Metropolitan Transportation Authority Careers

This position is eligible for teleworking, which is currently one day per week. New hires are eligible to apply 30 days after their effective hire date.    

Opening:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North America's largest transportation network, serving a population of 15.3 million people across a 5,000-square-mile travel area surrounding New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. The MTA network comprises the nation’s largest bus fleet and more subway and commuter rail cars than all other U.S. transit systems combined. MTA strives to provide a safe and reliable commute, excellent customer service, and rewarding opportunities.

Position Objective:

This position is responsible for developing, executing against, and sustaining IT Categories. The IT Category Manager will independently manage multiple related IT category areas and manage the execution of supplier performance management, cost savings and efficiencies, customer relationship development, determination of customer needs, contract creation, contract execution, and contract renewals.

The IT Category Manager must understand stakeholder and customer needs and possess a deep understanding of category components, cost drivers, and the supply market.  He or she will track trends in the marketplace and actively monitor price indices applicable to category areas, identify new sources of supply and engage with new suppliers, work collaboratively with suppliers and customer stakeholders to identify and execute continuous cost and performance improvement.

In this role, the IT Category Manager will utilize cost-saving methodologies that integrate market intelligence with leveraged spending.  In applying category management expertise, the IT Category Manager will increase overall value from the supplier base and gain access to more innovation from suppliers. He or she will focus on the value chain and look to reduce the total cost of ownership for buying goods and services.  He or she will utilize tools and techniques to profile, benchmark, research, and assess the market, risks, competition, trends, and new opportunities to ensure continuity of supply; to make sure that the best value is achieved.

Responsibilities:

• Focus negotiations on the complete fulfillment of internal stakeholder requirements through cost reductions, cost avoidance, and process improvements.
• Create and review supplier contracts to ensure appropriate business terms are addressed.
• Create detailed statements of work where needed. Facilitate legal and risk management review to ensure standard terms and conditions are inserted where appropriate.
• Lead all agency projects via the RFx process, including gathering business requirements, drafting RFx documents, identifying and qualifying potential suppliers, and RFx project management.
• Measure and manage supplier performance relative to contracted service levels and identify and resolve supplier performance issues resulting in value and service to the organization.
• Track trends in the marketplace and actively monitor price indices applicable to category areas, identify new sources of supply and engage with new suppliers, work collaboratively with suppliers and customer stakeholders to identify and execute continuous cost and performance improvement.
• Negotiate Software License Agreements, Master Services Agreements, and Statements of Work
• Act as a Subject Matter Expert in IT Categories and with key suppliers, e.g., Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, Salesforce, etc.
• Assist in the transformation of Procurement into a strategic function offering sustainable value to the MTA-wide organization.
• Ensure that procurement activities involving solicitation, award, and contract management are carried out in accordance with Federal and State laws, regulations, Executive Orders, and MTA Board guidelines.
• Coordinate and collaborate extensively with the Office of Civil Rights on goal-based contracts, ensuring inclusion for diverse suppliers.
• The IT Category Manager position will be new to the MTA.  Being a new position, there will be significant change management required for both internal MTA stakeholders and external suppliers to achieve success. 
• Procurement traditionally has held a tactical role, ensuring the purchase order and contracting process is completed.  The complex challenge for this role will be to offer strategic value to our internal stakeholders and to understand business requirements early on in the process, and help lead category excellence.  The strategic value offered includes expertise in the supplier market and emerging trends, proactively managing risk, and adjusting MTA requirements as needed.
• The IT Category will be faced with the traditional challenges that face current contract managers.  In most instances, Executive Orders are made available to Procurement with such short notice that the myriad actions required to implement the Orders by their effective dates have to be performed under emergency conditions.
• It is frequently necessary to resolve conflicts between a project manager’s desires and the applicable procurement regulations; e.g., a manager may want to have an item obtained on a sole-source basis when there is no convincing rationale to do so, or when Procurement practice, law, or guidelines dictate another course of action.
• Specifications and work statements are frequently found to be inadequate; hence, consultation with the program manager is required to develop the real needs and accurately reflect them in the specification or the RFP.
• Packaging of procurement requirements for a project to allow minority/small businesses an opportunity to compete may require a redirection of the project approach from that originally intended by the program manager.
• Development of standardized specifications and common purchasing of like items requires overcoming the natural fear of the affiliated agencies of losing control over their contracts and projects. 

Required Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Must possess excellent interpersonal skills.  The ability to interface with staff of affiliated agencies, other departments, consultants, and other outside agencies is a mandatory skill for resolving conflicts in a constructive and timely fashion while maintaining proper procedures and practices, as required. 
• The position requires the ability to write well, both in regard to work that the incumbent prepares as well as in reviewing work done by others.  Excellent analytical and writing skills are especially required for developing policies, procedures, and contract documents from legally written source documents.  
• The incumbent must be adept at balancing his/her time between projects that require long and concentrated time at the desk often meeting tight deadlines (e.g., developing new and revising existing procedures and contract documents, and preparation of the Department’s Annual Procurement Report, each with a specific deadline) with other projects that require frequent time spent away from the desk attending various meetings (e.g., related to serving as the department’s coordinator on projects or related to the installation and operation of the new PeopleSoft Financial System).  
• The incumbent is utilized as a resource person, fielding inquiries and referrals from internal MTA staff and external parties who do not know who the specific person is within MTA that they wish to contact.
• The incumbent must be able to foster professional growth and motivate subordinates in positive working functions, as well as meet customer-driven needs.     

Required Education and Experience:

• BA/BS in Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Contract Management, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from an accredited college may be considered in lieu of a degree; and
• Minimum of 8 years satisfactory full-time experience in Procurement or a similar role.

Other Information

May need to work outside of normal work hours (i.e., evenings and weekends)

Travel may be required to other MTA locations or other external sites.

According to the New York State Public Officers Law & the MTA Code of Ethics, all employees who hold a policymaking position must file an Annual Statement of Financial Disclosure (FDS) with the NYS Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (the “Commission”).

Equal Employment Opportunity

MTA and its subsidiary and affiliated agencies are Equal Opportunity Employers, including those concerning veteran status and individuals with disabilities.

The MTA encourages qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities, including military service members, to apply.