What are the responsibilities and job description for the Contracts Assistant position at State of Washington Employment Security Department?
Description
The Employment Security Department (ESD) is seeking a detail-oriented, highly organized professional to serve as a Contracts Assistant (CA) within the Contracts, Asset Management & Purchasing (CAMP) unit.
You are someone who thrives in a structured, fast-paced environment and takes pride in accuracy, clarity, and follow-through. You enjoy supporting others, keeping complex information organized, and ensuring processes run smoothly. You communicate proactively, build strong working relationships, and approach your work with curiosity, accountability, and a commitment to equity. You are the person people rely on to keep things moving, keep records clean, and keep everyone informed.
As the Contracts Assistant, you provide essential administrative and operational support to the CAMP unit—helping ensure that ESD’s contracting processes are compliant, timely, and well-coordinated. You maintain contract records, track required documentation and training, support customer communication, and help keep the unit’s workflow organized and transparent. Your work strengthens the agency’s infrastructure, supports risk mitigation, and contributes to equitable, efficient service delivery for Washingtonians.
Duties
In this role, you will be the central point of coordination for contract intake, documentation, and tracking. You’ll maintain activity logs and contract files, monitor shared inboxes, support internal training coordination, and ensure customers understand timelines and processes. You will also assist Contract Specialists with solicitations and contract development tasks, review low-complexity documents for compliance, and help monitor contractor and agency performance through data tracking and reporting.
Some of what you will do:
- Maintain activity logs, contract records, and required compliance documentation.
- Monitor the contracts inbox, review intake forms, and create organized project file folders.
- Track mandatory procurement training and support coordination of internal contract training.
- Communicate timelines, processes, and updates to customers and respond to inquiries.
- Prepare written correspondence and maintain visual management tools.
- Review low-complexity contract documents for compliance and track amendments and modifications.
- Assist Contract Specialists with solicitations, contract paperwork, and preliminary document reviews.
- Retrieve, analyze, and enter data to produce accurate reports and track deliverables.
- Support monitoring of contractor performance and compare results to contract requirements.
- Maintain supplier diversity statistics and assist with DES and OMWBE reporting.
To request a detailed position description, click here.
Qualifications
Required:
Option 1: Four (4) years of equivalent education/experience.
Option 2: Associate’s degree with major study in business administration, or closely allied field, or public administration.
Option 3: Bachelor’s degree with major study in business administration, or closely allied field, or public administration.
Technical experience in the development, administration or termination of contracts may be substituted for college-level course work on a year-for-year basis.
Required equity competencies:
- The ability to take action to learn and grow.
- The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
The required experience includes:
- Activity Logging & Task Tracking: Strong attention to detail to accurately record tasks, updates, and contract-related actions.
- Contract Records Management: Ability to ensure records are complete, current, and easily retrievable.
- Compliance Documentation Management: Ability to verify document accuracy, expiration dates, and completeness.
- Customer Communication & Expectation Setting: Strong communication skills to ensure consistent, proactive updates to customers
- Email Monitoring & Project File Creation: Skill in monitoring shared inboxes and identifying incoming contract requests.
- Collaboration & Issue Resolution: Ability to work cooperatively with colleagues, customers, contractors, and managers.
- Customer Service & Inquiry Response: Ability to respond promptly, accurately, and professionally to customer inquiries.
Preferred/Desired Qualifications:
- One year as a contract assistant or have served in a comparable position with another state agency.
- Knowledge of contracting laws, state contracting policies, agreements, business and professional services, practices and trends, sources of supply, cost factors, and contract terminology and development.
Additional Requirements of Employment:
- Must be able to pass Unemployment Insurance (UI) & Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) claim and fraud check.
Please submit only the required documents as noted below and ensure all Personal Identifying Information (PII) such as Social Security numbers etc. are edited out of your materials for privacy.
Additionally, we ask that you not include photographs or external links within your documents. Any documents uploaded through this platform will be securely transmitted electronically to support application review.
Please submit your Resume and Cover Letter with your Online Application through the "Add Attachments" field. A resume will not substitute for the "work experience" section of the application or vice versa. Applications with blank fields, or supplemental question responses with comments such as "see attachments" may be considered incomplete.
Supplemental Information
Opportunity for All
We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, ethnic, racial, religious, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, people over 40 years of age, people with religious beliefs, veterans or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.
The Employment Security Department is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
If you are a person needing assistance in the application process, if you need this job announcement in an alternate format, or if you have general questions about this opportunity, please contact Katie Swanson, 360-742-8208 or the Talent Acquisition Team, or Washington Relay Service 711 prior to the recruitment closing. If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please contact careershelp@des.wa.gov or (360) 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960, Washington Relay 711.
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