Executive Director, Procurement of Curriculum, Instruction, and School Support, DCP - 25228

Position Summary: The Executive Director, Procurement of Curriculum, Instruction, and School Support will, with creativity, innovation, and a focus on maximizing outcomes for students and schools, develop and lead the comprehensive procurement strategy for this portfolio. The Executive Director will have a deep understanding of the goods and services used for instructional learning and materials in schools and Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL), as well as enterprise/multi-division utilized contracts, subscriptions, and memberships supporting the operations of New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) and central offices.

Specifically, the Executive Director will be familiar with the unique needs of school communities as distinct from those of program offices, and they will be acutely aware of best practices in curriculum and instruction in order to best support the agency’s efforts around teaching and learning. This position will proactively work together with their clients to review all contracts for goods and services periodically to advise on opportunities to rebid or resolicit contracts to obtain the best value for the NYCPS and to maximize awards and subcontracting to Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs).

The Executive Director will work closely with the Deputy Chief Procurement Officers (DCPOs) of Procurement Strategy & Policy and Operations to ensure their portfolio’s strategy and implementation align with the overall strategic vision of the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO), the Chief Operating Officer/Deputy Chancellor of Operations + Finance, the Citywide Business Diversity Officer (CBDO), and City Hall.

The incumbent will collect and utilize data to drive decision-making and accountability for their team. They will also use data to guide client offices and schools in best procurement practices to maximize outcomes.

The Executive Director will lead a team of about 15-20 staff of procurement analysts and coordinators, directors, and project managers, as well as a Deputy Executive Director. This is a large-scale procurement operation involving the acquisition of goods and services that enable children to learn and schools to function, and that constitutes over 250 contracts annually. Performs related work.

Reports to: Deputy Chief Procurement Officer, Procurement Strategy & Policy

Direct Reports: Directors and Associate Directors of Procurement of Curriculum, Instruction, and School Support

Key Relationships: All levels of DCP staff, including the Chief and Deputy Chief Procurement Officers; NYCPS Office of General Counsel, Office of Supplier Diversity; New York City Comptroller’s Office, New York City Law Department, New York City Office of Management and Budget, New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), Mayor’s Office of Contract Services, New York State Office of General Services (OGS), various NYCPS Central Offices, Superintendents' Offices, Division of School Leadership, NYC Public/Non-Public Schools, vendors, and others as assigned.

Responsibilities

Strategic Portfolio Leadership

• Ensures high-quality procurement services for students and schools by strategically managing the Curriculum, Instruction, and School Support portfolio to optimize outcomes.
• Oversees the procurement portfolio, collaborating with key clients such as the Division of School Leadership, Superintendent Offices, and schools, and working closely with the Division of Enterprise Purchasing (DEP).
• Sets robust contract goals and pace for a portfolio of high performing functions, providing excellent customer service to clients and teams.
• Builds strong client relationships through proactive engagement, maintaining a deep understanding of their procurement needs to align vendor support with initiatives.
• Advises and supports client offices in developing effective vendor engagement strategies, ensuring outstanding customer service from the team.
• Provides strategic guidance on vendor relationships, fostering productive partnerships and a high standard of responsive support for all stakeholders.
• Leverages data and reports to drive outcomes - both for the portfolio's procurement strategic vision as well as accountability for team members.
• Develops and makes policy decisions on reducing cycle time and developing and implementing best practices and process improvements.
• Proactively reviews active contracts to determine recommendations for rebids or new procurements, limiting unnecessary renewals and extensions to maximize M/WBE participation and obtain the best discounts and value for NYCPS.
• Implements best practices for increasing contracting opportunities for Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE).
• Proactively reviews contract statuses and identifies opportunities for competitive solicitations and opportunities to leverage Minority/Women-Owned Businesses (M/WBE) as either prime or subcontractors.
  
