Description:

Contract Specialist

School of Social Work

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Location options (to be determined):

Champaign-Urbana, IL

or

Chicago, IL – Contract Appointment

As a key member of the team of the Office of Professional Development and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) Clinical and Child Services, the Contract Specialist manages, monitors and reconciles contracts with appropriate staff in resolving fiscal and programmatic issues with contracted vendors to ensure services are expedited according to program plans and budgets.

The University of Illinois is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability or veteran status. For more information, visit http://go.illinois.edu/EEO.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Fiscal Administration & Management

• Administer the day-to-day operations of the Fiscal Division within the various reporting divisions; reviews and examine correspondence, reports and vouchers. Checks for appropriate back-up documentation (billing statements, receipts for reimbursement, prior approval authorizations, etc.), reconciliation and compliance of payment request within the rules and regulations of the office of the Comptroller, the Travel Regulatory Board, and the various departments with regard to request for payment; verifies Title IV-E regulations as they apply to a specific billing activity; monitors to ensure that erroneous or obsolete vendor Information is corrected/updated before submission of the voucher to the Comptroller for payment.
• Verify financial accuracy of vouchers, determining the applicable appropriation and obligation to be charged. Determine the appropriate cost code for payment of vouchers through the SAP system.
• Reviews hotel procurement requests for OLPD sponsored trainings and prepares a comparison analysis of previous fiscal year budgeted expenditures and current requests to establish appropriate annual funding levels.
• Transmits complete direct-billing applications and credit applications to vendors extending credit to The Department for conferences, trainings and lodging events.
• Perform all business services for the Foster Parent Support Services Unit and Birth Parent Council including payments to vendors, establishing contractual relationships and processing payments to council members for presentations.
• Responsible for reviewing, verifying and vouchering invoices received from the Birth Parent Council, Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council and Adoptive Advisory Council. This includes assuring that adequate documentation of expenditures has been submitted and that costs are In accordance with the allotted blanket amount for the fiscal year.
• Research and validate court of claims affidavits which are submitted to the department for claims against lapsed appropriations.
• Create Procurement Business cases (PBC's) in the Remedy System for all support service contracts over $10,000 by researching and listing necessary justifications and monitoring case status through contract execution.
• Set up New Contracts secured by Program Staff which includes assigning contract number, obtaining providers W-9, completing fiscal details on the Decision Memo, completing the Procurement Business Case (PBC) and AFSCME checklist, reviewing program plan and budget and Access entry.

Budgeting

• Audit Program Plans and GATA Budgets for assigned contracts verifying fringe & admin caps have been adhered to and there is no excess revenue; review budget revisions throughout the fiscal year for contracts under or over utilizing specific line items.
• Prepare contracting plans prior to each fiscal year by reconciling vendor use with current funding levels and establishing funding level recommendations for upcoming fiscal year.
• Tracks contract spending projections to request contract modification. Responsible for maintaining a contract compliance tracking system to document that contractors have submitted all required reports and that contract files are maintained with all appropriate documents.

Consultation

• Develop contract obligation status reports to Deputy Director and Associate Deputies for expenditure tracking and program evaluation upon request.
• Formulate management reports as requested by Division Managers; reviews vendor information established on the Department's computerized system utilized by the Office of the Comptroller to ensure that the information presented conforms to current vendor data.
• Assist the Fiscal Director in the analysis and review of vouchers of the Divisions as they relate to approved expenses for specific program areas.
• Monitor contracts of all reporting Divisions for compliance with Department procedures and guidelines related to program evaluation and measurable outcomes by consulting with program managers.
• Attend annual Monitoring reviews to verify employee files are up-to-date and are in accordance with the executed program plan and budget.
• Facilitate the acquisition of goods and services by working collaboratively with the Agency Procurement Office to follow Illinois Procurement guidelines for contract execution.
• Work with the Hotel coordinators and attends planning meetings for the African American, Latino and Asian Advisory Councils to assist in not exceeding their budget for the fiscal year.
• Submit program plan changes and contract termination requests for DCFS legal counsel review, and any other DCFS compliance requirements.
• Respond to vendor inquiries as they apply to voucher processing and payments, work with vendors to resolve invoicing discrepancies for accurate voucher processing and payments.

Special Projects

• Performs special projects as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Other Duties

• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.
• Travel Required

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required:

Bachelor's degree in business administration, management or a field related to position and three (3) or more years of professional-level accounting, managerial and/or business experience, including one (1) year at an administrative level.

Preferred:

Professional work experience in public administration or contract administration.

KNOWEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of computer systems, spreadsheet applications and report design to provide detailed reports and analysis to Deputy Directors and Department Administrators. Knowledge and ability to prepare a variety of financial documents and reconcile ledgers against the Comptroller’s records and maintain expenditure reports to track expenses. Ability to perform technical accounting functions in the payment and processing of administrative contracts. Requires thorough knowledge of accounting principles and laws, rules, and regulations relating to non-state or state accounting systems and procedures; thorough knowledge of maintenance of accounting records and the preparation and analysis of financial statements; working knowledge of statics and economics; working knowledge of Department operations, policies and procedures. Knowledge of technical report writing, vocabulary, work usage and analytical ability in working with information such as would typically be acquired through a professional education.

SALARY AND APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

This is a full-time Business Administrative Associate civil service position.The work site location will be determined at Chicago, IL or Urbana-Champaign area locations.The position is grant-funded and renewal is contingent upon availability of funds. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications. The proposed start date is as soon as possible after the closing date.

TO APPLY

Applications must be received by August 30, 2021. Apply for this position by going to https://jobs.illinois.edu/. If you have not applied before, you must create your candidate profile at http://jobs.illinois.edu. If you already have a profile, you will be redirected to that existing profile via email notification. To complete the application process:

Step 1) Submit the Staff Vacancy Application.

Step 2) Submit the Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability forms.

Step 3) Upload your cover letter, resume (months and years of employment must be included), and academic credentials (unofficial transcripts or diploma may be acceptable) and names/contact information for three references.

In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position by going to https://jobs.illinois.edu/. For further information about this specific position, contact sw-hr@illinois.edu. You may also visit http://www.socialwork.illinois.edu for additional information. For questions about the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

The University of Illinois conducts criminal background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Convictions are not a bar to employment. Other pre-employment assessments may be required, depending on the classification of Civil Service employment.

As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility.

The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit Policy on Consideration of Sexual Misconduct in Prior Employment

The University of Illinois must also comply with applicable federal export control laws and regulations and, as such, reserves the right to employ restricted party screening procedures for applicants.

College Name or Administrative Unit:School of Social Work Category:2-Administrative Title:Contract Specialist - School of Social Work, Fiscal Administration (147281) Open Date:07/06/2021 Close Date:08/30/2021 Organization Name:Child Welfare Partnerships