Procurement Planning Manager - Public Service Manager I - Agency Only

Opening Date: August 19, 2024 Closing Date: September 3, 2024 Job Class Code: MA27 Grade: 27 Salary: $64,676.00 – $91,000.00/Annually Position Number: 004600478 Department of Administrative & Financial Services Office/Bureau: Division of Procurement Services PURPOSE OF ANNOUNCEMENT: The State of Maine’s Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), Bureau of General Services is seeking an energetic procurement professional for the Division of Procurement Services. The Division of Procurement Services is a State agency support unit with a team atmosphere that experiences peak, high-paced periods throughout the year. This position leads the RFP (Request for Proposal) Team which is responsible for examining state procurement policies and procedures to ensure that current best practices are implemented throughout the competitive procurement process, with the specific goal of identifying cost savings and cost avoidance opportunities and ensuring that those savings and avoidance initiatives are achieved in accordance with statute and rule. The PPM for the RFP Team manages a complement of Procurement Analysts and Grant Specialists to employ a variety of methods to identify and achieve cost savings, including but not limited to: (1) reviewing and coordinating the State’s use of both competitive and sole source procurement processes to ensure cost effectiveness and their appropriate application, in conjunction with Procurement Services’ leadership; (2) being the lead role in all matters relating to the competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the procurement of services and the aggregation of state agency spend to achieve economies of scale, (3) improved selection of and participation in statewide master agreements to ensure that the state maximizes opportunities to meet agency needs, (4) leverage use of interstate cooperative purchasing where most appropriate, and (5) coordinate the Division’s statewide outreach on procurement and evaluation processes, in order to ensure that State agencies are cost-effectively and consistently using procurement processes. This position supports the Division’s mission to ensure that the goods and services we purchase represent the best value to the State. REPRESENTATIVE TASKS: (A position may not be assigned all the duties listed, nor do the listed examples include all the duties that may be assigned). Responsibilities: Plans, organizes, and coordinates section operations in order to establish priorities and ensure procurement objectives are attained. Responsible for identifying procurement-related cost savings whenever cost savings targets are established by a higher authority within State Government. Reviews and coordinates the State’s use of sole source procurement to ensure cost effectiveness and appropriate application by State agencies, in conjunction with leadership. Works with state agencies to determine when and how ongoing services must be put to competitive bid via the Request for Proposals (RFP) process or other competitive means. Determines appropriate procurement method to use for specific commodity or service procurements, including researching opportunities for cooperative purchasing with other states and makes recommendations to leadership. Directs and supervises the work of Procurement Analyst and Contract-Grant Specialist positions to achieve maximum cost savings for the State. Directs and supervises staff with the facilitation of the bid evaluation, award, and appeal processes. Assists with the review and approval of RFP and contract documents, as required by division leadership. Collaborates on process review and improvement initiatives. Carries out all division-led outreach to State agencies, in support of training and understanding on the procurement and evaluation processes. Administers and advises procurement functionalities such as file management, website, procurement workflow tools, FOAA tracking, NOI, and the appeal processes. Develops and establishes procurement best practices and performance benchmarks and key performance indicators in order to realize customer service and vendor management objectives. The Procurement Planning Manager will supervise (4) direct reports and report to the Chief Procurement Officer. This position will interact with other Division staff, client agency staff, and external vendors on a regular basis. The successful candidate must have strong written and verbal communication skills and sound mathematical abilities; additionally, they must be detail-oriented, possess strong organizational skills, and demonstrate strong critical thinking skills. Going forward, this position will be required to foster relationships with high impact agencies by educating them in the areas of acquisition planning, procurement process, contract management, and vendor relations. Greater responsibilities will be assigned in the areas of e-procurement administration, energy procurement, legal and regulatory compliance, and cross training of staff to increase breadth and depth of expertise. The background of well-qualified candidates will demonstrate the following competencies: Knowledge of applicable laws, rules, regulations, policy and procedures for the procurement of a broad range of goods and services encompassing all of State Government. Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources, leadership, and coordination of people and resources. Knowledge of State and Federal laws, statutes and regulations pertaining to procurement, contracting, and master agreements. Knowledge of legal requirements for contract language development. Knowledge of State Government programs and services as it relates to procurement needs. Knowledge of strategic planning, forecasting, and life-cycle analysis methods and techniques. Knowledge of accounting, human resource, and budget systems, policies, and procedures. Experience in Request for Proposal/Request for Information (RFP/RFI) document review, editing, and approval processes. Experience in the procurement solicitation process (RFQ/RFP), contracts, and related procurement documents. Ability to manage and direct professional staff. Ability to prepare, develop and monitor cost savings and spend under management reports for a small unit operation. Ability to develop recommendations for the revision of laws, rules, regulations, policies and procedures; and the implementation of new systems and organizations. Ability to establish performance expectations and to evaluate the performance results of staff. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with diverse groups. Ability to communicate effectively. Ability to write clearly and effectively. A thorough working knowledge of Microsoft Office products, specifically Outlook, Dynamics, Excel, and Word. Minimum Qualifications: (Entry level knowledges, skills, and/or abilities may be acquired through, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO the following coursework/training and/or experience). A Master’s Degree in Business Administration or related field of study and significant professional work experience involving complex procurement or related business processes involving high value and/or multi-agency complex procurement, program management principles and practices or related large scale business processes. Directly related additional experience may be substituted for educational requirement on a year-for-year basis. Special consideration given to those with proven experience in: Strong written and verbal communication skills Experience with the development solicitation documents Detail-oriented and possess strong organizational skill Cross agency-client support CGI-Advantage procurement processes Training leadership Report data generation and compilation SharePoint file management and organization Process review and improvement initiatives Workflow configurations and tools Benefits of working for the State of Maine: No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—"Dirigo" or "I lead"—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce's health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including: Work-Life Fit – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave. Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-95% of employee-only premiums ($11,196.96 - $12,514.32 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State. Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($387.92 annual value). Retirement Plan – The State contributes the equivalent of 18.09% of the employee's pay towards the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS). State employees are eligible for an extensive and highly competitive benefits package, covering many aspects of wellness. Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness. Note: Benefits may vary somewhat according to specific collective bargaining agreements and are prorated for anything less than full-time. There's a job and then there's purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role. As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics. If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. Thinking about applying? Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your lived experience and passion set you apart.