Hybrid Senior Specialist - Public Works at City of Lancaster
City of Lancaster · Lancaster, United States Of America · Hybrid
- Professional
- Office in Lancaster
Closing Date: August 14th, 2025, at 9:00PM (PST)
Job Title: Senior Specialist
Department: Public Works
Division: Maintenance
Annual Salary Range: $88,313.16- $112,712.60
FSLA: Non-Exempt
General Summary
Under direction, the Senior Specialist supports the operational and financial functions of the Maintenance Services Division. This position oversees and participates in complex administrative processes, including procurement, labor compliance, City Council staff reports, insurance, and contract management. The role performs paraprofessional analysis, develops and maintains financial and project tracking systems, and ensures adherence to City, state, and federal regulations.
Responsibilities may include but are not limited to: - Coordinates procurement processes, including soliciting bids, evaluating proposals, and selecting appropriate methods in compliance with City and regulatory policies.
- Develops detailed scopes of work for contracts in collaboration with division stakeholders.
- Drafts and maintains sole source, single source, and standardization memos to support procurement justifications.
- Manages full lifecycle contract administration, including execution, amendments, change orders, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Tracks critical contract milestones, expirations, and reporting requirements.
- Performs financial and statistical recordkeeping and analysis to support division budgeting and monitor contract-related expenditures.
- Reviews, processes, and tracks purchase orders, requisitions, and invoices; validates charges against contract terms and manages multiple funding sources.
- Calculates budget usage and account percentages; assists with forecasting and fund tracking for contract-related expenses.
- Responds to vendor inquiries and ensures timely processing of payments related to contracted services
- Creates and maintains project records in the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) system to ensure prevailing wage compliance for public works projects.
- Monitors projects, programs, and procurement activities for compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
- Prepares and submits compliance reports and supporting documentation for internal and external agencies.
- Coordinates the preparation of staff reports, attachments, and supporting data for City Council agenda items and internal reviews.
- Develops and maintains internal databases, dashboards, and project tracking systems to support transparency and decision-making.
- Provides information, instruction, and training on work process to colleagues.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
The duties listed above are not intended to be all-inclusive. An employee may also perform other related duties as assigned by their immediate supervisor. This position is considered non-exempt
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or four years of increasingly responsible professional experience, preferably in local government. Any combination of education and experience that has provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary will be considered.
Core Competencies:- Problem Solving – Analytically and logically evaluating information
- Learning Agility – Seeking learning opportunities and applying the lessons to work
- Handling Stress – Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
- Professional Integrity & Ethics – Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
- Safety Focus – Showing Vigilance and care in identifying and addressing health risks and safety hazards
- Customer Focus – Attending to the Needs and expectations of customers
- Informing – Proactively obtaining and sharing information
- Teamwork – Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals
- Valuing Diversity – Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
- Allocating Resources – Prioritizing the use of fiscal and material resources to maximize organizational effectiveness
Guiding Principles- Put people first.
- Be visionary.
- Be an ambassador for Lancaster.
- Be Fiscally Responsible.
- Be Creative.
- Always Improving.
- Be Adaptable and Resilient.
Essential Physical Requirements:
- Ascend/Descend stairs/ladders/balance (moderate)
- Position self to bend or twist (frequent)
- To move, transport, position items up to 15 lbs. (frequent)
- Exposed to outdoor weather conditions (infrequent)
- Operate Equipment (none)
- Stationary or squatting position (frequent)
Environmental Factors:
- Work under time pressure (moderate to frequent)
- Interruptions (frequent)
Essential Cognitive Functions:
- Analyze (continuous)
- Computations (frequent)
- Generate Written Work Product (moderate)
- Independent Problem Solving (continuous)
- Interruptions (frequent)
- Maintain Positive Public Relations (continuous)
- Organize (frequent)
Disaster Service Worker:
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 3100-3109, all public employees are declared disaster service workers subject to disaster service activities as may be assigned to them in the event of fire, flood, earthquake, or other natural or man-made disaster.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
The City of Lancaster will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if the City of Lancaster is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting www.dfeh.ca.gov/fair-chance-act/.
