PNO-927-020926-AP

At the Port of New Orleans, our mission is to drive economic prosperity throughout our tri-parish jurisdiction: Jefferson, Orleans and St. Bernard. We collaborate with state and local partners to ensure that we can continue to be a vital link to the world for businesses and consumers throughout Louisiana and beyond. The Administrative Program Specialist B plays a vital role in supporting the organization’s purchasing and contracting operations. This position ensures that procurement activities are conducted efficiently, accurately, and in full compliance with applicable laws, policies, and procedures. By coordinating purchasing actions, maintaining contract documentation, monitoring timelines, and serving as a liaison between departments and vendors, this role helps safeguard public funds, improve service delivery, and strengthen organizational accountability. The ideal candidate is a highly organized, detail-oriented professional with knowledge of procurement practices, contract administration, and compliance requirements, along with strong recordkeeping and analytical skills. They communicate clearly with internal stakeholders and vendors, manage competing priorities effectively, and demonstrate integrity when handling sensitive information. If you're ready to make an impact, apply today to join the Port of New Orleans Team!

AN IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL POSSESS THE FOLLOWING COMPETENCIES:

Selected Core Competencies:

• Communicating Effectively: The ability to relay information correctly and appropriately to connect people and ideas.
• Using Data: The ability to use relevant and valid data to inform a recommendation for action.
• Thinking Critically: The ability to generate ideas, manipulate ideas, and make unconventional connections to develop original approaches.

Selected Preferred Competencies:

• Acting with Ethics and Integrity: The ability to be consistent, honest, and a trustworthy steward of State resources.
• Building and Supporting Teams: The ability to combine your actions and efforts with others to work toward achieving a common goal.
• Building and Supporting Teams: The ability to combine your actions and efforts with others to work toward achieving a common goal.
• Championing Continuous Improvement: The ability to systematically drive or promote continuous improvement.
• Demonstrating Business Acumen: The ability to understand how the organization operates to achieve its objectives.
• Displaying Professionalism: The ability to recognize how your actions impact the perceptions of both you and your organization.
• Focusing on Customers: The ability to serve the needs of those who support and/or rely on the services provided.
• Managing Projects: The ability to initiate, plan, execute, manage, and close-out all project goals within the established timeline.

Minimum Qualifications

Four years of experience in administrative services; OR Six years of full-time work experience in any field plus one year of experience in administrative services; OR A bachelor's degree plus one year of experience in administrative services; OR An advanced degree.

EXPERIENCE SUBSTITUTION: Every 30 semester hours earned from an accredited college or university will be credited as one year of experience towards the six years of full-time work experience in any field. The maximum substitution allowed is 120 semester hours which substitutes for a maximum of four years of experience in any field.

Job Duties and Other Information

Job Duties:

• Responsible for coordinating the procurement lifecycle of professional service, general service, construction contracts and purchase agreements through the Board's contract administration system.
• Maintains a working knowledge of the Louisiana State Public Bid Law guidelines, and trains and provide guidance to staff as procurement laws are updated.
• Develop, hone and execute new improved procurement strategies across all channels of purchasing
• Evaluate and enhance our operations in local spend while researching and prospecting developments in global spend
• Institute policies and procedures for collecting and reporting key metrics that will reduce our overall expenses while increasing productivity
• Perform cost &budgetary analysis and set appropriate benchmarks
• Implement contracting methods as they apply to the Port of New Orleans methods, policies, and procedures involved in purchasing a large quantity and variety of supplies, equipment, services, and goods.
• Establish and maintain supplier relationships by serving as a single point of contact for contractual matters
• Manage record keeping for all contract-related correspondence and documentation
• Provide contract-related issue resolution, both internally and externally
• Monitor and complete contract close-out, extension or renewal, as appropriate
• Works with project leads to maintain up-to-date files on all professional service, general service, and construction contracts and purchase and service agreements as instructed by policy.
• Review proposals for SSE participation to ensure compliance with agency target.
• Participates in the evaluation/scoring process for active request for qualifications/proposals.
• Participates in pre-bid construction conferences and pre-proposal meetings and monthly project / contract meetings where applicable to provide maximum exposure for SSE participation.
• Manage SSE contract compliance monitoring program on federal project(s) where applicable. Work with project managers to ensure compliance is obtained.
• Review, identify and encourage bids and proposals from SSE entities to ensure participation in the procurement process. Works with Administrative Coordinator 3 to ensure SSE participation is included when supplies and service requests are submitted via the CPR Form or the Board's requisitioning system.
• Coordinates targeted bid notifications for targeted business sectors.
• Establish reporting requirements and report dollar value and percentage of all Port of New Orleans contracts that have been awarded to certified SSE contractors.
• Manages external vendor relations within the Procurement Department. Including determining meeting schedules, follow ups, and providing vendor information forms as necessary for completion.
• Coordinates vendor processes and methods to approve and update new vendor information in the Board's requisitioning system.
• Tracks, measures, reports, and evaluates vendor performance as necessary.
• Review monthly subcontracting reports to ensure compliance, and track spend for Board reporting.
• Maintains updated vendor databases.
• Assists the Services Division of the Procurement Department with requests where applicable, including but not limited to; mail services, supply distribution, and vehicle fleet usage.
• Other duties as delegated.

Position-Specific Details:

• Appointment Type: Probational, Promotional, or Job Appointment
• Career Progression: This position will be filled as an Administrative Program Specialist - B.
• Work Schedule: The position currently consists of working a forty (40) hour work week (Monday-Friday).

Port NOLA offers competitive benefits that prioritize safety, health and wellness for our employees. Employees have access to the following benefits:

• Medical / Dental / Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Medical and/or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Life Insurance options
• Long Term Disability Plan
• State of Louisiana LASERS state pension program
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 plan) with employer match
• Paid Louisiana State Holidays; and paid Annual and Sick Leave
• Wellness Center located in the Port Administration Building
• Ship Shape Wellness Program

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Mardi Gras
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Veteran's Day
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor.