Contract Specialist

THE SELECTED CANDIDATES WILL BE OFFERED A SALARY BETWEEN $70,310.00 – $80,856.00.

THESE POSITIONS ARE ONLY OPEN TO INTERNAL ACS APPLICANTS WHO ARE PERMANENT (NOT PROVISIONAL) IN THE CIVIL SERVICE TITLE LISTED ABOVE.

The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) protects and promotes the safety and well-being of children and families through child welfare and juvenile justice services and community supports. ACS manages community-based supports and foster care services and provides subsidized childcare vouchers. ACS child protection staff respond to allegations of child maltreatment. In juvenile justice, ACS oversees detention, placement, and programs for youth in the community.

ACS’ Division of Family Permanency Services (FPS) is responsible for ensuring high-quality services are provided to children in foster care by supporting provider agency staff with technical assistance and other services for children in foster care. FPS staff offer guidance to provider agencies on child welfare policies and procedures to improve service delivery and achieve safety, permanency, and well-being for children in foster care. The Division includes the Office of Provider Agency Collaboration and Engagement, Office of Strategic Program Support (OSPS), Office of Older Youth Development Services, and the Office of Youth Success Services.

Within FPS OSPS, the Office of Contract Management provides oversight and support to foster care agencies to ensure contract compliance, which includes budget reviews and approvals, invoice management and expenditure assessment, and program viability. Contract Management works closely with the Division of Financial Services to support timely and accurate reimbursement of expenses.

OSPS is seeking 3 Contract Specialists who will serve as members of a team responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the Contract Management Unit (CMU), including invoicing, budget reviews and approvals, billing and payments, troubleshooting, communications, and contract evaluations.

The duties and responsibilities of the Contract Specialists’ will include, but will not be limited to:

- Review invoices/requests for payments and supporting contractor documentation to verify invoices align with services provided, and prepare payment authorization memos for leadership approval

- Monitor contract budgets, analyze projected spending based on expected utilization, and identify and escalate identified budget risks

- Generate and maintain critical information needed to complete budget monitoring reports and tools, and escalate concerns about risks to CMU leadership

- Develop data informed assessments and recommendations to support decisions regarding future contracts/budgets

- Support Contract Managers in monitoring the operational budget and spending of contracted partners by reviewing/analyzing statistical and budgetary data/information submitted by the contract agencies

- Prepare monthly agency/program-specific performance reports, and make recommendations to supervisory staff concerning provisions of additional funding or defunding of existing programs or contracts based on verified data and information

- Evaluate services by performing qualitative analyses to support informed decision-making and completion of periodic progress reports (includes reviewing information provided by the CMU Analytics Team and/or Contract Managers)

- Develop and implement internal quality assurance techniques to identify key variables that will inform future performance, and agency/program-specific research methods and instruments appropriate for the contract needs of provider agencies

- Review performance indicators and other statistical data concerning the fiscal health of a program to identify program specific and systemic strengths and weaknesses

- Review the validity of agency youth rosters using child welfare, and other ACS-maintained databases

- May support the CMU Analytics team in creating and maintaining CMU reports and tools to aide Contract Managers in facilitating meaningful conversations, and developing collaborative relationships with our partners

- May process non-budget related invoices to support ACS stakeholders and other ACS initiatives


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Section 424-A of the New York Social Services Law requires an authorized agency to inquire whether a candidate for employment with child-caring responsibilities has been the subject of a child abuse and maltreatment report.


TO APPLY:

- Please go to www.cityjobs.nyc.gov or www.nyc.gov/ess for current NYC employees and search for Job ID #687562
- NO PHONE CALLS, FAXES, OR PERSONAL INQUIRIES PERMITTED
- NOTE: ONLY THOSE CANDIDATES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL BE CONTACTED

A master's degree from an accredited college in economics, finance, accounting, business or public administration, human resources management, management science, operations research, organizational behavior, industrial psychology, statistics, personnel administration, labor relations, psychology, sociology, human resources development, political science, urban studies or a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school; or

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of satisfactory full- time professional experience working in one or a combination of the following areas: working with the budget of a large public or private concern in budget administration, accounting, economic or financial administration, or fiscal or economic research; in management or methods analysis, operations research, organizational research or program evaluation; in personnel or public administration, recruitment, position classification, personnel relations, labor relations, employee benefits, staff development, employment program planning/administration, labor market research, economic planning, social services program planning/evaluation, or fiscal management; or in a related area.

An associate degree or completion of 60 semester credits from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory full-time professional experience as described in "2" above.

A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's department of education or a recognized accrediting organization and six years of satisfactory full-time professional experience as described in "2" above.

A combination of education and/or experience equivalent to “1”, “2”, “3”, or “4” above. College education may be substituted for professional experience at the rate of 30 semester credits from an accredited college for one year of experience. However, all candidates must have a high school diploma.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.