Finance Manager

The Louisiana Office of Community Development (LOCD) administers Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery and Mitigation (CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT) grants and other federal and state funding allocated to the State of Louisiana. These programs support long-term recovery resilience and mitigation for communities affected by Presidentially Declared Disasters. LOCDs grant portfolio exceeds $20 billion and encompasses multiple federal awards each containing numerous programs funding activities and implementation timelines.

This is a professional position designed to manage disaster recovery and mitigation programs under the Louisiana Office of Community Development (LOCD). The position ensures allocation and use of recovery and mitigation funds in observance of federal and state statutory requirements regulations and policies. This position requires a particular knowledge of aspects of disaster recovery disaster CDBG and mitigation programs FEMA programs and other federal and state recovery initiatives and key disaster recovery entities and organizations.

This position reports to the Director of Finance and exercises direct supervision over professional finance staff. The incumbent is expected to work with a high degree of initiative and independent judgment to coach and develop staff to document existing financial processes into written standard operating procedures (SOPs) and to recommend improvements that strengthen internal controls and improve accuracy timeliness and efficiency.

• Overseeing the states capital construction program
• Working to provide state and federal grants for community development
• Development of the state budget
• Providing technology services
• Giving agencies guidance in the state purchasing and contracting process as they seek goods and services
• Administering a program that provides federal funds to help Louisiana residents recover from a series of devastating hurricane

A baccalaureate degree in Accounting Finance Business Administration Public Administration or a related field plus two (2) years of professional level experience in financial management financial analysis accounting grants management or public sector finance.

Substitutions:

Six years of full-time professional experience in disaster recovery accounting financial management or grants management may substitute for degree.

A Masters degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience or two (2) years for a specialized degree in related fields.

Preferred Qualifications:
Knowledge of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT) programs.

Knowledge of Federal Emergency Management Agency Public Assistance Program.

Knowledge of federal grant financial requirements including 2 CFR Part 200. Experience supporting audits and responding to monitoring or compliance reviews.

Experience working with executive leadership legislators and federal partners.

Experience with the State of Louisiana LaGov ERP financial system including its finance modules and with financial reporting from the LaGov Data Warehouse or SAP Business Objects; familiarity with legacy ISIS/AFS data is a plus.

Experience with HUD financial and reporting systems including the Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting (DRGR) system and eLOCCS.

Professional experience with communications/public relations

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft office advanced particularly in SharePoint and/or Excel

Essential Functions
(Duties are illustrative and not comprehensive. Responsibilities may vary.)

Overall

Plan organize and direct the financial management and administration of Disaster Recovery programs funded through CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT and other federal state and recovery sources.

Conduct financial analysis cost projections scenario modeling and program performance reviews to support program design implementation financial management and closeout strategies.

Supervise coach and develop finance staff while coordinating with program managers grants management contracts accounting budgets and other Finance functions to ensure effective and consistent operations.

Supervision Coaching and Staff Development

Supervise assigned finance staff including assigning and reviewing work establishing performance expectations and measurable performance standards conducting performance evaluations and addressing performance issues.

Coach and mentor staff on federal grant financial requirements LOCD procedures and the State financial system and identify and support training and professional development opportunities.

Build and maintain a cross-trained team so that draw processing reconciliation and reporting functions continue during absences peak workloads and turnover.

Distribute workload across the team monitor progress against deadlines and adjust assignments as program and reporting demands change.

Participate in recruitment selection onboarding and retention of finance staff.

Financial Operations

Manage and oversee the financial operations of disaster recovery programs ensuring accurate timely and compliant processing of expenditures payments and project draw requests.

Review and approve disaster recovery project draw request including eligibility accuracy coding and availability of funds for requested costs.

Monitor contractor subrecipient and vendor financial activity to ensure that expenditures are allowable allocable reasonable properly documented and consistent with applicable agreements and requirements.

Ensure that payments and expenditures are property authorized and reconciled with the State financial system (LaGov ERP) and HUD reporting databases (DRGR).

