Associate Procurement Contracting Officer

City of San Diego; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

City of San Diego seeks an Associate Procurement Contracting Officer to manage procurement and contract activities for various city departments. You will administer contracts, evaluate bids, and conduct cost analyses to ensure compliant and cost-effective acquisitions.

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree or equivalent (120 semester/180 quarter units) and two years of relevant experience. A California driver license may be needed.

Qualifications

• Two years of full-time professional experience in purchasing and/or contracting for government, industrial, or business goods and services.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (120 semester/180 quarter units); substitutions allowed year-for-year.
• A valid California Class C Driver License may be required at hire.

Responsibilities

• Perform procurement and contracting of goods and services for operating departments.
• Administer contracts and review requisitions, solicit quotations and bids.
• Prepare cost analyses, advise on procurement methods, and assist with bid processes; maintain records and reports per City standards.

Skills

Procurement laws

Bid evaluation

Contract negotiation

E-procurement systems

Public agency contracting

Bonding & Insurance

Needs forecasting

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

PlanetBids

OnBase

PRISM

SAP MM

Oracle

Job description

See NOTES below for future wage increases and/or additional compensation opportunities.

APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY TO THE FOLLOWING RELATED RECRUITMENT(S):

• Assistant Procurement Contracting Officer
• Senior Procurement Contracting Officer
• Supervising Procurement Contracting Officer

Associate Procurement Contracting Officer positions perform difficult procurement and contracting of goods and services for use by operating departments; administer contracts; prepare and review requisitions, solicit quotations and bids, and prepare and conduct cost analysis for an assigned group of commodities; administer contracts and perform contract management to ensure compliance of contractual requirements; assist with preparation of proposed specifications for formal or informal solicitations; assist with the preparation of information and documentation for bid award protest hearings; advise user departments on appropriate procurement methods, alternate products, and/or recommend substitutes; assist in conducting public bid openings; complete purchasing transactions in the City's procurement software module; evaluate vendor performance and takes appropriate corrective action as required; negotiate with vendors on behalf of client departments; process solicitation documents and related correspondence; keep records and make reports in accordance to the City's standards and guidelines; and perform other duties as assigned.

NOTES:

• Employees in job classifications represented by Municipal Employees Association (MEA) are scheduled to receive the following general wage increases:
• 3.5% effective 7/1/27
• 2% effective 7/1/28
• 2% effective 1/1/29
• Eligible benefited employees originally hired on or after July 10, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the San Diego City Employees Retirement System (SDCERS).

You must meet the following requirements on the date you apply, unless otherwise indicated.

EDUCATION

A Bachelor's degree or equivalent education (i.e., minimum completed units of 120 semester/180 quarter).

• Additional qualifying professional experience may be substituted for education lacked on a year-for-year basis. One year of full-time experience = 30 semester/45 quarter college-level units.

EXPERIENCE

Two years of full-time professional experience in purchasing and/or contracting a wide variety of governmental, industrial, and/or business equipment, materials, and/or services.

• City of San Diego employees using Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA) experience to qualify must submit written documentation signed by their appointing authority or payroll specialist, detailing the work performed, dates, and total number of qualifying OCA hours. OCA experience without the required documentation will NOT be considered.

LICENSE

A valid California Class C Driver License may be required at the time of hire.

HIGHLY DESIRABLE(S)

• Knowledge of local, state, and federal contracting laws and regulations pertaining to the solicitation and evaluation of bids/proposals, negotiation, and award of contracts.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of professional procurement with emphasis on all solicitation processes used to acquire commodities and services, and the variety of contract types employed to procure these services.
• Experience using an e-procurement system, contract management and tracking system, public agency approval system, or an enterprise resource planning system (e.g., PlanetBids, OnBase, PRISM, SAP Materials Management and Financial Management, Purchasing modules, or Oracle).
• Contracting and procurement experience with a public agency (e.g., federal, state, county, and/or city).
• Experience validating and/or enforcing of bonding and insurance requirements.
• Experience evaluating the projected needs and requirements of an organization, work group, or team and the tools and techniques used to project and implement the procurement and contract.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS (MUST SUBMIT WITH APPLICATION)

• Proof of degree/transcripts, if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.
• For City of San Diego employees, proof of Out-of-Class Assignment (OCA), if utilized to meet the minimum requirements.

Required documents should be attached electronically to your application. If you are unable to attach at the time of application submittal, you must submit them as soon as possible via fax: [phone]; or to the Employment Information Center: City of San Diego Personnel Department, 1200 Third Avenue - Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92101. Include your name and the title of the position for which you are applying.Please ensure all information is complete and accurate as the responses you provide on the supplemental questions will be reviewed using an automated evaluation system. If you are successful in this initial screening process, your application will be reviewed for applicable education, experience, and/or training to ensure all minimum requirements have been met. Successful candidates will be placed on a list which will be used to fill position vacancies during the next six months (180 days). For each vacancy, only those candidates with the most appropriate qualifications will be contacted by the hiring department for an interview.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENTS

Employment offers are conditional pending the results of all screening processes applicable to this position, which may include the following: confirmation of citizenship or legal right to work in the United States; completion of a pre-employment medical review and exam (which may include drug and alcohol testing); reference checks; and fingerprinting. Fingerprints will be submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the California Department of Justice for a conviction record report. Certain positions may require additional screening processes, including a polygraph examination and/or background investigation. All screening processes must be successfully completed before employment begins. A positive test result for alcohol, cannabis/marijuana, illegal drugs, or inadequately explained prescription drugs, or misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of pertinent facts in any step of the screening or selection process, may constitute cause for disqualification or termination of employment. Nothing in this job posting constitutes an express or implied contract for employment with the City of San Diego. Candidates must notify the Personnel Department of any change in your name, mailing address, email address, or phone number; otherwise, they may miss employment opportunities.

Rev. 3 – August 14, 2026 (New Recruitment Date)