[Hiring] Associate Director of Procurement and Partnerships @Urban Institute

Role Description

The Urban Institute’s Grants and Contracts (GC) Department seeks an experienced Associate Director of Procurement and Partnerships to join the Subawards team to strengthen procurement strategy, subcontracting, partner engagement, and supplier management across Urban’s federal, state, local, corporate, and philanthropic funding portfolio. This position will report directly to the Director of Subawards and offers an exciting opportunity to strengthen, innovate, and advance organization-wide procurement processes.

The ideal candidate will bring a solutions-oriented mindset, demonstrate flexibility in adapting to change, and collaborate with the Director of Subawards to define and implement organizational procurement priorities.

This role will focus on pre-award strategy and proposal development, including:

• Procurement planning
• Market research
• Partner identification
• Supplier strategy
• Pricing considerations
• Teaming arrangements
• Subcontracting plans
• Procurement-related compliance requirements

The Associate Director will also:

• Draft subcontract agreements and facilitate negotiations with selected partners
• Support researchers and project teams throughout the award lifecycle by helping them meet contractual, procurement, and funder obligations
• Serve as a trusted advisor to research teams, helping define decision frameworks and sourcing strategies for complex opportunities
• Advise on business needs, procurement requirements, compliance obligations, total cost/price considerations, partner terms, acquisition strategies, and subcontracting approaches
• Help build strong supplier and partner relationships, mentor procurement staff, and drive improvements to procurement tools, processes, and internal coordination

Central to Urban’s mission is fostering a truly inclusive community that remains relevant in a changing world. GC advances this work by supporting Urban teams from pre-proposal planning through award closeout, protecting institutional interests, managing risk, and ensuring compliance with Urban policies and funder requirements.

The Associate Director will help GC become a more proactive and strategic partner to research teams by:

• Strengthening subcontract and partner management
• Streamlining procurement tools and processes
• Enhancing coordination across research divisions and operational departments

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, public policy, nonprofit management, law, finance, or a related field; advanced degree or relevant certification preferred
• At least seven years of progressive experience in procurement, subcontracts, proposal development, supplier/partner management, or related work across federal, state, local, corporate, or philanthropic funding environments
• Hands-on experience with U.S. federal procurement and financial assistance requirements, including the FAR, and 2 CFR 200 / Uniform Guidance
• Experience with small business subcontracting requirements and reporting
• Demonstrated experience with managing staff preferred
• Knowledge of common contract and subcontract instruments, including cost reimbursement, fixed price, time and materials, and indefinite-delivery contracts; experience with GSA or PSS schedules preferred
• Experience determining instrument types and drafting, negotiating and executing subcontracts or other procurement instruments
• Demonstrated ability to apply procurement decision frameworks and partner strategies across government, corporate, and philanthropic funding contexts
• Sound negotiation judgment and business acumen to protect Urban’s interests while preserving strong partner relationships
• Ability to translate complex procurement, contracting, and compliance requirements into clear guidance, practical options, and timely decisions for research teams and operational partners
• Excellent communication, analytical, organizational, and judgment skills, with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Diplomacy, discretion, and cultural awareness, with the ability to build trust, coordinate effectively across teams, and handle sensitive information appropriately
• Comfort using technology and data tools to improve procurement workflows, subcontractor documentation, reporting, partner knowledge management, and process consistency

Requirements

• Lead pre-award partner and supplier processes, including sourcing, market research, solicitations, proposal documentation, evaluations, risk assessments, cost and price analysis, and objective selection
• Advise research teams on partnership and teaming strategies; cultivate local, M/WBE, and other priority partners; and advance engagement in key jurisdictions
• Develop procurement, subcontracting, and teaming strategies that support competitive proposals, compliant and defensible partner selection, durable partnerships, and long-term value
• Evaluate and negotiate scopes, budgets, pricing, workshare, deliverables, subcontracting instruments, and contract terms; identify and mitigate risks and incorporate applicable funder and flow-down requirements
• Oversee procurement and subcontract actions throughout the award lifecycle, including pre-award processes, award issuance, documentation, subcontract administration, performance monitoring, and closeout
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, local, corporate, and philanthropic requirements, including small business and M/WBE subcontracting plans, commitments, documentation, and required utilization reporting
• Strengthen procurement operations and cross-functional coordination through standardized workflows, controls, governance, handoffs, templates, guidance, partner-management practices, centralized supplier information, and stakeholder training

Benefits

• Salary range: $113,979 - $152,258, commensurate with experience
• Generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays and other leave benefits
• Medical (including prescription), dental and vision insurance
• Transit benefits
• 403(b) retirement plan participation immediately after hire with a generous employer contribution after six months of service and 500 hours, with immediate vesting
• Access to a health advocate, personal finance consulting, an Employee Assistance Program, and a wellbeing program
• Credit union and educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs
• Opportunity to work fully remote