Grants and Contracts Specialist

Actively supports and upholds the City’s stated mission and values. The Grants and Contracts Specialist is responsible for operational level decision making to carrying out the operations of the selected process.   Duties require varying knowledge, skills, and abilities with a more complex degree of difficulty/diversity.  In addition, employees are expected to exercise considerable judgement, initiative, and professional skills in financial administration, knowledge of grants and contracts.  Under direction of the Grants, Contracts and Emergency Management Director, employees of this class are expected to make routine, independent, decisions in the coordination of day-to-day operations of the City’s Grants, Contracts and Emergency Management section.

ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES

• Supervisory:  This job does not have formal supervisory responsibilities.
• Budgetary:  This job does not have budgetary responsibilities but carries out day-to-day activities within approved budget.
• Strategic Planning:  This job does not have strategic planning responsibilities but carries out day-to-day activities in order to reach the stated goals and objectives.
• Policies/Procedures:  This job has partial responsibility for policies and procedures at the program level (assists with developing, implementing, and interpreting).
• Compliance: This job has partial responsibility at the program level (follows, assists in ensuring compliance with, and may enforce) Federal, State, and Local laws, rules, and regulations as well as City policies and procedures.
• Council Communications:  This job carries out day-to-day activities in accordance with Council’s adopted priorities and direction.
• Reporting:  This job has partial responsibility for reporting to Federal/State/Local agencies at the program level (gathers information, completes reports, and assists in addressing discrepancies in reporting) for the following reports/agencies:   DOJ, DHS, DOT, DOE, DOC, EPA. Assists in preparation, review and compliance of Civil Rights Title VI Plans for submission to Federal & State agencies. 

• Provides excellent customer service to both internal and external customers.
• Assist in Emergency Management preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

GRANTS

• Manages small to medium City-wide grants, some with a degree of significant complexity.
• Reviews grant proposals and applications prepared by other City divisions for completeness, accuracy, and timeliness prior to submittal to the Grants, Contracts and Emergency Management Director, Management Services Director and City Manager for approval.
• Completes pre-award proposal applications to include statistical information, budget information, certifications, narrative, and other related documents.
• Completes post-award agreements, pertinent attachments, time extensions, budget adjustments, and tracking and timely filing of required reports, and assists with staff summary preparation.
• Performs post-award compliance monitoring in order to comply with Federal, State, and Local grant terms and conditions/regulations and assurances (office of management and budget circulars, City and funding agency policies and regulations, program statutes, procurement regulations).
• Research eligible grant funding opportunities, maintains knowledge of available municipal grants, and informs other city divisions of available grants.
• Monitors grant awards to ensure project progresses in a timely manner and meets project goals/intended purpose.
• Meets with internal and external auditors to audit grants for successful closeout.
• Maintains a comprehensive computer database on city grants to include basic submittal and contract information. 
• Verifies that grant related clauses, certifications, and conditions are met.
• Assists staff, contractors, and consultants with questions regarding grant agreements, grant related paperwork, guidelines, city grant procedures, city ordinances, and local, state and federal laws and regulations. 
• Participates as directed in various meetings such as commission meetings, division and section meetings, council and council workshop meetings, and inter-agency meetings, as necessary for grant matters.   
• Attends grant workshops, conferences, and meetings to ensure coordination and communication between all parties as related to grant compliance and financial management.
• Provides various reports internally and externally on accounting encumbered, expenditure and balance amounts for various grants.
• Conducts closeout and evaluation to include final reporting, audit issues, and project conclusion.
• Provides various spreadsheets to divisions on proposed, current, and terminated grants.
• Advises staff of new/updated regulations, manuals, circulars, and letters of instructions for grant compliance.
• Participates in the Single Audit Report by assisting with preparation and review of Schedule of Federal Expenditures, providing files to auditors, and answering questions from external auditors.
• Assists in preparation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Plan (DBE) and submits required reports. Assists in preparation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Plan (EEOP) and submits required reports. Develops and maintains City grant’s website.
• Reconciles grants to the General Ledger.
• Performs Journal Entries, as needed.

