Purchasing Agent V - Remote anywhere from Colorado - Classified

Colorado Department of Education – What We Do 
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides leadership, resources, support, and accountability to the state's 178 school districts, 1,888 schools, over 53,000 teachers, and over 3,200 administrators to help them build capacity to meet the needs of the state's approximately 905,000 public school students. In addition, CDE provides structural and administrative support to the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and the Charter School Institute.

As the administrative arm of the State Board of Education, CDE is responsible for implementing state and federal education laws, disbursing state and federal funds, holding schools and districts accountable for performance, licensing all educators, and providing public transparency of performance and financial data.

CDE is a values-based agency that serves students, parents, and the general public by protecting public trust through ensuring adherence to laws, strong stewardship of public funds, and accountability for student performance.

CDE strives to incorporate five core values that we uphold in our work internally and externally.   If you come to CDE, be prepared to incorporate Integrity, Equity, Accountability, Trust, and commitment to Service in what you do.

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness. The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

Why Work For CDE
The work we do is rewarding and impacts the students, families, educators, and communities across Colorado. Our leadership also promotes a culture that puts families and self-care as a priority. Along with meaningful work and an environment that puts employees first, the state also offers rich benefits that intend to make us an Employer of Choice!
The following is a summary of the benefits we offer:

• Flexible work schedules and flexible workplace options that may include flexible working hours, working from home, working in the office, and/or a hybrid working environment.
• Premier medical, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance options. All with a generous employer contribution keeping employee costs as low as possible.
• Employer paid short-term disability and life insurance
• Up to 160 hours of Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML)
• 11 paid holidays per year
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals
• Retirement through the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) www.copera.org
• Employer paid RTD Eco Pass (certain restrictions may apply)
• Paid professional development opportunities

Work Environment:

This position is full-time and is eligible for a hybrid work environment. 

• May be required on occasion to report to the work location per business needs.
• Essential Functions (ADAAA)
  • SEDENTARY/Office environment: 
    • Required to sit, view a computer screen, and utilize a keyboard and mouse for extended periods of time
    • Required lifting, bending, stooping, pushing, walking, etc.
      
  • DL Not Required: Required to independently obtain and determine means to complete travel requirements. 

Why Work for CDE Purchasing?

MISSION: Are you interested in drafting solicitations and contracts to benefit schools, students, and teachers in Colorado?  Then this is the position for you!  Our team procures and contracts for a wide variety of services, such as reading training and assessments for students, training and support for teachers, information technology systems to document students' nutrition needs in schools, programs to provide assistive technology for students with disabilities, and much more.

This position will make program-level procurement decisions and collaborate with Directors across the agency, as well as internal and external teams, to draft high-stakes solicitations and contracts that have a critical statewide impact on schools, teachers, and students. By joining the CDE team, you can help support a vital mission and be proud of the work you do!     

TEAM: Do you want to work with and help lead a collaborative, supportive team?  CDE has an amazing purchasing and contracts team made up of seven individuals who are ready to welcome and support new employees joining the team.  CDE’s Purchasing Director has been leading the team for going on ten years and has fifteen years of State procurement and contracts experience.  CDE purchasing is one of the best teams in the state, with experienced, dedicated, hard-working, fun, and witty individuals.

FLEXIBILITY:  Have you found yourself really enjoying working from home?  If so, this position can be filled by eligible applicants who wish to work from home, as long as they reside anywhere in the great State of Colorado. Do you still like going into the office?  We also have you covered, and you can choose to work in the office if you prefer.  In addition, CDE purchasing offers flexible work schedules and promotes a healthy work-life balance.

Position Summary:

The hiring range for this position is reasonably expected to be $98,000–$107,000 annually.

