Location: Remote in the United States
Application deadline is Friday, May 3, 2024, at 5p EST.
Summary
The Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) has a bold vision: better procurement for people and the planet. We envision a world where the trillions of dollars spent on supplies, projects, and services are used to create more equitable, prosperous, and sustainable communities around the world. We help partners across government, civil society, and business to open up and transform public procurement, design goal-driven reforms, build coalitions of change, and co-create digital solutions powered by open data.
As our U.S. Director, you will develop and lead OCP’s strategy for our work in the United States. This is an opportunity for an exceptional individual to:
- Position OCP as a leader in leveraging procurement to advance equity, accountability, and sustainability goals in city and state governments;
- Expand our fundraising to secure a mix of philanthropic, government, and other sources in line with our mission and values;
- Build partnerships with government technology vendors and others to make digital procurement solutions more human-centered and outcome-oriented;
- Oversee and execute OCP’s capacity building in the United States, helping our partners to transform their procurement practices to serve residents and the environment.
The ideal candidate will have a strong vision for this work, the ability to execute their vision, along with an impressive track record on government or civic transformation. You will have a network of relevant contacts and strong skills in partnership building, storytelling, and fundraising to build and scale OCP’s efforts in the United States.
You will join a global team of about 30 amazing people. We offer a flexible working environment with excellent benefits and opportunities for professional development. Join us in delivering OCP’s mission and transform how procurement delivers results in the United States.
About the Role
In this role, you will:
Position OCP as a leader in leveraging digital procurement to advance equity, accountability, and sustainability goals in cities and states. You will help us to make the case that procurement can be a lever to solve some of the most urgent crises that we are facing, from systemic inequities, to democratic failures, to climate change. Through personal leadership, networking, public speaking, and writing you will help us build a movement with government agencies, funders, and other stakeholders to achieve our mission.
Expand and diversify financial resources to support the mission and drive outcomes across our U.S. portfolio. The majority of our work in the United States is currently donor funded. We see an opportunity and need to expand our philanthropic funding, and explore different revenue-generating opportunities that we already pursue in other regions, such as paid services, partnerships, etc. In a mission- and value-aligned way, you will further develop OCP’s revenue strategy with support from OCP’s management team.
Build partnerships with government technology vendors and other actors, such as professional organizations, to make procurement solutions more human-centered, data-driven and outcome-oriented. There are many actors in the ecosystem that can change how procurement delivers results. We especially see an opportunity to work with technology vendors and professional organizations to improve how digital procurement systems and tools integrate with other government digital tools and provide a seamless user experience, especially for companies. There are many different ways in which OCP could make a difference in this space.
Oversee and execute OCP’s capacity building in the United States, helping our partners to transform their procurement practices to serve residents and the environment. We work directly with government teams and their stakeholders to transform their procurement practices. There is a lot of demand for our support and an urgent need to do much more, especially at the State level. We want to think creatively about better assisting partners at scale. You will help develop, test, and execute current and new projects or programs that will enable government agencies at all levels to promote and measure equity, democratic strengthening, and environmental sustainability through procurement.
Who you will work with:
You will work closely with and report directly to OCP’s Deputy ED on this portfolio. The Director does not have any direct reports until we grow the program and funding, but you will be supported by our in-house data team as well as our cross-cutting team members.
Your decision-making responsibilities:
The Director role has significant decision-making power in developing our U.S. portfolio and leading projects. We are looking for someone who has a strong vision and the ability to execute this vision. We are a very collaborative team and expect that the Director is able to build consensus with the management team and relevant team members.
Travel and working hours:
This role involves domestic and some international travel up to 20% of the time. U.S. travel includes working directly with partners on the ground, participating in conferences, and other opportunities. International travel includes our annual team retreat and conferences.
OCP offers a flexible working environment as long as results are delivered and deadlines are met. As we are a globally distributed team, team members can expect to sometimes have calls before or after working hours to interact with people in different time zones.
About You
We know that no single person can have all the experiences and skills we are looking for, and we are strong believers in learning by doing. If you believe in the power of government and procurement, have experience in successfully building a major initiative, program, or organization, and have the ability and passion to develop new partnerships, offerings, and revenue models, we encourage you to apply.
Ideally you have…
- Built up several relevant major initiatives, movement or organizations before, and you can bring the skills of networking and delivering results to this role;
- A deep experience in government services and government technology to be a strong thought leader;
- A history of building successful partnerships with government agencies or technology providers or non-profit and other organizations;
- A strong track record in fundraising, revenue generation, or business development;
- Excellent English language written and verbal communication skills for story telling, public speaking, and outreach;
- Deep experience in promoting equity, inclusion, and allyship through your work and in your ways of collaborating with partners and team members;
- The ability to move from working at the big picture strategic level to executing day-to-day plans.
- Alignment with OCP’s team and management values, especially being a collaborative and inclusive leader who invests in team work, consensus building, and organizational stewardship.
It will be helpful if you also have…
- A strong understanding of procurement, procurement systems, and open data;
- Existing contacts in the public procurement ecosystem in the United States, such as government agencies, funders, technologists, non-profits, professional development organizations, or others;
- Sound quantitative and digital skills and the ability to help partners use data to drive decision-making and monitoring and evaluation.
Salary: This is a Director I position at OCP that ranges from about $112K to about $162K with a midpoint around $137K. The salary will be determined based on relevant skills and experience.
What we can offer…
- Remote work with opportunities for in-person collaboration and travel;
- Flexible, family-friendly working environment as long as results and deadlines are met;
- 20 days PTO, in addition to 12 public holidays (and usually closing the office between Christmas and New Year’s Day);
- OCP covers up to 80% of the premium for medical, dental, and vision coverage for both the employee and dependents;
- OCP also contributes 10% towards employee’s retirement plan when the employee contributes at least 5%;
- Contributions to office set up, phone, internet and other relevant remote working costs, including a new laptop;
- Professional development with an annual budget of $1,000;
- People management practices that support learning and personal growth, and are centered around equity, inclusion, and diversity;
- A great collaborative, hardworking, fun team and work culture.
Equal Opportunity Employer
We are dedicated to equal employment opportunities and aim to cultivate and sustain a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team. We recognize that a range of experiences and perspectives enriches our work and strengthens our ability to address complex challenges.
Application
Please submit a cover letter (no more than 2 pages), your resume, and any other relevant materials to apply for this position. In your cover letter, please let us know why you are interested in this position, what your vision is for the role and our U.S. portfolio, and what skills and experiences you will bring to this role.
Kindly apply by COB Friday, May 3, 2024. Any questions can be emailed directly to our Deputy Executive Director, Kathrin Frauscher. Only successful candidates will be contacted and invited to an interview.