Contracting Manager Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Job Description This is a non-merit position. Only applicants who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements (listed below) will be placed on the eligible list. The Department of Management (DOM), Division of Information Technology (DoIT), is seeking a strategic, experienced leader to supervise and direct statewide IT procurement, contracting, and vendor management activities.

This position leads two distinct operational teams - IT Procurement and Contracting, and IT Vendor Management - and is accountable for ensuring that technology goods and services are acquired through compliant, competitive processes and that enterprise vendor relationships are actively managed and held to contract. The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in IT procurement, contract development, vendor oversight, and team leadership, and will help shape the processes and partnerships that support Iowa's technology landscape across all executive branch agencies. This is a supervisory leadership role with meaningful responsibility for process development, team direction, and cross-agency coordination on procurement and vendor matters.

What You Will Do Supervise, direct, and coordinate daily operations of the IT procurement and contracting, and vendor management teams. Exercise supervisory authority over personnel actions, including hiring, performance management, disciplinary procedures, and workload assignments. Manage the section's procurement and contracting pipeline, sequencing and assigning work across team leads and staff to ensure agency requests are processed accurately and on committed timelines.

Serve as the substantive management reviewer of solicitations, statements of work, and contract documents before they advance to the ACIO or route to external parties, ensuring work product meets DOM standards and is defensible to audit and procurement review. Oversee competitive IT procurement solicitations to ensure compliance with Iowa Code, administrative rules, and DOM/DoIT procurement standards. Review and guide the development of IT statements of work and contract documents to ensure alignment with DOM's contracting standards and requirements.

Coordinate legal review with procurement attorneys on contractual matters involving warranty, liability, data security, and intellectual property. Develop, manage, and oversee statewide IT service contracts, cooperative purchasing vehicles, and master agreements. Create and apply methodologies to evaluate marketplace solutions, vendor qualifications, pricing adequacy, and cooperative purchasing options.

Design, implement, and refine processes for managing the procurement, contracting and vendor management pipeline to improve coordination and workflow efficiency. Lead or participate in and support negotiations for IT contracts in collaboration with the ACIO and legal team. Oversee vendor management activities, including performance monitoring, compliance reviews, issue escalation, and vendor scorecard administration.

Represent the Business Management section in inter-agency and statewide meetings when the ACIO is unavailable or as needed, providing strategic and administrative support across procurement, contracting, and vendor management initiatives. Direct the professional development of team leads and staff, building the section's capability in procurement, contracting, and vendor management functions. Establish documented policies, procedures, and operational standards for the procurement, contracting, and vendor management teams, building repeatable, audit-ready processes where informal or undocumented practices currently exist.

What We Are Seeking A strong leader with experience managing IT procurement, contracting, or vendor management teams in a complex, regulatory-driven environment. Proven expertise in developing, reviewing, and negotiating IT contracts, statements of work, and competitive solicitations to ensure legal, technical, and policy compliance. Skilled in vendor performance oversight, including SLA/KPI monitoring, corrective action, and contract lifecycle management.

Skilled at building operational infrastructure - documented processes, intake standards, and workflow controls - for procurement and contracting functions where formal structure is limited or developing. An effective people manager who sets clear expectations, develops staff capability, and exercises independent judgment on personnel and performance matters. Effective communicator able to collaborate across agencies, engage with legal and executive leadership, and represent the organization in statewide procurement and IT governance settings.

What We Offer Flexible work environment Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) Health, dental, and vision insurance Generous vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays Life and disability insurance Retirement savings options (RIC) Flexible Spending Accounts Why Work with Us. At the Iowa Department of Management (DOM), we help government agencies across the state perform at their best by managing financial resources, technology, and information. Our mission is rooted in service-we provide efficient, innovative, and strategic solutions that empower agencies to fulfill their goals.

We're guided by four core values: Integrity - We act with honesty and accountability. Teamwork - We collaborate to achieve shared success. Service - We are committed to excellence in public service.

Partnership - We build strong relationships to drive results. Working Arrangement This position requires onsite work in Des Moines, IA each week. Employees meeting all expectations of their work responsibilities may request remote work and develop a hybrid/remote schedule collaboratively with their manager.

Please note, candidates for this position must reside in the state of Iowa at the time of starting the role. Background Check Requirements After a conditional offer of employment has been made, and as the final step in the hiring process, candidates for this position will be subject to a background investigation, which may include but may not be limited to a verification of a candidate's education, previous employment/work history, contact of personal references, motor vehicle records, and a criminal history check (including through Federal, State, or Local criminal justice agencies). Information gathered as part of such background investigation will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by Iowa Code section 22.7, 8B.4A, and other applicable laws, rules, and regulations; provided that, to the extent permitted by applicable law, such information shall be available to candidates upon request

E-Verify and Right to Work The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees' rights to work without being required to join a labor organization.

For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov. Minimum Qualification Requirements Minimum Qualification Requirements Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification: 1) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in any field, and experience equal to six years of full-time work experience in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security, which included two years of management experience. 2) All of the following (a, b, and c): a

One year of full-time work experience in information technology; and b. Two years education from an accredited college or university with coursework in any field; and c. Six years of full-time work in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security, which included two years of management experience.

3) All of the following (a, b, and c): a. Five years of full-time work experience in application development and database management, business analysis, systems and network administration, technical training and reporting, IT vendor and purchasing management, IT project management, IT product management, system testing and quality assurance, mainframe and platform administration, and/or information technology security, which included two years of management experience; and b. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in any field; and c.

A total of one year of graduate-level education, where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university coursework in computer science or management information systems equals one year of full-time experience. 4) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes thirty months of full-time work as an Information Technology Specialist 4. 5) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes eighteen months of full-time work as an Information Technology Specialist 5.

6) Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes one year of full-time work as an Information Technology Administrator 1. For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.