CONTRACTS

• Coordinates contract administration for professional services, consulting, construction, personal and real property leases, licenses, and real estate purchase/sale agreements.
• Administers, manages and monitors all ongoing term contracts, leases, and agreements to ensure timely renewals or timely solicitations of contracts that are about to expire, assists City staff with resolution of contract issues, maintains cost containment within existing contracts and ensure that contract deliverables and critical milestones are achieved. 
• Maintains and updates professional services contracts for the City’s On-Call and Job Order Contracting (JOC) programs.
• Maintains and monitors a comprehensive contract listing in micro fiche or other City systems as implemented, with contract, lease, and agreement descriptions expiration dates, renewal option years, deliverables and critical milestones.
• Prepares and provides compliance letters to City staff contracted vendors, lessees, and other relevant parties when necessary.
• Reviews and assists in the preparation of professional services, consulting, construction, personal and real property leases, licenses, real estate purchase/sale agreements, development agreements, and intergovernmental agreements.
• Consults and coordinates with Procurement staff, End-user/assigned responsible City employee, Real Estate Manager, Project Managers, City Attorney, and Risk Manager on legal, insurance, and sureties. 
• Schedules and participates in meetings with City staff, vendors, consultants and contractors to ensure coordination and communication between all parties as it relates to contract compliance, bonds, insurance, and payment/fee schedules.
• Assists vendors, licensees, lessees, contractors, consultants and contractors with questions regarding contracts, City procedures, ordinances, and regulations.
• Manages preliminary lien claim notices process from subcontractors for City projects.
• Conducts outreach with other public agencies to promote, develop, and research cooperative contracts.
• Provides written status reports to Department/Division/Section Heads on real estate purchase/sale contracts, leases, licenses, regular purchase contracts, private development agreements, intergovernmental agreements, consulting services contracts and construction contracts.
• Coordinates with Billing Specialists for changes in contracts, changes in billing related to billable contracts, implementing billing for new contracts and discontinuance of billing for expiration of contracts.
• Assists in the review of payment requests for accuracy and contract compliance, coordinates the issuance of payments with the Real Estate Manager, Project Manager and Finance.
• Assures proper documentation and record keeping for audit and tracking purposes.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Law, Accounting/Finance or related field. 
• Three (3) years of technical experience in grants or contracts management, compliance, technical writing of related fields.
• Or any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the above Minimum Requirements. 

DESIRED REQUIREMENTS

• Experience in writing and understanding material goods and service-related contracts, real estate purchase contracts, licenses and leases. 
• Experience directly related to municipal finance and/or single audit reporting. 
• Experience directly related to the legal aspects of contracts, including but not limited to Uniform Commercial codes.  

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Must possess, or obtain upon employment, a valid Arizona driver’s license.
• Regular attendance is an essential function of this job to ensure continuity.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)

GRANTS

• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting and auditing principles and practices.
• Ability to plan, implement, monitor and close grant agreements of all types and for a variety of purposes in a workable and concise manner.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain a high degree of organization, with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Working knowledge of computer software related to word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Ability to understand, interpret, and communicate, grant, and financial terminology.
• Ability to learn grant related terminology and project management principles and procedures.
• Ability to inspect and track varied grant projects and to monitor appropriate paperwork, authorizations, signatures, payments, reporting, and compliance.
• Ability to coordinate and communicate with parties involved in the grant and financial administration of on-going projects.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with grant and capital project managers, finance department, legal department, all client departments, funding agencies, auditors, and the general public.
• Ability to organize and coordinate multiple tasks, work independently, maintain confidentiality and take initiative to improve upon current operations in a collaborative manner.
• Ability to learn grant management and financial software.
• Ability to prepare and present narrative and written reports.
• Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques, identification and resolution of grants administration issues and knowledge of laws, regulations, policy, and other requirements that affect grant program administration.
• Ability to work under the pressure inherent of meeting numerous and conflicting deadlines.

CONTRACTS

• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting and Auditing Principles and Practices.
• Knowledge of purchasing, contract and business law, real estate purchase and sale agreements, licenses and leases.
• Ability to mediate between City departments and contractors on issues pertaining to contract interpretation.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of organization, with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Working knowledge of computer software related to word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.
• Ability to learn real estate terminology, engineering terminology and project management principles and procedures.
• Good communication skills: ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Purchasing staff, Real Estate Manager, Project Managers, Finance, Legal, all City staff, contractors, consultants, auditors, and the general public.
• Ability to organize and coordinate multiple tasks.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, talk or hear. The employee is regularly required to use hands to finger/handle/feel, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• There are no special vision requirements for this position. 
• There are no special working conditions for this position.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.