Construction Contracts Officer

The Office of Procurement, Payment and Travel is seeking a Construction Contracts Officer. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position.

Join Oregon State University's Construction Contracts Administration team in a challenging and rewarding role that supports the delivery of facilities and infrastructure projects across OSU's statewide enterprise. From new buildings and major renovations to infrastructure improvements and specialized construction projects, the work of this position directly contributes to creating and maintaining the spaces where students learn, researchers innovate, and the university's mission comes to life.

Construction Contracts Administration is part of the Office of Procurement, Payment and Travel (OPPT), a highly collaborative organization that partners with departments across the university to deliver responsive, transparent, and customer-focused services. OPPT values teamwork, relationship-building, continuous improvement, and innovative problem-solving, recognizing that strong partnerships are essential to supporting the University's teaching, research, and outreach mission.

As a member of the Construction Contracts Administration team, the Construction Contracts Officer serves as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert in construction procurement and contract administration. Working closely with project managers, architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, and university stakeholders, this position leads complex construction and design procurements and supports projects throughout the project lifecycle. The role offers opportunities to solve unique challenges, navigate complex contracting issues, and contribute to projects that have a lasting impact on the OSU community.

We are seeking a collaborative professional who enjoys analyzing complex situations, building strong working relationships, and developing practical solutions while balancing compliance requirements, risk management considerations, and project objectives. The ideal candidate will bring experience in construction contracting, sound professional judgment, strong communication skills, and a commitment to customer service and continuous improvement.

This position offers the opportunity to work on a diverse portfolio of projects, expand expertise in public construction procurement and contract administration, and contribute to a highly collaborative team dedicated to supporting the University's strategic goals through effective procurement and contracting practices.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead and administer procurement processes for construction and design services, including development of solicitations, evaluation support, contract execution, and project closeout.

• Develop, negotiate, and manage construction-related contracts, amendments, change orders, and other contract documents throughout the project lifecycle.

• Provide guidance and subject matter expertise regarding public construction contracting requirements, procurement strategies, contract administration, and regulatory compliance.

• Collaborate with project managers, architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, and university stakeholders to support successful delivery of capital improvement and infrastructure projects.

• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and industry standards, including prevailing wage requirements, public contracting requirements, and contract risk management practices.

• Review and administer construction-related insurance, bonding, and other contractual risk management requirements.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of construction procurement and contract administration practices, templates, procedures, and customer service initiatives.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Law, or a field related to the duties of the position and three (3) years of professional experience in construction procurement, construction contracting, construction contract administration, capital project delivery, design and construction services procurement, public construction contracting, or a closely related field; OR

• An equivalent combination of education and experience that includes six (6) years of professional experience in construction procurement, construction contracting, construction contract administration, capital project delivery, design and construction services procurement, public construction contracting, or a closely related field.

• Experience drafting, administering, and managing construction-related solicitations, contracts, amendments, change orders, or other procurement and contract documents.

• Experience interpreting and applying laws, administrative rules, policies, procedures, and contractual requirements in support of procurement and contracting activities.

• Experience simultaneously managing multiple procurements, contracts, projects, or assignments with competing priorities and deadlines.

• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex information and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders through both written and verbal communication.

• Experience using Microsoft Office applications and the ability to quickly learn and utilize specialized procurement, contract management, and enterprise systems.

This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.

The ideal candidate will possess substantial experience in public construction procurement and construction contract administration and be capable of independently managing complex construction acquisitions with minimal training or oversight. Preference will be given to candidates who demonstrate advanced knowledge of construction-specific contracting practices, including project delivery methods, change order administration, prevailing wage compliance, bonding and insurance requirements, construction contract risk management, and public sector construction contracting requirements.

Preference will be given to candidates with one or more of the following:

• Experience performing procurement, contracting, or contract administration functions for public construction projects within higher education, state government, local government, or other public sector organizations.

• Experience administering public improvement or capital construction contracts, including change orders, claims, contract modifications, project closeout, and contractor compliance requirements.

• Experience with Oregon public contracting requirements, including Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) Prevailing Wage Law compliance.

• Experience with federally funded construction projects and applicable federal procurement and prevailing wage requirements, including Davis-Bacon Act compliance.

• Experience evaluating construction-related insurance, bonding, and risk management requirements.

• Experience working with construction contract law, project delivery methods, and industry-standard construction contract documents.

• Professional certification related to procurement, contract management, construction management, or project management, such as CPPO, CPPB, CPCM, CCM, PMP, or equivalent.

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Construction Management, or a related field.

• Demonstrated commitment to advancing inclusive procurement practices and supporting supplier diversity initiatives.