Contract Specialist III

King County Metro Transit is looking for a high performing, strategic, proactive and savvy contract specialist to provide procurement and contract administration support of services for Metro’s Flexible Services.

Contracted Services (CS) plays a central role in delivering King County Metro’s services by managing a diverse portfolio of programs and partnerships that directly impact customers and communities. These include mobility services such as Community Transportation (DART, Metro Flex, Community Van, and CAT), Rideshare programs (Vanpool and Vanshare), Fleet Operations, and Access Paratransit services.

Position Information: This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Career Service Contract Specialist III classification vacancy. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future Special Duty Assignment (SDA), Term Limited Temporary (TLT), and Career Service (CS) vacancies that may occur in this classification within this workgroup. The eligibility list will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority.  

Who May Apply: We welcome applications from all interested candidates, including current King County employees and the public. Please note that first consideration will be given to internal King County employees. Please refer to the "Supplemental Information" section of this job bulletin for the required application materials.Applying our ACTIVATE values: being Accountable, Collaborative, Timely, and Impactful; how we Value Employees; staying Accessible; building what’s Trusted; and acting Equitably, is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. As a Contract Specialist III you will:

• Determine bidding requirements, selection criteria, and general terms and conditions for contracts and procurements.  
• Support development and review of scopes of work and specifications for contracts; write and edit scopes for major equipment, technical, and professional, procurements.  
• Conduct market research, prepare acquisition plans, and establish milestones; develop solicitation strategy and determine phasing and weighting approaches.  
• Prepare solicitation documents and manage the advertisement of solicitations; determine appropriate structure for RFPs and scopes of work.  
• Prepare contract terms and conditions for execution, including documents for the sale of County-owned property and resources.
• Ensure contract compliance and reporting to appropriate contract administrators; negotiate and document contract change orders and review details with auditors to ensure Federal guidelines are met.  
• Facilitate and support contract negotiations; help monitor contract compliance and performance.  
• Hold evaluation meetings, interviews, pre-bid conferences, pre-proposal conferences, proprietary meetings, debriefs, and public presentations representing the County regarding procurement issues.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, contract terms, policies, procedures, and Federal grant/loan requirements.
• Develop and implement procedures for consultant selection, major equipment purchases, and procurements for technically complex, unique, politically sensitive, and high value projects. 
• Propose alternate procurement approaches and train department representatives on procurement code, policies, procedures, and waivers.
• Update and manage standard procurement process documents.
• Provide procurement guidance; educate and guide internal team members and customers through the procurement process; provide lead direction and training for project managers, team members, inspection personnel, administrative staff, and Contract Specialists.
• Support contract administration and management.
• Support strategic initiatives with Strategic Sourcing, Relationship Management, and Supplier Performance Management.
• Conduct continuous improvement of Metro contractual processes to reduce waste and increase efficiency.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Candidates must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• Experience of competitive procurement solicitations, contracting with public procurement process.

• Knowledge of contract law, regulations, procurement methods, industry principles and best practices.

• Ability to understand and align with the agency’s goals and mission, and values and be able to incorporate into the daily work that is produced

• Ability to facilitate cross-functional discussions, resolve conflicts, and find resolutions.

• Strong communication, interpersonal, writing and customer service skills.

• Intermediate level of technology proficiency using MS Office Productivity tools in your daily work.

• Ability to manage your time and adapt to changing priorities, work on multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, meet quick deadlines, and produce timely and quality work products.

• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds.

• Ability to understand challenges or underlying concerns of others, share constructive ideas, and develop effective and appropriate responses

• Ability to handle multiple tasks and priorities and meet critical deadlines

• Ability to establish and maintain successful work relationships with staff, coworkers and the public

• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and successfully with a diverse group of individuals from a variety of different positions and backgrounds, which includes seniors and persons with disabilities, community agencies, vendors and decision makers etc.

• Skilled in active listening, analytical thinking, and problem solving

• Skilled in planning, organizing and project management principles and practices

• Skilled in oral and written communication including conducting training and presentations

• Ability to contribute effectively to the accomplishment of team or work unit goals, objectives and activities.

Highly competitive candidates will have (desired, but not required):

• Oracle EBS and/or Oracle procurement Cloud or related experience utilizing procurement technology.

• Knowledge of King County contract laws, regulations, procurement methods and industry principles

• Procurement Certification(s): Such as CPPB (Certified Professional Public Buyer), Associate DBIA (Design-Build Professional) and/or Associate Design-Build Professional (Assoc. DBIA) or other relevant certifications.

• Experience with LEAN processes and principles.

• Experience with SharePoint, MS Teams and other collaborative online tools.

• Experience in transportation services, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or paratransit services. 

Required Application Materials

• A completed Job Application (go back at least 10 years if you have l0 years of employment (more to include all relevant). Resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed job application.
• Resume
• Complete the supplemental questions
• A cover letter that addresses why you are interested in this role and how your experience, skills and/or education have prepared you for this position.

Selection Process
Applications that do not include all of the required materials listed above will not be considered. Only the materials explicitly requested will be reviewed—additional documents or information will not be evaluated. Application materials will be screened for completeness and competitiveness. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews and possibly other selection process elements. Final offers are contingent on successful completion of reference checks and/or a record review. 

Who may apply: We welcome applications from all interested candidates, including current King County employees and the public. Please note that first consideration will be given to internal King County employees. 

Work Schedule: This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is therefore not eligible for overtime pay. The work schedule is normally Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Work Location: This position follows a hybrid work schedule requiring a minimum of 2 days per week onsite at King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104. consistent with King County Metro's hybrid work policy. Remote workdays may be adjusted based on operational or business needs.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Union Representation/Job Code/Grade
Protec 17/224002/66

Safety Responsibilities for an Employee:

• Responsible for understanding Metro Transit Safety Policy and their role in safety.
• Report all safety concerns.
• Follow safety practices and procedures as necessary to maintain a safe work environment and in conformance with applicable regulations, policies, and training.
• Report safety and security concerns and ideas to supervisors or anonymously through data collection system.

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.

To Apply
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: Manal Tirhi, [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.