Director Supplier Diversity

Salary: $73,550.00 - $88,857.00 (GS.14E)

Work Hours: Monday

• Friday, 8:00 A.M.

• 4:30 P.M. (EST)

• Hours may vary due to work assignments or projects.*

Work Location: 6098 Debra Road, Chattanooga, TN 37411

FLSA Status: This is an Exempt position.

Department: Equity and Community Engagement

CLASSIFICATION SUMMARY:

The City of Chattanooga seeks a creative and committed individual to lead supplier diversity efforts within the Department of Equity and Community Engagement. The Director will be responsible for planning, developing, and executing initiatives that support equitable procurement from inception to conclusion, with the ultimate goal of creating long-term, invested partnerships that are competitively postured to participate in the City's growth. In doing so, the Director demonstrates their understanding of and commitment to advancing the Mayor's vision for Chattanooga.

The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated commitment to racial equity, the ability to develop strong relationships with local minority- and women-owned businesses, and a systems-oriented approach. They will have a clear ability to navigate complex purchasing rules while creating accessible pathways to doing business with the City of Chattanooga. The Department of Equity and Community Engagement engages in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; supplier diversity; multicultural affairs; assisting new Americans; and community engagement and outreach activities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

(The following duties ARE NOT intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by all employees in this classification, only a representative summary of the primary duties and responsibilities. Incumbent(s) may not be required to perform all duties listed and may be required to perform additional, position-specific duties.)

Works closely with the City's Department of Purchasing to develop and implement an approach to expand the range of minority-owned businesses who can successfully compete for City-issued RFPs and RFQs.

Develops and executes outreach strategies to build diverse supplier relationships, and to create networking opportunities with businesses.

Actively engages in the preparation of events promoting and recognizing supplier diversity efforts.

Compiles and maintains a list of minority-owned firms that would benefit from the initiative.

Provides feedback to program participants that identifies business strengths and weaknesses so they may improve their responses in the bidding process.

Resolves issues and provides guidance to enhance supplier capabilities and growth opportunities.

Provides leadership and direction in the development of short and long-range plans; gathers, interprets, and prepares data for studies, reports and recommendations; and coordinates activities with other departments and agencies as needed.

Advises the Chief Equity Officer, the Mayor and City Council on key matters of supplier diversity, equity in government purchasing and procurement, and the issues and opportunities facing minority-owned small businesses.

Must meet regular attendance requirements.

Must be able to maintain good interpersonal relationships with staff, co-workers, managers and citizens.

Must accomplish the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodations, in a timely manner.

Performs other duties as assigned.

DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC DUTIES (if any):

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree and 7+ years of experience in roles of growing scope, responsibility, and demonstrable results in the procurement sector or a related field, or any combination of equivalent experience and education. Advanced degrees in diversity and inclusion, urban studies, procurement, supply chain management, or a related field may be substituted on a year-for-year basis up to two years of the required 7 years of experience as described above. Extensive knowledge of the principles and practices of supplier diversity programs, and extensive knowledge of procurement, including understanding category management principles, sourcing strategies, and execution.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

Ability to leverage procurement experience to develop value-added relationships with supply chain professionals and functional leaders to increase the development and utilization of diverse suppliers; Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Skill in developing process flows; and excellent negotiating, consensus building, and conflict resolution skills. Demonstrated ability to execute projects while balancing multiple and competing priorities on tight deadlines, all while providing continual attention to detail and quality.

Politically astute with a proven track record of working effectively in partnership with City departments, elected officials, local, regional, and state governments, outside agencies, residents, small businesses, and other key stakeholders to achieve planning goals and objectives. Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and manage organizational cultural change and development, comprehensively leading and energizing a diverse team.

A passion for community-centered issues and a desire to work with a mission-driven organization. Highly effective communicator with maturity who demonstrates cultural competence, active listening, and responsiveness to the community, officials, and staff.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

Safety Sensitive: N

Department of Transportation

• CDL: N

Child Sensitive: N

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION:

All employees must maintain Tennessee residency from the date of hire.

This position requires pre-employment screening(s) that include: a background check.

The City of Chattanooga, Tennessee is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

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