Strategic Planning Consultant, DCP - 26702

Please Note: This is a temporary, full-time position.

Position Summary: New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) is the largest school system in the nation, with nearly 1 million students, 135,000 employees, including more than 80,000 teachers and an annual budget of $38B. The Division of Contracts and Purchasing (DCP) is responsible for shepherding, managing, and registering all contracts, as well as for maintaining oversight of non-contracted spend. DCP is governed by the Procurement Policies & Procedures (PPP).

Under general direction, with latitude for independent initiative and judgment, the Strategic Planning Consultant, in the Division of Contracts and Purchasing (DCP), is responsible for supporting the division through administrative and operational analyses related to the tracking of commodities and services for New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). The Consultant will manage the documentation review, scheduling, and follow-up reporting for Chancellor’s Committee on Contracts (COC) meetings and manage the issuance of appropriate public notice for Panel for Educational Policy (Panel) and COC meetings in accordance with State law and NYCPS procurement policy. The Strategic Planning Consultant develops and performs qualitative and quantitative reviews for work and processes of moderate difficulty. This will help facilitate the efficient transition of DCP’s current operations to use of the City’s new procurement system, PASSPort. This position provides strategic direction and makes recommendations to senior leadership regarding improvements to workstreams and processes that balance the integrity of the procurement process with the need for the timely procurement of goods and services. Performs related work.

Reports to: Associate Director of Strategic Procurement Planning and Management

Direct Reports: N/A

Key Relationships: Works with DCP’s Senior Executive Director, Chief Administrators, Directors, and Procurement Analysts; other NYCPS Central and school-based offices and staff; the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services; the New York City Corporation Counsel; the Chancellor’s Panel Operations staff, the CTS database administrator; and various City, State, and Federal agencies.

Responsibilities

Panel for Educational Policy

• Manages the submission, review, amendment, and internal approval of contract documentation for action by the Panel and the COC.
• Reviews contract actions with DCP Procurement Analysts and follows up, as needed, to prepare the contract agenda for each Panel meeting; evaluates each item to determine whether Panel approval is required, and advises appropriate parties when approval is not required.
• Conducts analytic reviews of contract statistics.
• Working collaboratively with DCP managers and analysts, schedules required preliminary review meetings of Panel documents.
• Evaluates and edits documentation before submission to the Panel to ensure that information about the contract, the contractor(s), the procurement process, financial impact, and contract chronology is consistent and accurate.
• Ensures Panel documents posted on agency website adhere to accessibility standards as required by NYCPS policy and Federal regulations.
• Proposes efficiencies to Panel and COC processes to improve cycle times of procurements.
• Manages the assembly of supporting documentation for the Senior Executive Director of DCP in preparation for each Panel meeting and provides updated contract information when submissions are revised.
• Prepares materials for and attends meetings with NYCPS executives to discuss contract actions prior to the public posting of contract agendas.
• Ensures that that all agreed upon deadlines are met regarding public notice of contract actions and submission of documentation to the Panel, and in the timely analysis and resolution of issues that arise.
• Reviews, prepares, and manages responses to contract-related inquiries received from Panel members and other interested parties.
• Monitors, tracks, and communicates the submission and approval status of contract actions.
• Communicates contract status information to appropriate parties and tracks such information in DCP’s Contract Tracking System (CTS).
• Maintains reports pertaining to Panel actions in CTS.
  
  

Chancellor’s Committee on Contracts

• Creates the schedule for the COC’s review, coordinating the timing with the Panel’s deadlines as necessary, and ensuring that a quorum is at each meeting.
• Drafts public notices in accordance with NYCPS’s procurement policy.
• Prepares the agenda for each COC meeting, reviewing each item to determine whether COC approval is required and advising appropriate parties when approval is not required.
• Collects documentation from Procurement Analysts for COC members’ review, ensuring that documentation is complete, appropriate, and disseminated in a timely manner.
• Reviews documents carefully to ensure that agendas and notices are accurate and complete.
• Coordinates scheduling with clients to answer COC members’ questions about their contract actions.
• Drafts minutes of COC meetings, taking official records of members’ votes.
• Prepares the DCP Executive Director’s approval memorandum for each approved contract item.
• Communicates status information to appropriate parties and tracks such information in CTS.
• Maintains reports pertaining to COC actions in CTS.
• Trains staff on the use of the scheduling tool in CTS.
  
  

PASSPort

• Develops, manages, and implements project plans to help launch and maintain the integration of PASSPort for agency procurement processes.
• Assists with the successful rollout of new technologies, including the development of testing and training plans and materials.
• Becomes proficient in all aspects of the system to provide training and support to various users as needed.
• Develops organizational strategies by interpreting and analyzing data with a focus on continuously improving processes.
  
  

Qualification Requirements

Minimum

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two (2) years of experience in an area related to the duties described above;
  
  

Preferred

• Strong data analysis skills with high-proficiency in use of data analytic software, e.g., Excel, Access.
• Excellent writing, presentation, verbal skills and attentive to detail.
• Familiarity with DOE-specific enterprise systems such as PASSport, Financial Accounting Management Information System (FAMIS), COGNOS, CTS, and CPS.
• Ability to evaluate documents for financial and chronological inconsistencies.
• Experience with technology and process redesign initiatives, from definition through implementation and change management.
• Extremely well organized, able to manage multi-faceted requests and data sources.
• Ability to effectively communicate with procurement staff and DCP leadership.
• Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines consistently.
• Self-starter with a sense of urgency who can adapt to changing priorities and work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to collaborate on a team and with a diverse set of stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills in dealing with education and non-education personnel, internal and external to NYCPS.
• Demonstrated strong project and event management skills.
• Organizational skills, with a high attention to detail.
• Attention to detail and able to follow-through.
• Time management skills, especially when handling multiple high-priority projects simultaneously.
  
  

Salary: $40 hourly rate 

(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.

REQUESTING AN ACCOMMODATION - APPLICANTS

Any prospective employee (applicant) who is a qualified individual with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation to assist in the application process. If an applicant for employment believes that they have a qualifying disability and are in need of a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application process on an equal basis as applicants who do not have a disability, they should request an accommodation with their interview team or contact ODA by emailing ODA@schools.nyc.gov. The determination of the accommodation request will be communicated to the applicant in writing.

https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/doe-employees-only/personnel-memorandum-6-2024-2025---accommodations.pdf

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/.