STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Fiscal/Administrative Officer

Recruitment #230517-1308AR-001

Introduction


The State of Connecticut, Office of Early Childhood (OEC), is the lead agency for early childhood services for the State’s youngest children; including early care and education, home visiting, developmental support, program and provider development, and Head Start and we are currently recruiting for two Fiscal/Administrative Officers

As A State Employee You Will Continue to Enjoy:
  • Industry leading health benefits, including medical and dental coverage
  • Extensive pension plan and supplemental retirement offerings
  • Paid time off including 13 paid holidays per calendar year
  • A culture that encourages work/life balance
  • Professional growth and development opportunities
Position Details: 
The Office of Early Childhood seeks two qualified individuals for the position of Fiscal/Administrative Officer within the Fiscal/Administrative Services Unit of the Division of Finance and Fiscal/Administrative Services, located in Hartford, CT. This position is full-time, 40 hours per week, first shift, Monday through Friday. The Fiscal/Administrative Officer reports to the Associate/Fiscal Administrative Officer. This position will be part of a unit of 10 professional staff when all positions are filled. 

Position Responsibilities:
In this role, you may be responsible for:  
  • Processing day-to-day operations of the Fiscal/Administrative Services Unit which includes, but is not limited to, purchasing, p-card operations, inventory and asset management, accounts payable, accounts receivable, employee travel and reimbursements, and other internal operations and support functions;
  • Procuring goods and services appropriately and in accordance with state and federal regulations;
  • Problem-solving when unforeseeable issues arise; 
  • Coordination with other state agencies regarding contractual services;
  • Reviewing and reconciling accounting strings to ensure accuracy;
  • Working independently on special projects; 
  • Assisting in updating, implementing, and maintaining policies and procedures relating to areas of responsibilities;
  • Interpreting complex state statutes and federal regulations;
  • Maintenance of OEC Supplier ID list;
  • Assisting with contract development and management; 
  • Leading/supervising staff; and
  • Performing related fiscal and administrative duties as required.
OEC Mission:
Our agency’s mission is to support all young children by ensuring that early childhood policy, funding and services strengthen the critical role families, providers, educators, and communities play in a child’s life. We believe in ensuring all children are safe, healthy, learning and thriving, and having a strong team is critical to us successfully achieving these goals. 

Our mission and vision serve as the guideposts for the development of policies and programs, and also ensure that we work to actively and purposefully dismantle racism and advance equity for all individuals throughout the early childhood system and the professional selected to fill this role must align with, believe in and promote this mission and vision.  

We are looking for professionals to join our team who align with and will promote this mission and vision.

Selection Plan

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must be a current State of CT employee, who has worked for the state for at least six (6) months of full-time service or full-time equivalent service, absent any applicable collective bargaining language, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening.  You must specify your qualifications on your application.

To Apply:

  • In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on this job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
  • The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
  • Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
  • Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
  • All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:
Important Information After You Apply:
  • This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
  • Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
  • Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
  • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
  • Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
Connect With Us:
Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Hayley Newhouse, at Hayley.Newhouse@ct.gov.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency, facility or institution this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in professional level fiscal and administrative functions.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

  • Performs a variety of professional fiscal and administrative functions;
  • Assists head of fiscal/administrative operations, division head or agency head in budget preparation by compiling and consolidating data and projecting expenditures;
  • Maintains budget control by reviewing and authorizing expenditures and monitoring expenditures against appropriations and allotments;
  • Prepares budget reports;
  • Prepares various financial statements and statistical or narrative fiscal/administrative reports;
  • Assists in planning and implementation of financial aspects of EDP systems;
  • Utilizes EDP systems for financial records, reports and analyses;
  • Prepares or reviews grant budgets and other fiscal portions of grant applications;
  • Provides technical assistance to grantees regarding accounting procedures;
  • Reviews various contracts, financial documents and financial reports to ensure compliance with grant requirements;
  • Exercises functional supervision over a variety of clerical fiscal/administrative activities such as maintenance of accounting records, payroll preparation, preparation and processing of purchase requisitions, grant and contract record keeping;
  • Performs technical purchasing tasks such as soliciting bids and recommending contract awards;
  • Assists in formulation of policies and procedures relating to area(s) of responsibility and implementation of such policies and procedures;
  • Acts as liaison with agency central fiscal and administrative office(s) and/or central state agencies;
  • May supervise support services such as stores, inventory, mailroom, security or maintenance;
  • Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

  • Knowledge of
    • principles and practices of public administration with special reference to governmental budget management and governmental accounting;
    • grants and contracts preparation and administration;
    • purchasing principles and procedures;
    • payroll practices and procedures;
  • Skills
    • interpersonal skills;
    • oral and written communication skills;
  • Ability to
    • prepare and analyze financial documents and reports;
    • interpret and apply statutes, regulations and administrative policies;
    • utilize EDP systems for financial management.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Six (6) years of experience in a combination of fiscal/administrative functions (e.g., accounting, accounts examining, budget management, grant administration, payroll, purchasing) at least one of which must be an accounting or budgeting function.*

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been at or above the paraprofessional level, requiring the exercise of some independent judgment in the application of basic principles and procedures in accounting, budgeting, purchasing or related fiscal administration functions.

NOTE: Connecticut Careers Trainee experience (target Fiscal/Administrative Officer or closely related class) is at the professional training level and above the paraprofessional level.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

  • College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (l/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
  • A Master's degree in public administration, business administration or accounting may be substituted for one (1) year of the Special Experience.
  • For state employees two (2) years as a Fiscal/Administrative Assistant may be substituted for the General and Special Experience.
  • For state employees two (2) years as a Purchasing Assistant may be substituted for the General and Special Experience.
  • Successful completion of a Connecticut Careers Trainee program approved by the Department of Administrative Services may be substituted for the General Experience and Special Experience.  
*Descriptions of these fiscal/administrative functions are attached

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience with Core-CT Financials, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), or State Analytical Reporting System (STARS) modules.
  • Experience with State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) procurement policies.
  • Experience with Accounts Payable or Purchasing.
  • Experience with inventory and asset management including tagging and tracking assets.
  • Experience with DAS contracts, including using CT Source.
  • Experience with the State of Connecticut DAS Purchasing Card.
  • Experience with Microsoft Office Suite including Excel, Teams, and Word.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.