CENTRAL OFFICE OF CONTRACTS FISCAL SPECIALIST

Position Overview

The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services is seeking an organized, professional, and energetic individual to serve as Central Office of Contracts Fiscal Specialist.  Subject to management approval, this position will develop, coordinate, conceptualize, and give approval for contract budgets, non-board and procured contracts, and other assigned contracts and amendments. The position will review contracts to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and Department rules and procedures and provide technical assistance to Department staff in the development of program plans for integration in purchase of service and grant contracts.  This position provides a great opportunity for someone who is detail oriented and focused on ensuring the Department receives the greatest value for its contract dollars.  DCFS offers a competitive compensation plan, excellent benefits, and a pension program.  The ideal candidate for this position will have excellent organizational skills and strong leadership capabilities.  We invite you to join our innovative team to help make a positive difference in the lives of the children and families of Illinois.

Essential Functions

• Serves as Central Office of Contracts Fiscal Specialist
• Conducts financial analysis and account balancing to validate inputs to assigned contract spending plan and allocate funds across specific contract types
• Provides technical assistance to regional coordinators
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above

Specialized Skills

• Of the noted two years of experience, requires that the experience include contract administration and procurement, including the use of basic ordering agreements, appropriations/obligations, and contract budget analysis using Excel, Access and accounting systems.
• Two years of professional work experience reviewing, developing, processing, managing, evaluating, and/or working with state and/or federal grant agreement(s) and contract(s) in adherence to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (2 CFR Part 200) and/or other similar state or federal mandates at a private or public organization, including the development, management, and/or implementation of robust Continuous Quality Improvement activities to ensure compliance with grant agreement and contract mandates.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to the completion of a master’s degree.
• Requires two years of progressively responsible professional experience in community organization, social service work, or in program planning and development.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3 years of professional work experience reviewing, developing, processing, managing, evaluating, and/or working with state and/or federal grant agreement(s) and contract(s) in adherence to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (2 CFR Part 200) and/or other similar state or federal mandates at a private or public organization, including the development, management, and/or implementation of robust Continuous Quality Improvement activities to ensure compliance with grant agreements and contract mandates.
• 2 years of professional experience involving contract administration and procurement, including the use of basic ordering agreements and appropriations/obligations and contract budget analysis using Excel, Access, and accounting systems. 
• 2 years of professional work experience in developing, implementing, and maintaining a formal tracking system to manage the workflow and completion of projects/assignments within a designated time frame(s) and format.
• 3 years of professional work experience in developing, implementing, and/or evaluating new and/or revised methods, procedures, and/or policies to meet deadlines with strong attention to accurate and thorough details, using abstract/critical thinking skills when completing congruent assignments.
• 2 years of professional work experience with communicating effectively (orally and in writing), which includes creating and/ or presenting PowerPoint slide decks, graphs, charts, and written and/or statistical reports that are clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
• 3 years of experience in a public or business organization demonstrating thorough knowledge of the program objectives of agencies developing social policy and ability to apply extensive knowledge of the structure, organization, and methods of social welfare institutions while applying an advanced technical ability to analyze and evaluate programs and procedures.

Conditions of Employment

1. Requires ability to pass a background check.
2. Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties. Requires appropriate, valid driver's license.
3. Certain provisions of the revolving door restrictions contained in 5 ILCS 430/5-45 apply to this position. As a result, the employee should be aware that if offered non-State employment during state employment or within one year immediately after ending State employment, the employee shall, prior to accepting any such non-State employment offer, notify the Office of the Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG) or may be subject to a fine.
4. This position has been found to meet the requirements in section 4A-101 of the Illinois Governmental Ethics Act requiring the occupant/employee to file a Statement of Economic Interest. The Illinois Governmental Ethics Act (5 ILCS 420/4A et seq.) requires certain state officials and employees to file annual Statements of Economic Interest with the Office of the Secretary of State that will be made available for examination and copying by the public. All employees required to file a Statement of Economic Interest are also required to file the Supplemental Statement of Economic Interest with the Executive Ethics Commission. (See Executive Order 15-09) Fines and penalties apply to untimely filings.
5. The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job
description.

About the Agency

DCFS is deeply committed to the welfare and protection of children.  Our goal is to protect children by strengthening and supporting families.  In every effort, from receiving hotline calls to reaching family reunification or foster care and adoption, children and families are our focus.