Contracts Transit Section Manager

Posting number: 2026SB27606

Department: MTD - Metro Transit

Division: Finance and Administration

Job classification: Transit Section Manager (Z3 : KC Personnel Guidelines)

Posting type: Open

Categories: Transportation, Transit

Summary

King County Metro Transit’s Finance and Administration Division is seeking an experienced procurement and contracts leader to serve as our next Contracts Transit Section Manager.

The Section Manager of King County Metro’s Contract Management group is responsible for leading and overseeing Metro’s contract lifecycle management, and contract portfolio management functions. This role ensures the effective acquisition of goods and services, end-to-end contract administration, strong portfolio governance, and delivery of best value to the organization.

The Section Manager provides strategic leadership, manages a team of contract professionals, and drives continuous improvement across all contracting practices. As Metro’s operational and organizational needs evolve, this role will guide the development, integration, and oversight of additional contracting portfolios and emerging service requirements.

Position Info: This recruitment will be used to fill one (1) Career Service Transit Section Manager classification vacancy. In addition, this selection process may be used to generate an eligibility pool for future Special Duty Assignment (SDA), Term Limited Temporary (TLT), and Career Service (CS) vacancies that may occur in this classification within this workgroup. The eligibility list will be retained for 12 months from the date of posting and may be used at the discretion of the hiring authority.  

Who May Apply: We welcome applications from all interested candidates, including current King County employees and the public. Please refer to the "Supplemental Information" section of this job bulletin for the required application materials.

Examples of duties

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of this work. This position is comprised of the following core duties:

• Lead, supervise, and develop King County Metro’s new Contract Management section, including performance management, workforce planning, and staff training and development.
• Oversee and support the full procurement lifecycle, including sourcing strategies; solicitations (RFPs, RFQs, IFBs, waivers); evaluations; negotiations; awards; and vendor selection.
• Provide effective contract portfolio management, ensuring centralized visibility and governance, risk management and compliance, cross functional collaboration, data driven decision making, and value optimization across Metro’s goods and services contracts. 
• Guide and oversee the complete contract lifecycle, including drafting, negotiation, execution, administration, amendments, renewals, and closeout.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, King County policies, and ethical procurement standards.
• Develop, implement, and maintain procurement and contract management policies, procedures, templates, and internal controls.
• Strengthen department staff capabilities in modern procurement, contract management, and portfolio governance practices.
• Collaborate with internal partners (King County Procurement, Legal, Finance, Operations, Project Management, and divisions across Metro) to align procurement and contracting strategies with organizational objectives.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate procurement and contractual risks; resolve escalated issues and disputes.
• Develop tools to monitor supplier and contract performance, ensuring service levels, deliverables, and financial obligations are met.
• Support audits, reporting, and internal reviews related to procurement and contract activities.
• Develop, approve, and monitor the budget; determine and allocate resources. 
• Leverage procurement, contracting, and portfolio management systems to improve efficiency, transparency, and data-driven decision-making.
• Lead integration of new procurement portfolios and functions as organizational needs expand, including operational, capital, and technical acquisition categories.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives, including cost savings, process optimization, and supplier performance enhancements.

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates who have: 

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Law, Public Administration, or a related field.

AND

Five (5) years of progressive experience in procurement, contract portfolio management, or contract lifecycle management, 

AND

Five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience, managing or leading teams.

OR

An equivalent combination of education and experience that demonstrates the skills, knowledge, and abilities required to perform the role effectively.

• Strong knowledge of contract portfolio management, contract lifecycle management, and procurement principles; fundamentals of contract law; and risk management practices.
• Demonstrated experience negotiating complex contracts and supplier agreements.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proficiency with procurement, portfolio, and contract management systems and tools.
• Knowledge of budget development, management, and monitoring.
• Knowledge of short and long-range strategic planning techniques and principles
• Knowledge of the management techniques for a large, complex, multidisciplinary organization.
• Knowledge of human resources management, supervision techniques and principles, and federal, state and local laws related to employment, civil rights, and affirmative action.

Highly competitive candidates will have (desired, but not required):

• Master’s degree in business administration, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Law, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Experience with frameworks such as the World Commerce & Contracting (WorldCC) or the NCMA Contract Management Body of Knowledge (CMBOK®).
• Professional certifications such as CPSM, CPP, CPCM, CFCM, CCM, or equivalent.
• CPSM: Certified Professional in Supply Management
• CPP: Certified Purchasing Professional
• CPCM: Certified Professional Contracts Manager
• CFCM: Certified Federal Contracts Manager
• CCM: Certified Construction Manager
• Experience in public-sector procurement or delivery of public goods and services.
• Familiarity with regulatory or compliance-driven procurement environments.
• Professional experience and certifications in process improvement or organizational change management, such as Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or PROSCI

All Metro Transit Section Managers will also have the following skills and abilities:

• Demonstrated experience building effective teams in diverse work environments while creating strong morale, instilling vision and purpose, and fostering open dialogue.
• Interested in and inspired to develop and lead direct reports, furthering people's career goals, providing challenging and stretching tasks and assignments, and effectively developing all levels of staff.
• Driven to build relationships and treat all employees and customers equitably, with respect and dignity, as well as solving problems for the good of all.
• Experience working with labor and ability to develop and nurture strong, productive relationships with union leadership, respecting established processes and fostering an environment of mutual respect.
• Excellent communicator, in both oral and written communications.
• Strategic industry leader knowledgeable about how organizations work and how to get things done both through formal channels and informal networks.
• Able to make complex decisions and to deal with concepts and complexity comfortably, in a capable and agile manner.
• Able to see clearly ahead, anticipate future consequences, effectively set priorities, and have broad knowledge, perspective and the ability to articulate possibilities and spend time on what is important.
• Skilled in process management and can quickly see the steps to accomplishing a task.
• Exhibit composure and practice attentive and active listening.
• Has a good sense of self, knowing personal strengths, weaknesses and biases and the impacts of these on others, particularly those you lead, possessing a commitment to continuously advancing this self-awareness.
• Demonstrate transparency and build trust, courageously and consistently acting upon a strong set of core values that are aligned with King County Metro Transit's values.
• Has the ability as a leader to facilitate difficult conversations, particularly related to race (and other protected classes), power, and privilege.
• Has the leadership courage and ability to identify and take steps necessary to ensure that all have equitable opportunities to thrive.

Supplemental information

Who may apply: We are accepting applications from all qualified individuals including current King County employees and the general public.

To Apply 

The following application materials are required: 

1. An online King County application updated with accurate contact information and relevant work history.
2. Completed supplemental questions. 
3. Resume
4. A letter of interest (cover letter) that addresses why you are interested in this role and how your experience, skills and/or education have prepared you for this position. 

Selection Process: 

Applications that do not include all of the required materials listed above will not be considered. Only the materials explicitly requested will be reviewed—additional documents or information will not be evaluated. Application materials will be screened for completeness and competitiveness. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews and possibly other selection process elements. Final offers are contingent on successful completion of reference checks and/or a record review.  

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application/assessment process, or have questions, please contact: Sabrina Brazzle at sbrazzle@kingcounty.gov.

Other Position Information
 
Work Location: 
This position requires a minimum of 3 days per week onsite to support team collaboration, coaching, and in-person leadership presence, consistent with King County Metro's hybrid work expectations for supervisory roles. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
 
Work Schedule: The position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible. The typical workweek is 40 hours per week, Monday – Friday.
 
Union Representation: The position is not represented by a union

Class Code: 1132120 TRANSIT SECTION MANAGER

 

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