decreasing turnaround time in procurement and contracting processes
• Experience with SharePoint, MS Teams and other collaborative online tools.

Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Alan Wedge at [email protected].

King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us.

King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person's sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.