Senior Contracts & Procurement Lead

City-of-Santa-Clara-2; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 217,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Santa Clara's Finance Department is seeking a Contracts Manager to lead complex procurements, draft and negotiate contracts, and guide city departments from planning to execution. This role requires independent judgment, strong writing and analytical skills, and effective collaboration across legal, finance, and technical teams.

Experience in IT and public works procurement is highly desirable; the successful candidate will manage the full procurement lifecycle, ensure compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree 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, 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.

Skills

Procurement planning

Contract negotiation

Contract administration

Analytical skills

Written communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public/Business Administration or related field

Job description

The City of Santa Clara's Finance Department is seeking a Contracts Manager to lead complex procurements, draft and negotiate contracts, and guide city departments from planning to execution. This role requires independent judgment, strong writing and analytical skills, and effective collaboration across legal, finance, and technical teams.

Experience in IT and public works procurement is highly desirable; the successful candidate will manage the full procurement lifecycle, ensure compliance