Procurement Commissioner

Position Summary:

The Procurement Department is the central purchasing and materials management agency for the City of Philadelphia. The Procurement Department is comprised of 55 City employees and is responsible for collaborating with over 50 City departments, agencies, and commissions to ensure that their contracting needs are timely met, their contracts offer the best value for the goods or services being sought and are obtained through a fair and open bidding process. The Procurement Department is one of the eight departments and functions that report to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City.

The Office of the CAO works to modernize city government and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of City services. The CAO focuses on innovating and strengthening the city’s administrative functions and enabling resident-facing departments to evaluate, plan, and continually improve their service delivery.

The following departments and functions report to the CAO: Human Resources and Talent, Office of Innovation and Technology, Procurement, Records, Office of Administrative Review, Bureau of Administrative Adjudication, Open Data and Digital Transformation, and Contract Legislation.

Procurement Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia

The Procurement Commissioner is responsible for directing the City of Philadelphia’s procurement efforts in key purchasing areas: services, supplies, equipment, construction, and concessions, which exceeds $370 billion in awarded contracts in Fiscal Year 2023. The Procurement Commissioner leads the Procurement Department and reports directly to the Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Philadelphia.

Essential Functions:

• Provide executive leadership, including budget development and monitoring, policy development and strategic planning, to the Procurement Department (Department) and represent the
• City of Philadelphia in contract negotiations.
• Ensures that the Department’s operations and services are fully consistent with the highest standards of public accountability, as well as the Department’s mission and values.
• Advises the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) regarding policy, strategic, budgetary and operational matters affecting the Department and implement decisions and the policy objectives of the Department.
• Provide leadership that fosters a culture of customer service, disciplined business conduct and healthy communication and a workplace where employees are valued and motivated to perform to their fullest potential.
• Ensure that all Department activities conform to the letter and spirit of the laws and policies regarding integrity and ethical conduct.
• Adapting and evolving the Department’s operations, as appropriate, with changing customer needs and developing technologies.
• Represent the Department with executive leadership within the City of Philadelphia, other government entities, the public and elected officials, including testimony before legislative bodies, as necessary.
• In collaboration with the City’s Office of Human Resources, oversee the Department’s human resources management, including adherence to negotiated labor agreements.
• Work closely with the CAO and other senior leaders, to tackle a variety of issues and make strategic decisions that have both Department and enterprise-wide impact.
• Continue to expand procurement best practices already in place, including the upgrade of the City’s eProcurement platform, expansion of Best Value and reverse auction methodologies, and continued roll-out of a robust vendor performance management module.
• Oversee and manage the City’s procurement of approximately $370 billion in goods and services in Fiscal Year 2023, including construction, and concession agreements.
• Ensure that the procurement needs of City departments and agencies are met in a timely and cost-efficient manner through the establishment of City contracts, cooperative purchasing agreements, or other such contracting methodology as appropriate.
• Manage the purchase, inventory and disposal of all property to be procured through funds from the City Treasury.
• Work with the City Solicitor to approve the procurement of goods and services and ensure sufficient bonds for the City.
• Oversees the consolidation and scheduling of procurement requirements for City departments
• Other responsibilities as assigned by the Mayor and CAO

Qualifications:

• Must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or an appropriate field of study
• Certification as a Public Procurement Officer or Buyer a plus, but not required

Skills:

• Aptitude for negotiating contracts and other agreements
• Ability to work interdepartmentally to achieve goals
• Strategic planning, visioning, and policy analysis
• Oral and written communication
• Problem-solving and ability to think creatively to produce solutions
• Strong organizational manager
• Strong interpersonal and relationship management skills
• Results-oriented – can meet deadlines and identify necessary actions to achieve goals
• Broad understanding of financial management principals
• Ability to make sound and timely decisions based on available information
• Can adapt to difficult situations and stay calm under pressure
• Values and encourages diversity of thought, background, and perspective
• Tech savvy with experience and fluency in office software programs

Experience:

• The individual in this position should have experience with of the following:
• 5-10 years of experience in operations with progressive leadership roles
• Large organizational systems – public sector procurement a plus, but not required
• Local government and public administration
• Vendor performance and contract management - understanding of best practices in these fields acceptable in lieu of experience
• Best Value procurement methodology – understanding of best practice in this field acceptable in lieu of experience
• Public policy development
• Contract negotiation
• Human resources management
• Experience implementing new technologies, adjusting business processes and work culture to maximize the outcome of the technology investment
• Must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, or an appropriate field of study.
• Certification as a Public Procurement Officer or Buyer a plus, but not required

Successful candidate must be a City resident within six months of hire and be willing to work onsite five days per week.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status.