The final salary may be higher or lower based on the selected candidate’s relevant experience, knowledge, skills, qualifications, market considerations, and internal equity. Candidates with directly relevant experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications, including comparable experience in another state agency or public-sector organization, may be considered for compensation above the anticipated hiring range, subject to a salary analysis and the approved salary range for the position.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Draft high-stakes solicitations, contracts, and purchase orders, particularly requests for proposals/invitations to negotiate for information technology systems and services that have statewide impact on schools, teachers, and students.  Facilitate evaluations for the same high-stakes solicitations, which often include high-level school staff evaluators, such as superintendents, principals, and teachers.     
• Coordinates with program staff to draft the statements-of-work and payment structure for contracts, amendments, interagency agreements, intergovernmental agreements, and purchase orders.  This position will focus on drafting and executing the highest-stakes contracts, including but not limited to information technology contracts, high-dollar-value contracts, and contracts with statewide impact for schools, teachers, and students.  
• Negotiates legal terms for contracts, amendments, interagency agreements, intergovernmental agreements, and purchase orders.  This will likely involve negotiating with the legal teams of information technology vendors. Drafts and submits fiscal rule waivers and other approval requests for the State Purchasing and Contracts Office.
• Mediate disputes between CDE and its contractors and draft breach/termination letters.
• As requested by the CDE Procurement Director, solve and render decisions on conflicts of interest, timeline issues, and other complex issues.
• Help provide constructive feedback and assistance to purchasing agent 3s on their contracts, negotiations, and solicitations. Although this position provides constructive feedback, it is non-managerial.
• Learn and apply the construction portions of the procurement code to assist with construction contracts/solicitations and to aid CDE’s purchasing agent 4 as needed to interpret the construction code.  Applicants do not need experience with construction codes and can learn them on the job.
• Drafts and implements procurement policies and procedures.
• Position maintains knowledge of, interprets, and assists other purchasing staff and CDE program staff in interpreting Procurement Code and Rules, State Fiscal Rules, State Purchasing Office, and State Controller policies, department purchasing best practices, and other applicable department policies and procedures that impact purchasing and contracting.
• Develop and provide CDE-wide training on all topics of procurement and contracting.
• As requested by the CDE Procurement Official, serve on statewide boards or assist with statewide-level review work.
• Conduct advanced review of legislation to provide feedback to legislators on bills that have a procurement impact and review proposed legislation for fiscal impact.

MINIMUM EDUCATION  AND EXPERIENCE  REQUIREMENTS: 
This position requires eight (8) years of experience OR a combination of education and experience totaling eight (8) years.

Education and Experience:

1. Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college. AND four (4) years of relevant experience. Relevant experience includes writing requests for proposals and/or ITN solicitations and/or writing contract statements of work.

OR

Experience:
2. If you do not have a bachelor’s degree, you must have eight (8) years of relevant experience. Relevant experience must include experience writing requests for proposals,  ITN solicitations, and/or writing contract statements of work.

OR 

Education and Experience:
3. A Juris Doctor degree, or a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study related to the work assignment, may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis. Relevant experience must include experience writing requests for proposals, ITN solicitations, and/or writing contract statements of work. 
a. For example, if you had a Juris Doctorate degree [three (3) years of study] and a bachelor’s degree four (4) years of study), you need one (1) year of relevant experience.  
b. For example, if you had a relevant Master’s degree (Procurement, Education, or other writing-intensive Master’s Degree) that required two years of study and a bachelor’s degree [four (4) years of study], you need an additional two (2) years of relevant experience.  

The following are NOT relevant experiences:  

• Making purchases with a credit card.
• Administrative duties related to purchasing.
• Inventory management.
• Filing of contracts or purchase orders.
• Data entry related to purchase orders or contracts. 
• Experience with grant requests for applications or grants.
• Accounting work, such as paying invoices.
  
• Experience only with lower-stakes purchasing work, like purchase orders, vendor agreements, and option letters. 

Relevant work must include significant writing duties, including writing statements of work for:

• Requests for Proposals/Invitations to Negotiate and/or original contracts.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
QUALIFICATIONS AND CONDITIONS: 
Qualifications for Success in the Position: 

• Excellent writing, research, analytical, and critical thinking skills.
  • Note:   This position will draft high-stakes solicitations and contracts that have a critical, statewide impact on schools, teachers, and students.  Excellent analytical, research, and writing skills are required. Applicants should review AdvantageVSS - Solicitation View Page (RFP) and view the following RFP numbers, which were written primarily by CDE purchasing agents (2025000096, 2026000030, 2023000007, and 2022000439) to understand the quality of writing that will be expected for this position and the level of drafting experience needed for this position.
• Skilled at building consensus and making decisions for requirements and scopes of work for complex information technology and service-based projects.  Adept at internal stakeholder management and fostering cross-functional agency collaboration.
• Demonstrated diplomacy and acted when working on sensitive topics like conflicts of interest, vendor performance issues, and other topics.
• Initiative-taker with project management skills who independently manages projects and meets timelines.
• Exceptional communication skills with experience communicating with all levels of staff, including Directors.
• Diligence and mindfulness with an attention to detail.
• Experience in training or explaining difficult concepts to internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail (proofing work, spelling, grammar, formatting, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to effectively balance quality of work and productivity expectations.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively collaborate with internal and external customers (e.g. school district personnel, other CDE units).
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize and organize work to accommodate and meet the changing needs of the department and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and exhibit a proactive approach to work
• Demonstrated ability to identify problems and recommend solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, as well as on a team.

