Specialist, Procurement Operations

The Office of Fiscal Strategy (OFS) is a catalyst for ensuring excellence, equity, and efficiency to ensure DCPS achieves our goals for our students. We want employees who recognize and embrace the importance of a strong partnership between schools and Central Services. When Central Services runs efficiently, and provides high-quality customer service, our school-based employees can concentrate on educating our children and leading our schools. By combining financial planning with strategic planning, this office supports DCPS with actively identifying resources, costs and budget and aligning them with our mission and goals.

The Office of Fiscal Strategy is organized into four divisions:

• Finance: Ensures school and central services finances are allocated and expended in alignment with the agency’s strategic plan, in a manner that fosters transparency, maximizes funds, promotes equity, and ensures compliance with requirements.

• Contracts & Acquisitions: Provides procurement services to schools and Central Services programs through contract and purchase order processes in alignment with District and Federal procurement laws and regulations. Manages and facilitates the procurement of goods and services for all DCPS schools and central services, that fosters transparency, maximizes buying power, promotes equity of spending with local vendors, and ensures compliance with contractual requirements.

• Operational Finance (Core): Works to improve organizational effectiveness and to ensure daily fiscal operations are managed efficiently across DCPS. The Operational Finance Team advocates for DCPS programs and schools by shepherding collaboration with procurement, budget, and HR teams. Operational Finance provides oversight to ensure equitable, transparent, and compliant personnel and non-personnel spending through quality customer service.

• Fiscal Operations Systems: Supports schools and central services by leading OFS’s efforts to design efficient and effective operational finance structures and processes. Promotes agency financial data literacy by leading finance data visualization initiatives that equip DCPS stakeholders with comprehensive information.

The Contracts and Acquisitions Division within the Office of Fiscal Strategy includes three teams:

• Procurement Operations: Oversees the DCPS purchase card program which allows for the quick procurement of small amounts of goods and services. Addresses anti-deficient or improper procurements through the ratification process. Work closely with schools and Central Services programs to assist with day-to-day procurement questions and issues to ensure efficient procurement practices.
• Complex Contracts Unit: Ensures all contracting and procurement activity valued at $100,000 and above is consistently executed in accordance with the District of Columbia and Federal laws and regulations. Directs the development, coordination, facilitation, management, and milestone planning for the acquisition of goods and services required by DCPS. Liaises with program and school points of contact, serving as the primary point-of-contact on large and/or complex procurements.
• Small Purchasing Unit: Ensures all contracting and procurement activity valued under $100,000 is consistently executed in accordance with the District of Columbia laws and regulations. Facilitates the processing and fulfillment of small purchases in coordination with the needs of schools and Central Office program customers.

The Specialist, Procurement Operations works with the CAD Deputy Chief and Directors to understand procurement guidelines. The Specialist also liaises with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and the DCPS Office of the General Counsel to help facilitate procurement processes.

The Specialist, Procurement Operations will report to the Director, Procurement Operations, as well as collaborates closely with the Deputy Chief Procurement Officer and Contracts and Acquisitions Director.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The below statements are intended to describe the general nature and scope of work being performed by this position. This is not a complete listing of all responsibilities, duties, and/or skills required. Other duties may be assigned.

• Assists the Procurement Operations Director with gathering documents to respond to audits and FOIA requests.
• Responds to vendors inquiries regarding their procurements and payments.
• Provides vendors with vendor registration materials and points of contact.
• Provides training and support to schools and Central Services programs on procurement deadlines, year-end close and school opening procurements.
• Liaisons with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer Accounts Payable Team and vendors to help facilitate timely vendor payments.
• Reviews and approves requisitions and purchase card transactions as needed.
• Acts as the liaison between the District of Columbia’s s various fiscal, procurement, and technical agencies (OCTO, OCP and PASS).
• Provides Procurement 101 and PASS training which Includes strategic planning of Non-Personnel Spending (NPS) as part of the fiscal year Procurement Planning and Budget Development roundtables.
• Assists with Special Planning/Projects and monitoring in relation to the needs of the department for school related procurement needs.
• Creates guidance documents and materials for technical assistance as needed.
• Participates in meetings with Core Teams to help gain information needed to ensure programmatic needs are identified and progress according to the standard lead times.
• Assists with the gathering of materials related to anti-deficient or improper procurements, in order to process the payment of invoices through the ratification process.
• Assists in preparing special reports and provides data relating to specific projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and three to five years of related work experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Specific experience in procurement preferred.
• Ability to develop, plan, and implement short and long-range goals.
• Must be attentive to detail, extremely well organized, able to work under pressure, and able to meet frequent and changing deadlines.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.
• Professional demeanor and exceptional interpersonal skills.
• Ability to exercise good judgment in quickly dealing with difficult situations and unexpected challenges.

DCPS Values

• STUDENTS FIRST: We recognize students as whole children and put their needs first in everything we do.
• COURAGE: We have the audacity to learn from our successes and failures, to try new things, and to lead the nation as a proof point of PK-12 success.
• EQUITY: We work proactively to eliminate opportunity gaps by interrupting institutional bias and investing in effective strategies to ensure every student succeeds.
• EXCELLENCE: We work with integrity and hold ourselves accountable for exemplary outcomes, service, and interactions.
• TEAMWORK: We recognize that our greatest asset is our collective vision and ability to work collaboratively and authentically.
• JOY: We enjoy our collective work and will enthusiastically celebrate our success and each other.