Work for Our Water Resources.

Help protect one of Florida’s most vital resources — water — with a career at the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District).

The District is a government agency whose mission is to protect water resources, minimize flood risks, and ensure the public’s water needs are met. We serve a population of nearly 6 million people in west-central Florida as directed by state law.

Join our Procurement Services Office

Support our Procurement Office by using your expertise in public sector purchasing. With this opportunity, you'll have the chance to procure supplies, materials, services, and equipment necessary for the District to operate in a manner that is responsive, promotes integrity and fairness, and encourages diversity. The Procurement Specialist confers with vendors to obtain product or service information, such as price, availability, and delivery schedule, administers procurement-related policies and procedures, and provides work direction and training to internal customers. You’ll have the chance to work with a wide range of project managers, internal customers and a fun and welcoming Procurement team.

The District supports employees who prefer flexible schedule or a remote work schedule so that they can enjoy their time outside of the District through work-life balance. This role is considered hybrid, which means the employee will be required to come on-site for periodic meetings and work a portion of their time remotely (must live in Florida). Come build a career that is challenging, fulfilling, and helps support the District’s mission to protect Florida’s water resources. This position specifically has the ability to work up to three (3) days remote after successful three (3) months.

District employees are offered an excellent total rewards package that includes:

Starting Compensation:

Procurement Specialist 1: $40,705.60 - $49,630.26
Procurement Specialist 2:$46,737.60 - $60,219.71
Procurement Specialist 3: $50,460.80 - $65,020.00

The starting salary range for the Procurement Specialist position reflects the minimum to 40% of the compensation. The starting salary will be based on the education and experience of the successful candidate. The District conducts annual performance evaluations that may award applicable pay increases based on positive employee performance.

Essential Functions

• Verify needs with District staff and negotiate prices, terms, discounts, services, delivery, and transportation with vendors for goods and services consistent with applicable federal and state laws and District policies and procedures. Develop requests for quotes/bids/proposals, conduct pre-bid meetings, openings and debriefings, coordinate questions, answers, and addenda. Evaluate suppliers, negotiate contracts and review product/service quality. Apply, interpret, and adhere to relevant laws, legal codes, government regulations, and District rules, procedures and practices.
• Determines or recommends method of procurement, such as direct purchase or bid. Prepares bid specifications, receive bids, and make purchases of commodities or goods.
• Recommend procurement process; draft, evaluate and finalize agreements of varying types, such as non-disclosure, sales/purchase, sub-contract, consulting, license, distribution, commercial and public contracting, construction, cooperative funding or other agreements as needed. Review procurement and contractual terms and conditions proposed by other internal and external stakeholders. Investigate new sources of supply and environmentally preferable products and services by gathering and analyzing market intelligence on suppliers, products, services, and costs. Estimates values according to knowledge of market price.
• Work with Finance, the Office of General Counsel, Risk, and others to coordinate financial, legal, insurance, and others contractual terms and ensure adherence to broader operational requirements such as contractual or statutory/rule requirements.
• Serve as a point of contact and provide guidance as needed for employees, customers, and stakeholders on contractual and procurement matters. Orient, train, and advise staff, vendors, and other government agencies on regulations, District policies, procedures and current solicitations.
• Establish and maintain relations with suppliers and internal customers exercising personal initiative and sound business judgment and employ process quality improvement and cost reduction efforts. Apply, interpret, and adhere to relevant laws, legal codes, government regulations, and District rules, procedures, and practices.
• Maintain appropriate records and documentation, such as correspondence, data, and reports needed or used in development of contracts, stakeholder contact information, contract modifications, issue identification/resolution, significant events, status reports, and other procurement-related documents. Identify and establish monitoring and reporting methods and requirements for procurement. Identify potential problems or areas of recurrent concern or pressure within the course and scope of contract or procurement efforts and identify/implement effective solutions.
• Contribute to, influence, develop and implement procedures for procurement management and administration in accordance with District policy. Expedite, track, monitor, and report on processes, documents, and performance. Administer the District's Procurement Card Program, including P-card establishment, training, disputes, and closeout. Manage vendor relationships.

Working Conditions

Physical, Visual Acuity Requirements: Sedentary Work, Close Acuity, Reaching, Standing, Walking, Lifting, Fingering, Grasping, Talking, Hearing, Repetitive Motion, Other

Working Environmental Conditions: BothInOut

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Employee may be subject to call-in outside of regularly scheduled work hours, or required to be on call, including on nights, weekends or holidays, to respond to emergency management activities or other incidents requiring rapid response in support of District operations.

Required Credentials for Procurement Specialist Opportunity

Procurement Specialist 1

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Business Administration or related field and one (1) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field OR Associates degree from an accredited college or university and three (3) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field OR High School diploma or equivalent and five (5) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field
• Valid driver's license

Procurement Specialist 2

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Business Administration or related field and three (3) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field OR Associates degree from an accredited college or university and five (5) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field OR High School diploma or equivalent and seven (7) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field
• Valid driver's license

Procurement Specialist 3

• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Business Administration or related field and five (5) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field OR Associates degree from an accredited college or university and seven (7) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field OR High School diploma or equivalent and nine (9) years experience in procurement, purchasing, or related field
• Valid driver's license

Preferred Credentials for Procurement Specialist Opportunity

• Certified Professional Public Buyer certification
• Experience working for a state government, local municipality, or special district

Application Process

The District will determine eligibility for employment solely from the information provided on a District employment application. All applicants are required to complete, in full, the District employment application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. A resume will not be considered as a substitute for the required District application for the purposed of qualification. Applicants who are within 30 days of graduation, if selected are not allowed to start until all minimum qualifications are met.

Additional Details

This position is typically scheduled to work 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, out of the Brooksville, FL office. This position is eligible for compensatory time for hours worked over 40 hours, in a week. Remote work opportunities may be available for up to three (3) days per week.

Travel Required

Yes. Some travel, using District vehicle, within District's coverage area.

Accepting applications until May 8, 2024 at 4:00 PM

About Us

The District is responsible for managing the water resources for west central Florida which includes approximately 10,000 square miles of territory spanning 16 counties and serving more than 6 million residents. Established in 1961 as a flood-protection agency, our objective is to meet the needs of current and future water users, protect and preserve our water resources, manage the water supply, protect water quality, and preserve water-related functions.

Apply Now

Start and grow your career with the District! The District prides itself on providing a positive work environment that engages and supports our employees through flexible and remote work schedules. We provide and support learning and development for staff at all levels including conferences, association memberships, and formal education. Let us know if you have previous public sector experience that may allow for additional perks! Click on the link to apply.

#WorkForOurWater

Equal Employment Opportunity/Veterans Preference/Drug-Free Workplace/Tobacco Free Campuses.

All applicants shall receive equal consideration and treatment in employment without regard to race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, marital status, familial status, or medical condition. All recruitment, hiring, placements, transfers and promotions will be on the basis of individual skills, knowledge and abilities, and the feasibility of any necessary job accommodation(s).

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) does not discriminate on the basis of disability in regard to job application procedures, hiring, and other terms and conditions of employment. It is further the policy of the District to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the employment process. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to the Human Resources Office Chief, at 2379 Broad St., Brooksville, FL 34604-6899; telephone (352) 796-7211 or 1-800-423-1476 (FL only); or email ADACoordinator@WaterMatters.org. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice). In the event of a complaint, please follow the grievance procedure located at WaterMatters.org/ADA.

The District participates in E-Verify employment eligibility verification. We will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

The District does not sponsor applicants for work visas.