DIRECTOR OF CONTRACTS - 75498

Executive Service

https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/correction/documents/DirectorofContractsJobDescription.pdf

Background Check:

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position

Who we are and what we do:

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) is to operate safe and secure facilities and provide effective community supervision in support of successful reentry. TDOC is responsible for 14 adult prisons across the state, housing approximately 20,000 inmates. Ten of these facilities are operated by TDOC, while four are managed by a private contractor. In addition to the prisons, TDOC oversees 46 probation parole offices across 13 judicial districts, supervising 75,000 adult offenders in the community. The department also operates eight Day Reporting and Community Resource Centers, which serve as alternatives to incarceration. The department is fully accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA).

Job Overview:

The Contracts Director is responsible for TDOCs contracts management function and a diverse, high-value portfolio of contracts supporting correctional facilities, district offices, and community-based programs statewide. The portfolio includes professional and non-professional services, interagency agreements, grants, and other complex contractual instruments, with individual contract values ranging from no-cost agreements to over $1 billion. This is a working executive role that combines people leadership with direct management of complex, high-risk contracts. The Contracts Director advises TDOC leadership on contract strategy, risk, and compliance and exercises independent judgment consistent with the scope and fiscal exposure of the portfolio. Contracts Leadership and Oversight: Lead TDOCs contracts management function by setting priorities, allocating resources, and ensuring timely, high-quality execution of contract actions. Supervise and mentor contracts staff, establish clear expectations, and foster a culture of accountability, sound judgment, and risk awareness. Serve as the primary escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-risk contractual matters affecting agency operations or fiscal exposure. Contract Portfolio Management: Oversee the full contract lifecycle for the team while personally managing a portfolio of complex, high-value, or strategically significant agreements. Ensure timely execution of amendments, renewals, extensions, and closeout actions, with attention to operational continuity, fiscal controls, and risk mitigation. Monitor contract performance, identify emerging issues, and provide leadership with clear assessments and recommended courses of action.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Solicitation and Award Execution: Lead competitive solicitation activities, including RFPs, ITBs, and other competitive processes, from requirements development through contract award. Ensure evaluation processes are rigorous, transparent, and well-documented to withstand audit, protest, or legislative scrutiny. Advise executive leadership on solicitation strategy, evaluation outcomes, and award recommendations, emphasizing defensibility and risk-informed decision-making over negotiation outcomes.
2. Cross-Functional Coordination and Program Support: Collaborate closely with fiscal, procurement, and property management staff to ensure contract actions are aligned with funding, operational, and asset management requirements. Partner with program offices to translate operational needs into effective contract strategies and executable agreements, ensuring programs receive the services and support necessary to carry out TDOCs mission. Coordinate complex or high-risk contract actions across functional areas and advise executive leadership on cross-cutting risks, dependencies, and recommended courses of action.
3. Policy, Procedure, and Governance: Develop, revise, and maintain TDOC contracting policies and standard operating procedures in alignment with Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.), Central Procurement Office (CPO) regulations, and agency objectives. Translate statutory and regulatory requirements into practical, standardized processes that support consistent contract execution across facilities and programs. Ensure policies and procedures are implemented through clear guidance, training, and oversight.
4. Data, Systems, and Process Improvement: Use contract data and raw datasets to identify trends, forecast workload and risk, and recommend operational or policy improvements. Develop and maintain executive-level reports and dashboards that provide insight into portfolio health, compliance, and performance. Maximize use of TDOCs ERP system (e.g., Edison) to support contract lifecycle management, reporting, and audit readiness. Identify inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and control gaps and implement corrective actions to improve effectiveness and reliability.
5. Risk Management and Compliance: Establish and maintain proactive processes to identify, assess, and mitigate contractual risk. Ensure contract actions comply with applicable procurement laws, regulations, and internal policies through targeted reviews and oversight. Present leadership with identified issues and well-reasoned recommendations for resolution and risk reduction.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Business, Public Administration, Finance, Law, or a related field.
2. Extensive experience in public-sector or highly regulated contract management, including responsibility for complex, high-value service contracts and competitive solicitations.
3. Demonstrated experience leading contract teams or functions with accountability for outcomes, risk, and executive-level decision support.
4. Strong working knowledge of contract lifecycle management, solicitation evaluation, and policy development within a regulated environment.
5. Experience using ERP-based contract management systems and applying data analysis to inform leadership decisions.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience managing large, diverse contract portfolios supporting operational missions.
2. Experience interfacing with fiscal oversight bodies, legislative review processes, or comparable external approval authorities.
3. Senior-level experience in federal, state, or comparably regulated institutional contracting environments.
4. Demonstrated ability to operate independently, exercise sound executive judgment, and advise senior leadership on risk-informed decisions.

Skills:

1. Executive Judgment and Risk Assessment: Ability to assess complex contractual, operational, and fiscal risks and provide clear, well-reasoned recommendations to leadership.
2. Contract Strategy and Evaluation: Strong understanding of contract structures, competitive solicitation evaluation, and contract lifecycle management in regulated environments.
3. Leadership, Coaching, and Accountability: Proven ability to lead professional teams, set clear expectations, and foster accountability and sound judgment.
4. Data Analysis and Systems Fluency: Ability to analyze contract data, forecast workload and risk, and leverage ERP systems to support reporting, compliance, and audit readiness.
5. Executive Communication and Oversight Engagement: Ability to communicate complex contract issues clearly to senior leadership and oversight stakeholders.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.