Equal Business Opportunity Administrator

This professional administrative position serves as the primary administrator for Frederick County’s Equal Business Opportunity Program within the Office of Procurement & Contracting. The position is responsible for implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and reporting on race- and gender-neutral initiatives designed to expand access to County contracting opportunities for small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned, and other underutilized businesses, consistent with County policy and applicable federal, state, and local law.

The position works closely with Procurement & Contracting staff, County agencies and departments, vendors, contractors, consultants, community partners, and departmental Equal Business Opportunity Liaisons to support inclusive procurement practices, vendor outreach, training, data collection, subcontractor tracking, compliance monitoring, and program reporting. The position reviews procurement opportunities, supports development of EBO policies and procedures, assists with implementation of small business participation strategies, and prepares reports evaluating program effectiveness. Direction may be given to support staff within the Office. Supervision is received from the Office Director of Procurement & Contracting.

Please note that the upper pay range reflected in the job posting reflects possible wage rates for internal County transfers and promotions, which are calculated per County policy.  For external hires, offers are made at the base wage rate.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members.  If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full-time benefited Frederick County Government employee.  

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays (10 and 11 month employees may not receive all holidays)
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• Employee Health Center with no or low-cost primary and urgent care
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan 
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Other employee-paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Lifetime Benefit with Long Term Care plan

NOTE: Benefited employees will accrue service and leave based on the FTE and/or hours worked per calendar year. 

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage.

Program Administration and Policy Implementation

• Serve as the primary administrator for Frederick County’s Equal Business Opportunity Program
• Assist in implementing the County’s race- and gender-neutral EBO Program, including policies, procedures, forms, reporting tools, training materials, internal guidance, and program manuals
• Recommend EBO Program policies, procedures, manual updates, and process improvements to the Director of Procurement & Contracting
• Support compliance with Frederick County policies and applicable federal, state, and local legal requirements related to EBO Program administration
• Coordinate with Procurement & Contracting staff and the County Attorney’s Office, as appropriate, to implement EBO-related contract provisions, including subcontractor reporting, audit rights, record-retention requirements, and compliance documentation

Procurement Review and Internal Coordination

• Review, document, and recommend action on waiver requests in accordance with established EBO Program procedures and delegated authority
• Participate in pre-procurement planning with County agencies and departments
• Work with Procurement & Contracting buyers and agency personnel to review solicitation specifications and procurement strategies to identify opportunities for small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned, and other underutilized businesses
• Review solicitation size, scope, complexity, bonding, insurance, experience requirements, and other procurement terms to identify potential barriers to small business participation
• Assist in identifying procurement opportunities suitable for unbundling, subcontracting, simplified competition, targeted outreach, or other race- and gender-neutral small business participation strategies consistent with applicable law
• Assist in developing, implementing, monitoring, and reporting on the County’s discretionary procurement threshold or simplified procurement process for registered Small Business Enterprises
• Review purchase requisitions for accuracy, consistency with procurement policies, and alignment with EBO Program procedures.
• Promote adherence to County procurement policies and EBO Program procedures by participating in internal trainings for County employees
• Coordinate, train, and support departmental Equal Business Opportunity Liaisons to promote consistent implementation of EBO procedures across County agencies and departments

Vendor Outreach, Training, and Capacity Building

• Identify, recruit, educate, and assist vendors, suppliers, contractors, consultants, and service providers interested in doing business with Frederick County
• Develop and deliver training materials, workshops, presentations, and outreach programs to help businesses understand County procurement processes, bid requirements, vendor registration, contract terms, and available resources
• Plan and participate in vendor outreach events, training opportunities, vendor fairs, conferences, seminars, and other business engagement activities
• Maintain contact with the vendor community regarding current and upcoming bid opportunities
• Develop and maintain a resource directory for small, local, minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned, and other underutilized businesses
• Work with community partners, business organizations, chambers of commerce, and professional associations to expand awareness of County contracting opportunities
• Respond to requests for information regarding the EBO Program and related procurement matters

Data Collection, Reporting, and Systems Management

• Develop and maintain procedures for collecting, validating, reconciling, analyzing, and reporting EBO-related prime contractor and subcontractor data
• Work with Procurement & Contracting, Finance, County agencies, and system administrators to improve the quality, consistency, and usability of procurement, payment, vendor, commodity-code, and subcontractor data
• Support development of dashboards, quarterly reports, annual reports, and other performance measures to evaluate EBO Program participation, outreach, compliance, and progress toward program objectives
• Prepare, distribute, and present internal and external reports regarding EBO Program activity, utilization, compliance, and outcomes
• Research and track trends and best practices in equal business opportunity, public procurement, contract compliance, small business participation, construction, services, goods, and professional services

Contract Compliance and Subcontractor Monitoring

• Track vendor and subcontractor compliance with EBO Program requirements and contract provisions
• Monitor subcontractor participation, subcontractor payment information, and prime-subcontractor relationships, as required by County procedures and contract terms
• Investigate potential instances of non-compliance by vendors, contractors, subcontractors, or internal agencies
• Develop written correspondence related to compliance matters
• Coordinate responses to requests for clarification or information and assists in the resolution of disputes, supplier/vendor performance issues, and EBO-related compliance concerns
• Perform other related duties as required

To perform this job successfully, an employee must be able to perform all essential functions satisfactorily. Any employee's position may not be assigned all functions or equipment listed above, and the examples may not cover all functions or equipment that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform their essential functions.The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Contract Management, Public Policy, Economics, or a related field 
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in business administration, contracting or contract compliance, government purchasing or business outreach and engagement

Substitutions for the above-listed required education and experience is a Masters degree with 1 year experience as described above or Associate’s degree with 5 years’ experience as described above.  

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
A successful incumbent operating in this role displays the following:

• Knowledge of public procurement policies and practices, bidding processes, solicitation development, contract award methods, vendor registration, and legal requirements governing County purchases. requirements, and award selections, as well as legal requirements governing purchases for the County
• Knowledge of equal business opportunity, supplier diversity, small business participation, contract compliance, or related public-sector inclusion programs
• Knowledge of formal and informal solicitation processes, service contracting, goods procurement, construction-related procurement, and professional services procurement
• Knowledge of market conditions, sources of supply, and of the types of supplies, materials and equipment, services, and construction-related work commonly procured by the County
• Ability to review solicitations, purchase requisitions, scopes of work, specifications, and procurement documents for consistency with County procurement policies and EBO Program procedures
• Ability to collect, clean, reconcile, analyze, and present procurement, payment, vendor, subcontractor, commodity-code, and utilization data
• Ability to develop reports, dashboards, presentations, written correspondence, training materials, and policy recommendations
• Ability to interpret statistical, financial, procurement, and compliance information and communicate findings clearly to technical and non-technical audiences
• Ability to use Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, as well as procurement, enterprise resource planning, vendor management, reporting, or dashboard systems
• Ability to access and use automated procurement systems and related hardware/software, and to train or assist other users.
• Strong public speaking, presentation development, facilitation, and training skills
• Strong technical and professional writing skills, including accuracy in preparing reports, correspondence, procurement documents, and compliance materials
• Strong organizational, project management, multitasking, math, clerical, and analytical skills
• Skill in procurement, program administration, public communication, technical and professional writing, data analysis, training, negotiation, relationship-building, and independent judgment
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, maintain discretion, and manage competing priorities with limited oversight. 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with County officials, supervisors, co-workers, departmental personnel, vendors, contractors, consultants, community partners, and members of the business community.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing
• Ability to effectively organize, assign, and follow up on the work of support staff, as assigned
• Strong and effective spoken and written (English) communication skills including public speaking skills and accuracy in preparing detailed bid documents and reports
• Strong and accurate math and clerical skills, including the ability to effectively produce, verify and evaluate statistical and financial information

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Experience administering or supporting supplier diversity, MWBE, DBE, SBE, or EBO programs
• Experience working in a local, state, or federal government agency
• Experience reviewing solicitations, scopes of work, and procurement strategies

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS

• While working in this position, the employee is required to frequently sit
• While working in this position, the employee is required to consistently work indoors

• Available for occasional weekend and holiday work hours for meetings, events, etc. as needed

KIND OF EXAMINATION (may include):

1. An evaluation of training and qualifications
2. One or more interviews