New Job Contracts Specialist-Senior - Farm To School (Project Position) In Wisconsin

The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is committed to ensuring every child graduates ready for further education and the workforce. We must align our efforts so students are learning the skills and knowledge necessary to become contributing members of our communities. To build on our long-standing commitment to public education, we strive to recruit and retain quality employees who are willing to talk openly and commit to helping us increase the diversity of our organization. Our employees are vital to the success of our students, schools and communities. For more information about DPI, please go to http://www.dpi.wi.gov.

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DPI is a great place to work! We are a workplace focused on equity and inclusivity. Staff enjoy flexible work schedules and access to an exceptional employee assistance program that offers tools to help promote wellness. Though eligible for 100% remote work, those that elect to work in the office can take advantage of the casual office atmosphere and on-site employee exercise facility. The office is conveniently located near a wide variety of bus routes and bike paths, the Capitol, restaurants, shopping, and entertainment in beautiful downtown Madison.

The School Nutrition Team within the Division for Finance and Management is seeking applicants for a Contracts Specialist-Senior project position. Project positions are eligible for benefits including health insurance, but the incumbent does not attain permanent civil service status. This position is scheduled to end September 30, 2026.

This position has the option to work 100% remote with a requirement that the employee is expected to have access to secure high speed internet. The position is headquartered at 125 S. Webster Street in Madison, WI, and employees are required to report there on their first day of employment. In addition, the employee may need to report to their headquarter location as operational needs require. Reimbursement for traveling to or from the employee’s headquarters is not provided (e.g., mileage, meals, parking, lodging, etc.). Remote work flexibility will be discussed in more detail during the interview process.

This position is responsible for assisting with the coordination of local procurement and supply chain development for the USDA School Meal Programs. This position will facilitate and develop local food procurement documents as well as develop and strengthen connections with WI meat and dairy councils, local farmers, WI tribes, distributors, processors, aggregators, food hubs and school food authorities with the goal of helping school food authorities procure fresh, local WI food products for consumption in the USDA School Meal Programs. Additionally, this position monitors compliance with federal and state regulations and Department of Public Instruction (DPI) policies and evaluates participants’ performance and provides technical assistance and training to recipient agencies, both on an as-needed basis and as a state agency representative at state and regional workshops.

Depending on qualifications, the salary will be between $25.00-$32.00 per hour ($52000 - $66560 per year) in accordance with the provisions of the current Compensation Plan. This position is in pay schedule 07, range 04. This position is scheduled to end September 30, 2026.

This position offers excellent benefits. The State of Wisconsin is a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

A criminal background check will be conducted prior to an offer of hire.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the United States (i.e., a citizen or national of the U.S., without DPI sponsorship). The Department of Public Instruction does not sponsor visas, either at time of hire or at any later time.

Please address the following in your resume and/or letter of qualifications.

A minimally qualified applicant must have experience with multiple of the following activities:

• Developing, auditing, or monitoring procurement documents, contracts, or amendments
• Evaluating invoices against awarded contracts
• Reviewing documents to ensure compliance with awarded contracts and applicable federal/state/local policies/procedures/regulations
• Contract management
• Project management
• Supply chain management
• Supplier management (e.g., product ordering/order management, inventory management and/or controls, supplier receipting/inventory receipting, supplier billing/invoicing, or similar)

Well-qualified applicants will also have education/experience with multiple of the following activities:

• Experience with USDA Child Nutrition Programs (CNP) or USDA Foods Programs, school food service programs, or other similar state/federal food service programs
• Experience developing resources or planning/conducting trainings on topics related to contracting, procurement, program compliance, or similar
• Education, training, or experience with technical/advanced Microsoft Excel functions, such as Pivot tables, data analytics, or similar
• Experience with Farm to School, local procurement, supplier development, networking with underserved communities/farmers/producers/tribal communities, networking with small businesses, or other types of procurement/contracting outreach efforts

Click “Apply for Job,” and then either log in to your account or click “Register Now” to create a new account. You will be asked to provide your personal information when creating a new account. Follow the prompts to complete steps 1-7, and then “Submit” your online application. Since the system will automatically log you off after 30 minutes of inactivity, click “Save as Draft” often.

Be sure to upload a resume and letter of qualifications that describe your experience related to the qualifications listed in this job announcement. See resume and letter of qualifications tips for more guidance.

Be advised that there will be no opportunity to change your application materials once you have clicked “Submit.”

To be considered for this position, you must complete the online application and click “Submit.” Your application will be evaluated by one or more job experts. Candidates who are deemed eligible will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process where vacancies exist. Candidates may need to check their spam or junk email folders for correspondence about this position.

To review commonly asked questions about applying for State of Wisconsin positions, click here.

If you are registered as a veteran with a 30% or more service-connected disability through the State of Wisconsin non-competitive job announcement, please submit your resume to the HR Specialist listed below.

The State of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer seeking a diverse and talented workforce. Veterans, women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

Questions? Please contact the recruiter at:

Jessica Tanner
DPI Human Resources Specialist
Phone: (608) 266-2813
Email: [email protected]

The deadline for this announcement is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 19, 2023.