Preferred Qualifications (Preferred/Not Required):

• State or federal government solicitation and/or contract experience.
  • Applicants with contract and procurement experience only in the private sector are not likely to have the requisite experience needed for a senior authority position, as the successful applicant must have considerable experience in analyzing, interpreting, and applying government procurement statutes, rules, policies, and drafting solicitations and contracts in compliance with those statutes, rules, and policies. Although applicants from the private sector may apply, they must demonstrate in their applications that they have considerable experience analyzing, interpreting, and applying state procurement statutes, rules, and policies.   
• Juris Doctorate Degree.  

Conditions of Employment (Required):

• Must be willing and able to submit to the pre-screening process and pass a background check.
• Ability and willingness to independently determine, obtain means, and complete commuting requirements.
• Report to work location per business needs
• DL Not Required: Required to independently determine and obtain means to complete travel requirements.

Complete Applications must include:

• Completed Online Application: Required - Submitted through our ATS.
• Cover Letter: Required - Attached as a separate document.
• Resume: Required - Attached as a separate document.
• Transcript: Required if using education to meet MQs - Attached to the online application and meeting requirements as described under "College Transcripts".
• Two writing samples of original contracts or RFPs/ITNs independently drafted by the applicant (with collaboration from program staff but without significant assistance from procurement team leaders or procurement supervisors) attached to the online application. 
  • In choosing the writing samples to submit, review AdvantageVSS - Solicitation View Page (RFP) and view the following RFP numbers (2025000096, 2026000030, 2023000007, and 2022000439) to understand the quality of writing that will be expected for this position. Note: this position will not handle requests for applications or grants; CDE is seeking contracts and RFPs/ITNs, not grants or requests for applications.
• Answer Supplemental Questions (Please note answers such as N/A will mean automatic disqualification). 

College Transcripts: If you are using education to qualify, a legible copy of your official or unofficial college transcript(s) or a foreign credential evaluation report must be submitted with your application. Transcripts must show the name of the school and that a degree was conferred. Transcripts from colleges or universities outside of the United States must be assessed for U.S. equivalency by a NACES educational credential evaluation service. Failure to provide a transcript or foreign credential evaluation report may result in your application being rejected and you will not be able to continue in the selection process for this position. 

**Failure to submit a complete application as defined above by the announcement close will result in your application being removed from consideration.**

** Resumes and Cover Letters WILL NOT be reviewed for minimum qualification screening. 

FOR CURRENT OR FORMER EMPLOYEES OF THE STATE OF COLORADO:
Per the requirements of the Step Pay Program implemented on July 1, 2024, any State employee must be paid a rate that is equal to or greater than the appropriate step pay rate within their classification’s pay range based on completed years in their current class series as of June 30. All current and former State employees must ensure that your entire work history within the State Classified System, including at Institutions of Higher Education, is indicated in your application so that your time-in-series can be calculated accurately. 
 
Email Address:
All correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be conducted via email.  Include a working email address on your application; one that is checked often as time-sensitive correspondence such as exam information or notification will take place via email.  Please set up your e-mail to accept messages from "state.co.us" and "[email protected]" addresses. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email will accept these notices and/or review your junk mail and spam-filtered email.

Appeal Rights:
If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for the position, you may protest the action by filing an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the date you receive notice of the elimination.
 
Also, if you wish to challenge the selection and comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the receipt of notice or knowledge of the action you are challenging.
 
Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for more information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at www.colorado.gov/spb.
 
A standard appeal form is available at: https://spb.colorado.gov/ . If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within 10 days of your receipt of notice or knowledge of the action: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: 303-866-5038. Phone: 303-866-3300. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and Equal Employment Opportunity
The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, a medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.
 
The Colorado Department of Education is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or performing essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to [email protected].