Review contracts for appropriate financial coding and submission to the Office of Financial and Support Services or equivalent state financial office.

Perform and oversee transaction processing reconciliation and reporting in the State of Louisiana LaGov ERP financial modules.

Reconcile program and grant financial data among LaGov ERP the LaGov Data Warehouse HUD reporting systems and internal tracking tools; research and resolve variances and document the resolution.

Maintain financial coding structures including funds cost centers functional areas grants and project structures so that expenditures are charged to the correct award activity and program.

Policies Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures

Develop and maintain accounting and finance policies and procedures for managing disaster recovery funds and expenditures.

Document existing financial processes into written standard operating procedures (SOPs) desk procedures process maps and workflow narratives that identify each step the responsible position control and approval points required supporting documentation system entries and expected processing timeframes.

Establish a schedule for periodic review and update of SOPs maintain version control and ensure current procedures are readily available to staff auditors and federal monitors.

Train staff on documented procedures and verify through review that procedures are followed consistently.

Ensure compliance with federal and state financial requirements including HUD regulations OMB Uniform Guidance under 2 CFR Part 200 grant agreements approved Action Plans and LOCD fiscal policies.

Research and analyze new federal and state financial requirements and recommend appropriate policies or procedural changes.

Establish financial management processes to track expenditures obligations burn rates program income and other financial activity across all funding sources.

Process Improvement and Efficiency

Evaluate existing financial workflows to identify duplication manual workarounds bottlenecks and control gaps and recommend practical improvements to leadership.

Recommend and implement efficiencies including automation of recurring reports standardized templates and checklists expanded use of LaGov ERP and LaGov Data Warehouse reporting and reduced processing time for draw requests and payments.

Develop and track performance measures for finance operations such as draw processing time draw aging reconciliation timeliness and error and rework rates and report results to leadership.

Lead or support implementation of new or revised financial systems reporting tools and dashboards including requirements definition testing documentation and staff training.

Communication & Coordination

Coordinate closely with program managers grants management staff contracts staff finance teams state agencies and external partners to align program operations with financial controls and reporting requirements to ensure smooth and consistent financial operations.

Communicate financial policies procedures controls and reporting expectations to program staff contractors subrecipients vendors and partner organizations.

Prepare clear written and verbal explanations of complex financial information for executive leaders legislators program staff auditors and non-financial audiences.

Financial Reporting

Ensure timely and accurate financial reporting to federal partners executive leadership legislators auditors oversight entities and other stakeholders.

Prepare monthly and periodic reports on General Fund expenses and balances program income grant expenditures obligations and remaining balances.

Prepare recurring and ad hoc financial reports using LaGov ERP the LaGov Data Warehouse and SAP Business Objects and reconcile reported balances to source records. Develop and maintain financial tracking tools dashboards spreadsheets and reports to support transparency monitoring and executive decision-making.

Ensure integration and accuracy of financial data within the State financial system (LaGov ERP) grants management systems HUD reporting platforms (DRGR) business intelligence systems and other applicable databases.

Maintain complete and accurate financial records and documentation to support internal reviews external audits federal monitoring legislative inquiries and oversight activities.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Position-Specific Details:
Louisiana is a State as a Model Employer for People with Disabilities.

How To Apply:
No Civil Service test scoreis required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

To apply for this vacancy click on the Apply link above and complete an electronic application which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

A criminal history check may be conducted on all new hires as well as employees changing positions including promotions demotions details reassignments and transfers. Also prospective employees may be subject to pre-employment drug testing. New hires will be subject to employment eligibility verification via the federal governments E-verify system.

* Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e. relevant detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.

Applicants qualifying based on college training or receipt of a baccalaureate degree will be required to submit an official college transcript to verify credentials claimed prior to appointment. Please make every effort to attach a copy of your transcript to your application. The transcripts can be added as an attachment to your online application.. The selected candidate will be required to submit original documentation upon hire.

For further information about this posting please contact:

Erica R. Gay
HR Specialist
Division of Administration/Office of Human Resources
email: