Director of Purchasing & Contracting

Counties; California; On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance-based pay reviews

Medical, dental, vision plans

Disability and life insurance

Retirement plan (SDCERA)

Job summary

County of San Diego seeks a seasoned Director of Purchasing and Contracting to lead a centralized procurement function serving multiple county departments. The role directs major solicitations, negotiations, and contract administration while driving modernization and service improvements.

The ideal candidate will use data to inform decisions, expand local sourcing, and foster a high-performing, compliant team. Strong stakeholder engagement and cross-department collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience leading bidding, negotiations, and contract administration in a large public organization.
• Ability to build cross-department relationships and drive change across priorities.
• Experience with supplier diversity programs and local procurement outreach.

Responsibilities

• Set direction for the Department of Purchasing and Contracting.
• Oversee major solicitations, negotiations, and contract administration.
• Improve time to award and solicitation timelines; align with equity and local sourcing goals.
• Lead modernization efforts (Oracle, BuyNet, records and AI pilots) and process redesign.
• Develop a service-oriented team with clear expectations.

Skills

Government bidding

Negotiations

Contract administration

Relationship building

Data-driven decisions

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree (substitution for experience)

Public procurement certification

Tools

Oracle

BuyNet

Job description

The County of San Diego is recruiting its next Director of Purchasing and Contracting. The Department of Purchasing and Contracting (DPC) sets countywide procurement policy and provides centralized purchasing, contracting, and related services to the departments that serve 3.3 million residents, with work spanning health and human services, behavioral health services, public safety, infrastructure, elections, and environmental health. The department manages more than 3,500 contracts, a $17 billion contract portfolio, and $2.3 billion in annual procurement spend, with 76 staff and a $21.9 million operating budget. The Director reports to the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer / General Manager – Finance & General Government.

The Role

The Director sets direction for the department; oversees major solicitations, negotiations, and contract administration; and works with department leaders across the County to resolve recurring obstacles and improve service.

Priorities for the first year include improving time to award and the predictability of solicitation timelines; growing small and local business participation and local sourcing; aligning procurement practice with the County’s Operational Plan so that equity, sustainability, and local access are part of how the County buys; leading a modernization agenda spanning Oracle, BuyNet, records and search tools, AI pilots, and process redesign; and continuing to develop a service-oriented team with clear expectations.

The Ideal Candidate

The County seeks a public procurement executive who has led in a large, complex organization:

• leadership of government bidding, negotiations, and contract administration at comparable scale and complexity, with working knowledge of small-business, local preference, and supplier diversity programs and the related certification frameworks;
• a record of building relationships, resolving differences, and implementing change across departments with distinct priorities, and of working collaboratively with external partners;
• experience working with businesses, institutional partners, and business-serving organizations to tailor outreach and assistance by purchasing category and improve the vendor experience;
• ability to make sound decisions, explain the reasoning behind them, and use data to inform the public, executives, and governing bodies, while maintaining productive relationships with various stakeholders;
• experience using plans, budgets, technology, and data to improve service, deliver visible results, and track measures that matter to departments and vendors;
• a record of developing staff, setting expectations, creating a positive culture, and building a skilled, responsive department.

Minimum Qualifications

Five years of purchasing and contracting management-level experience demonstrating the ability to perform the classification’s essential functions, including at least one year of supervision, and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or certified foreign studies equivalency.

A master’s degree or higher may substitute for one year of experience, but not for the required year of supervision.

Professional certification or advanced training in public procurement, purchasing, or contracting from a recognized governmental, professional, or academic organization is highly desirable.

Compensation and Benefits

Benefits include:

• performance-based salary reviews;
• medical, dental, and vision plans;
• disability and life insurance;
• a defined benefit retirement plan through SDCERA with reciprocity with other governmental retirement systems;
• 457 and 401(a) deferred compensation plans;

Resumes are reviewed against the criteria in the recruitment brochure . The recruiter interviews the strongest candidates and presents them to the County’s hiring team, which selects finalists for two rounds of interviews.

Hiring interviews are anticipated the week of November 30, 2026, with anticipated start in January, 2027.