Contracts Manager

City of Santa Clara; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Santa Clara is seeking a Contracts Manager in the Purchasing Division of the Finance Department. The role leads complex, high-value procurements and develops, negotiates, and administers contracts, providing strategic guidance from planning through execution.

Responsibilities include managing full procurements for IT, professional services, and construction, drafting solicitation documents, evaluating bids, and ensuring compliance with laws, City policies, and ethical public

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public or Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, Finance, Material or Supply Chain Management or closely related field.
• Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience facilitating large and complex procurements and negotiating, writing, and managing large and complex contracts.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex procurement planning activities in partnership with City departments, including identifying procurement strategies, timelines, risks, evaluation approaches, and contract requirements.
• Develop clear, comprehensive solicitation documents, including RFPs, RFIs, scopes of work, and evaluation criteria.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and administer contracts, amendments, renewals, change orders, and related procurement documents.
• Conduct cost and price analyses; evaluate pricing structures, total cost of ownership, and financial risk; prepare analyses supporting procurement and award decisions.
• Prepare staff reports, award memoranda, and contract summaries for management review and City Council consideration.

Job description

Contracts Manager

The City of Santa Clara’s Finance Department is recruiting for a Contracts Manager in the Purchasing Division. This position is responsible for independently leading complex, high-value, and high-visibility procurements; developing, negotiating, and administering contracts; and providing strategic procurement guidance to City departments from initial planning through contract execution.

The Contracts Manager manages the full procurement lifecycle for a broad portfolio of supplies, equipment, information technology commodities, and general and professional services. Responsibilities include collaborating with client departments to define business needs; drafting detailed scopes of work, specifications, and solicitation documents; facilitating evaluation and selection processes; conducting cost and price analyses; negotiating contract terms; and ensuring procurements are completed in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, City policies, and ethical public procurement practices.

Experience procuring information technology commodities is highly desirable. This includes hardware, software, cloud-based products and services, communications equipment, cybersecurity-related products, enterprise applications, maintenance and support agreements, and other technology solutions. The successful candidate will be comfortable partnering with technical staff to translate complex operational and technical requirements into clear, competitive, and contractually sound solicitation and contract documents.

Experience procuring minor and major public works construction projects is also highly desirable, including experience with construction bidding, contractor qualification and responsibility, bid evaluation, contract award, change orders, and coordination with project staff.

The Department

The Purchasing Division resides in the City’s Finance Department and maintains a centralized purchasing system responsible for Citywide purchasing and contracting activities related to supplies, materials, equipment, and general and professional services. The Division supports departments with procurement planning, solicitation development, supplier management, and policy guidance.

The Purchasing Division comprises 18 full-time staff. This position reports directly to the Purchasing Division Manager.

The Position

The Contracts Manager is an advanced-level procurement and contracting professional responsible for managing complex, sensitive, and specialized procurement activities. The position requires a high degree of independence, sound judgment, exceptional writing ability, strong analytical skills, and the ability to balance operational needs, fiscal stewardship, competition, risk management, and timely service delivery.

Assignments may involve major Citywide initiatives; complex professional services; technology procurements; specialized equipment; cooperative purchasing arrangements; emergency or time-sensitive procurements; and contracts requiring careful coordination among departments, subject-matter experts, vendors, legal counsel, finance staff, and executive management.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead complex procurement planning activities in partnership with City departments, including identifying procurement strategies, timelines, risks, evaluation approaches, and contract requirements.
• Develop clear, comprehensive, and legally and operationally sound solicitation documents, including requests for proposals, requests for bids, requests for qualifications, requests for information, scopes of work, technical specifications, evaluation criteria, and special terms and conditions.
• Work closely with technical and operational subject-matter experts to convert complex business, service, and technology requirements into competitive procurement documents and enforceable contract provisions.
• Manage formal solicitation processes from advertisement through award, including vendor communications, pre-proposal or pre-bid conferences, addenda, receipt and review of proposals or bids, evaluation coordination, reference checks, responsibility determinations, and award recommendations.
• Conduct cost and price analyses; evaluate pricing structures, escalation provisions, discounts, total cost of ownership, lifecycle costs, and financial risk; and prepare written analyses supporting procurement and award decisions.
• Draft, review, negotiate, and administer contracts, amendments, renewals, change orders, purchase agreements, service agreements, maintenance agreements, licensing agreements, and related procurement documents.
• Negotiate complex contract provisions with vendors, including pricing, scope, performance standards, service levels, warranties, indemnification, insurance, data security, confidentiality, intellectual property, audit rights, and other risk-allocation terms, in coordination with appropriate City staff.
• Provide professional guidance to City departments regarding procurement methods, contracting requirements, competitive solicitation processes, public procurement principles, and contract administration responsibilities.
• Interpret and apply applicable laws, regulations, City policies, procedures, and other procurement requirements; identify potential compliance concerns; and recommend practical, defensible solutions.
• Prepare clear and concise staff reports, award memoranda, agenda materials, correspondence, contract summaries, and other written documentation for management review and, when applicable, City Council consideration.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and well-organized procurement and contract files that document the solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, award, and administration process.
• Address vendor performance issues, contract disputes, protests, and other sensitive procurement matters with professionalism, impartiality, and sound judgment.
• Support continuous improvement of Purchasing Division procedures, templates, contracting tools, and customer service practices.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a highly skilled procurement and contracting professional with demonstrated experience managing complex procurements and negotiating contracts. They are an exceptional writer who can develop detailed scopes of work and specifications that accurately reflect departmental needs while promoting fair competition and reducing contractual risk.

