Assistant Director, Agency Financial Services (Budget Unit) - State of Washington

WASHINGTON MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT 

Assistant Director, Agency Financial Services (Budget Unit)
  Annually $102,000 - $120,000

(Open until filled)  

Please note: Interviews for this position will be conducted on an ongoing basis. It is in the candidate's best interest to apply as soon as possible. The hiring manager reserves the right to fill the position at any time. Weekly reviews will be conducted, first review will begin Monday May 13, 2024. 
 

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks an Assistant Director of Agency Financial Services to join the OSPI team. This full-time position is based in Olympia, Washington. This position may be eligible for a partial telework schedule. Telework is a combination of in-building and off-sites days. We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.
 
About OSPI and our initiatives
OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 6 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.
 
At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise. OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:
 

• We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant (six weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee. The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.

Vision, Mission, and Values
 Vision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.
 
 Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.
 
Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child
 
Equity
 Each student, family, and community possesses strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

• Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and highly mobile student populations.
• Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools. 

Position Overview
The purpose of this position is to support the Director of Agency Financial Services in unit planning, staff supervision, and monitoring of unit processes and procedures. The Assistant Director directly supervises the unit’s Budget team (currently, 4 FTEs).
 
The position advances the Superintendent’s vision for K-12 education by facilitating the translation of his goals into a financial plan. Additionally, this position assists in the development of the financial plan with OSPI staff, policy makers, and educators as well as provide clear and concise budget, policy and planning analyses for agency activities funded primarily by state and federal appropriations.

Key Responsibilities
Supervises OSPI’s Budget team

• Assigns and organizes the work of the Budget team;
• Training/Onboarding of new budget staff; 
• Develops annual employee Professional Development Plans (PDPs); and
• Conducts annual employee evaluations. 

Provides budget support to programs

• Prepares budget recommendations (decision packages) for submittal to the Governor and the legislature;
• Reviews proposed legislation for fiscal impact and prepares fiscal notes;
• Develops external allotments for submittal to the Office of Financial Management (OFM);
• Prepares detailed internal allotments for program staff and agency managers;
• Monitors expenditures vs. allotments for variances and in consultation with program managers develops and monitors corrective action;
• Maintains and updates information in the Salary Projection System;
• Reviews Personnel Action Requests (PARs) to assure program budgets have sufficient resources to support the requested action;
• Reviews proposed contracts and purchase requests to assure budgets are sufficient to support the obligations;
• Responsible for managing, maintaining, and organizing the preparation and processing of all documents related to the position’s work according to state archive and records retention schedules; and
• Other budget development and monitoring activities as assigned.

Supports the Director of Agency Financial Services

• Oversees the preparation of information for submittal to OFM such as required reports, the Activity Inventory, Budget Drivers, the Compensation Impact Model, and others as required;
• Collaborate with Financial Resources staff to review and monitor apportionment balances;
• Review Federal Financial Reports (FFR’s);
• Reviews and analyzes the Governor’s and legislative budget proposals for impact on the agency’s mission, summarizes the impact and recommends action when appropriate;
• Acts on behalf of the Director in their absence by making day-to-day tactical decisions as they arise;
• Electronically signs various forms and documents when the Director is absent, including but not limited to Substitute Reimbursement Requests, Personnel Action Requests (PARs), and Facility Use Agreements; and
• Makes recommendations to the Director concerning the organization of Agency Financial Services.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, management, accounting, or related field; year for year related experience may substitute for a degree; and
• Four years of experience working in a position with a primary budget focus;
• Minimum of one year of supervision experience in a medium to large organization;
• Ability to work cooperatively and effectively with staff;
• Effective verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.

Desired Qualifications: 

• Advanced education in public policy, management, accounting, or related field.
• Experience with state and federal budget and finance rules and procedures.
• Familiarity with OFM budget and accounting systems.
• Understanding of the Washington state legislative process.
• Experience with Workday software. 

Compensation
The annual compensation for the position is $102,000 - $120,000 per year and depends upon experience, educational background, and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. This is a Washington Management Position. This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.
 
Application Process
Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word or PDF format only:

• A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement;
• A current résumé, and;
• A list of three or more professional references.  

Please address any questions to:
 Sal Salazar, Human Resources Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
 600 Washington Street Southeast
 Olympia, Washington 98504-7200
 (360) 725-6278; sal.salazar@k12.wa.us 
 
 Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 725-6270 or (360) 725-6066, or e-mail hroffice@k12.wa.us.
 
New Jobs Alert Service
OSPI offers a subscription service, which regularly notifies subscribers of new OSPI employment opportunities on careers.wa.gov. Subscribers are notified via text or email alert. If you are interested in this service, then please subscribe at this location.
 
OSPI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from job seekers who will contribute to our diversity. OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. If you would like, please include your name and gender pronouns in your application, to ensure we address you appropriately throughout the application process.Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resource consultant listed in “Application Process.”