- Coordinates procurement processes, including soliciting bids, evaluating proposals, and selecting appropriate methods in compliance with City and regulatory policies.
- Develops detailed scopes of work for contracts in collaboration with division stakeholders.
- Drafts and maintains sole source, single source, and standardization memos to support procurement justifications.
- Manages full lifecycle contract administration, including execution, amendments, change orders, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
- Tracks critical contract milestones, expirations, and reporting requirements.
- Performs financial and statistical recordkeeping and analysis to support division budgeting and monitor contract-related expenditures.
- Reviews, processes, and tracks purchase orders, requisitions, and invoices; validates charges against contract terms and manages multiple funding sources.
- Calculates budget usage and account percentages; assists with forecasting and fund tracking for contract-related expenses.
- Responds to vendor inquiries and ensures timely processing of payments related to contracted services
- Creates and maintains project records in the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) system to ensure prevailing wage compliance for public works projects.
- Monitors projects, programs, and procurement activities for compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
- Prepares and submits compliance reports and supporting documentation for internal and external agencies.
- Coordinates the preparation of staff reports, attachments, and supporting data for City Council agenda items and internal reviews.
- Develops and maintains internal databases, dashboards, and project tracking systems to support transparency and decision-making.
- Provides information, instruction, and training on work process to colleagues.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
The duties listed above are not intended to be all-inclusive. An employee may also perform other related duties as assigned by their immediate supervisor. This position is considered non-exempt
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field or four years of increasingly responsible professional experience, preferably in local government. Any combination of education and experience that has provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary will be considered.
Core Competencies:- Problem Solving – Analytically and logically evaluating information
- Learning Agility – Seeking learning opportunities and applying the lessons to work
- Handling Stress – Maintaining emotional stability and self-control under pressure, challenge, or adversity
- Professional Integrity & Ethics – Displaying honesty, adherence to principles, and personal accountability
- Safety Focus – Showing Vigilance and care in identifying and addressing health risks and safety hazards
- Customer Focus – Attending to the Needs and expectations of customers
- Informing – Proactively obtaining and sharing information
- Teamwork – Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals
- Valuing Diversity – Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
- Allocating Resources – Prioritizing the use of fiscal and material resources to maximize organizational effectiveness
Guiding Principles- Put people first.
- Be visionary.
- Be an ambassador for Lancaster.
- Be Fiscally Responsible.
- Be Creative.
- Always Improving.
- Be Adaptable and Resilient.
- Put people first.
- Be visionary.
- Be an ambassador for Lancaster.
- Be Fiscally Responsible.
- Be Creative.
- Always Improving.
- Be Adaptable and Resilient.
Essential Physical Requirements:
- Ascend/Descend stairs/ladders/balance (moderate)
- Position self to bend or twist (frequent)
- To move, transport, position items up to 15 lbs. (frequent)
- Exposed to outdoor weather conditions (infrequent)
- Operate Equipment (none)
- Stationary or squatting position (frequent)
Environmental Factors:
- Work under time pressure (moderate to frequent)
- Interruptions (frequent)
Essential Cognitive Functions:
- Analyze (continuous)
- Computations (frequent)
- Generate Written Work Product (moderate)
- Independent Problem Solving (continuous)
- Interruptions (frequent)
- Maintain Positive Public Relations (continuous)
- Organize (frequent)
Disaster Service Worker:
Pursuant to California Government Code Section 3100-3109, all public employees are declared disaster service workers subject to disaster service activities as may be assigned to them in the event of fire, flood, earthquake, or other natural or man-made disaster.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.
Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
The City of Lancaster will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if the City of Lancaster is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting www.dfeh.ca.gov/fair-chance-act/.