The successful candidate will be collaborative, customer-focused, organized, and able to manage multiple priority assignments with competing deadlines. They will be comfortable working with employees at all organizational levels, including technical specialists, department directors, vendors, and executive leadership.

Experience with IT commodity procurement is highly desired, including the procurement of technology hardware, software, licensing, cloud-based solutions, communications equipment, cybersecurity products, maintenance and support services, and related technology agreements.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Extensive knowledge of sound procurement principles, practices, methods, and procedures.
• In-depth knowledge of contract development, solicitation methods, competitive procurement practices, contract negotiation, and contract administration.
• Demonstrated experience managing formal RFQs, RFBs, RFPs, and other competitive procurement processes for complex goods and services.
• Strong ability to write and edit detailed scopes of work, technical specifications, evaluation criteria, and contract terms in collaboration with client departments and subject-matter experts.
• Knowledge of information technology commodity procurement, including technology product requirements, licensing models, maintenance and support agreements, warranties, service levels, and total cost of ownership considerations.
• Ability to perform mathematical computations and conduct cost, price, and market analyses.
• Experience researching supply sources, assessing market conditions, evaluating vendor capabilities, and identifying appropriate procurement strategies.
• Ability to read, interpret, explain, and apply applicable laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and contract requirements accurately and consistently.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, negotiation, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment, maintain confidentiality, and resolve complex or sensitive issues in a fair, objective, and timely manner.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain procurement policies and procedures clearly to City staff, vendors, and other stakeholders.
• Strong project-management skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple procurements and contracts simultaneously.
• Commitment to public service, fiscal responsibility, transparency, integrity, and equitable procurement practices.

As a member of the City's Unclassified Service, this is an "at-will" position and the incumbent serves at the discretion of the City Manager.

Additional Information

Applications must be filled out completely (e.g. do not write “see resume, NA, or personnel file.”). Years of experience are considered on the basis of full-time-equivalent experience (2080 hours per year). To receive consideration for the screening process, candidates must submit a Resume and Supplemental Questionnaire. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applications will be reviewed on a monthly basis for consideration to the position. The first application review will occur Thursday October 20, 2026. If you are interested in applying you are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, before the position is closed.

THIS RECRUITMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL MULTIPLE POSITIONS IN THIS, OR OTHER DIVISIONS OR DEPARTMENTS BESIDES THE POSITIONS LISTED ABOVE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN EMPLOYMENT IN THIS CLASSIFICATION, YOU SHOULD APPLY TO ENSURE YOU ARE CONSIDERED FOR ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT MAY UTILIZE THE APPLICANTS FROM THIS RECRUITMENT.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public or Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, Finance, Material or Supply Chain Management or closely related field; and
• Three (3) years of increasingly responsible experience facilitating large and complex procurements and negotiating, writing, and managing large and complex contracts.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Designation as a Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM), Certified Professional Public Buyer (CPPB), or Certified Public Purchasing Officer (CPPO);
• Master's degree in a closely related field; and
• Experience in the public sector.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Must be able to perform all of the essential functions of the job assignment.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

• Incumbents in this position are required to file a Conflict of Interest statement upon assuming office annually, and upon leaving office, in accordance with City Manager Directive 100.

Visa & Eligibility

Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of Santa Clara will not sponsor, represent, or sign documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

Equality & Inclusion

The City of Santa Clara is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made