  

Contract Administration

• Proactively stays abreast of all developments in procurement strategy and policy for city agencies and nationwide and makes recommendations to the DCPOs and CPO regarding potential changes for improved procurement outcomes. Additionally, stays abreast of best practices in the realm of teaching & learning to best support client offices and schools in best meeting the needs of children.
• Enforces and monitors Agency compliance with New York State General Municipal Laws, Chancellor's Regulations, Mayoral policies and procedures, and procurement-related laws, rules, and regulations.
• Advises staff on procurement matters, local laws, City administrative requirements, and Comptroller's Office policies and procedures regarding purchasing/contracting operations; disseminates alerts and updates as to developments in procurement-related law; recommends and oversees training for procurement staff and develops training guides.
• Oversees and drives strategy for large-scale procurements involving the acquisition of goods and services, which constitutes over 250 contracts annually for this portfolio.
• Oversees the coordination, planning, and implementation of contract and procurement activities from pre-solicitation to award and registration, including drafting and/or reviewing Request for Bids, Request for Proposal, and other sourcing methods, conducting responsibility/responsiveness determinations, performance evaluations, and managing other procurement-related documents.
• Establishes procedures for administration of contract and procurement activities, such as solicitation, awarding, and processing of bids and contracts, and effecting contract changes and modifications, and ensures compliance from team members.
• Obtains corrective action where the contractor has failed to provide contracted goods or services or is deficient in honoring terms of contractual agreement.
• Explores opportunities to leverage existing contracts procured by other municipalities, at the Federal, State, or Local level.
• Works collaboratively with other City agencies, including but not limited to the DCAS and NYS OGS to identify contracting opportunities that help to achieve cost savings and logistical efficiencies.
  
  

Policy Compliance

• Leads, guides, and supports team members to provide best-in-class customer service to client offices and schools, intervening and providing professional development when warranted and/or requested.
• Manages procurement staff as they engage in activities involving major procurement and contracting functions, specifications for services, and negotiations of prices, terms, and conditions with vendors, contractors, and suppliers.
• Provides procurement training to program offices, Superintendents' offices, school principals, assistant principals, school business managers, and purchasing secretaries.
• Serves as a subject matter expert regarding contract management training.
• Oversees monitoring, tracking, and reporting processes and prepares briefings for senior leadership.
• Ensures that deliverable timelines are consistently met.
  
  

Qualifications Requirements

Minimum

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four (4) years of full-time satisfactory professional experience in purchasing, procurement, contract administration or a related field, at least eighteen months of which must have been in an administrative, managerial or executive capacity or supervising professional personnel performing duties in one or more of the above fields; or
• A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to "1" above. However, all candidates must have the eighteen months of administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory experience described in "1" above.
  
  

Possession of an acceptable professional procurement certification may be substituted for up to one (1) year of the experience described in "1" above. However, all candidates must have the eighteen months of administrative, managerial, executive or supervisory experience described in "1" above.

Preferred

• Certified Purchasing Manager (CPM) lifetime certification.
• NIGP - Certified Public Purchasing Buyer (CPPB) certification.
• 10+ years of executive leadership experience.
• Deep experience and expertise in education and workforce development.
• Wide experience working with education clients, including schools, districts, higher education, state and federal agencies, policymakers, colleges and universities, and businesses and community organizations.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills; ability to organize facts and present information and figures in a clear, concise and logical manner, both spoken and written.
• Excellent interpersonal skills in dealing with education and non-education personnel, internal and external to NYCPS.
• Ability to think strategically and translate insights into action.
• Ability to work under pressure and in a fast-paced environment.
• Creative problem-solver with the ability to perform independent, thoughtful analysis around important educational issues.
• Ability to analyze a problem or situation and quickly capture the important elements.
• Proven leader, attentive to detail, extremely well organized, and able to work under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal and customer-interface skills.
• Superior organizational, analytical, verbal and mathematical skills and the ability to work in a proactive, independent manner.
  
  

Salary: $152,070 - $194,863

(Internal candidates who are selected for this position and who currently hold comparable or less senior positions within the DOE will not earn less than their current salary.)

Please include a resume and cover letter with your application.

NOTE: The filling of all positions is subject to budget availability and/or grant funding.

• New York City Residency is NOT Required *
  
  

We encourage all applicants from the New York City tri-state area to apply.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

DOE Non- Discrimination Policy

The Department of Education of the City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's actual or perceived sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or pregnancy. For more information, please refer to the DOE Non-Discrimination Policy.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.