IDD & PASRR Contract & Fiscal Monitor

Texas Health & Human Services Commission•Austin, TX

3d•$4,801 - $5,833•Hybrid

About The Position

The Contract Specialist IV reports directly to the Fiscal Monitoring Unit (FMU) Manager, which provides highly advanced (senior-level) contract administration, development, and fiscal monitoring support. Position functions explicitly within the Intellectual Developmental and Disability Services & Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) Fiscal & Systems Support (FSS) department, managing complex regional and statewide contracts funded through specialized federal grant awards and state appropriations. Act as a subject matter expert of financial oversight and completes fiscal audits, creates fiscal calculations to proactively identify areas of financial risk, contract risk assessments, and on-site monitoring of grantees and subrecipients.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a closely related field.
Experience in state governmental program administration, financial analysis, or contract management work may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws, statutes, and guidelines governing contract administration, including the Uniform Grant Management Guide, Code of Federal Regulation Chapter 200, Procurement and Contract Management Handbook, and accrual-based accounting methods such as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
Knowledge of financial analysis techniques, budgetary control structures, contract cost accounting principles, and rigorous fiscal verification protocols.
Skill in developing precise statements of work (SOW), performance metrics, key milestones, evaluation methods, and legally binding contract amendments.
Skill in navigating advanced spreadsheet applications and enterprise tracking software to synthesize data trends.
Ability to complete data-driven risk evaluations, discover critical operational vulnerabilities, and execute corrective action protocols or remediation frameworks.
Ability to communicate complex legal, financial, and regulatory instructions with professional clarity to internal executives, external providers, and regulatory auditors.
Ability to manage complex, competing deadlines and operate with high autonomy while maintaining rigorous analytical accuracy.

Nice To Haves

Experience conducting consultative services, financial evaluations, or contract monitoring inside a public sector framework or corporate compliance setting preferred.

Responsibilities

Performs highly advanced, structured fiscal monitoring and comprehensive expenditure tracking for complex regional and statewide contracts funded through specialized federal grant awards and state appropriations.
Examines and analyzes contractors' general ledgers, trial balances, payroll records, and support documentation to verify allowable costs and compliance with contractual requirements, uniform grant management standards, federal cost principles, and agency regulations.
Conducts sophisticated fiscal calculations to proactively identify budget variances, cost overruns, and financial irregularities.
Validates that expenditures directly align with approved contract budgets, detecting and quantifying overpayments or unauthorized distributions of state or federal funds to ensure absolute fiscal integrity.
Plans, schedules, and executes comprehensive desk reviews and rigorous on-site fiscal monitoring evaluations of grantees, providers, and subrecipients.
Develops targeted monitoring tools, audit checklists, and sampling methodologies to evaluate internal controls and financial management systems.
Conducts on-site entrance and exit conferences with contractor leadership and HHSC leadership, reviews physical and electronic fiscal files, and verifies that operational practices reflect reported financial data.
Prepares highly precise, evidence-backed formal monitoring reports detailing findings, systemic weaknesses, and questioned costs.
Designs, deploys, and updates data-driven contract risk assessment tools to predict, isolate, and mitigate fiscal and operational vulnerabilities within IDD and PASRR programs.
Performs routine and ad-hoc risk-based evaluations on contracted service entities to determine the frequency and scope of monitoring activities.
Manages systemic contractor deficiencies by initiating, reviewing, and tracking formal Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).
Evaluates the adequacy of contractor remediation efforts, conducts follow-up reviews to ensure permanent resolution of fiscal findings, and escalates unresolved non-compliance to senior leadership.
Prepares annual, quarterly, and as-needed key financial ratios and solvency analyses to measure subrecipient and contractor financial viability.
Coordinates and completes comprehensive fiscal risk assessment and evaluation scorings to inform and prioritize the annual fiscal monitoring schedule.
Evaluates balance sheet health, operating margins, liquidity constraints, and audit flags (such as Single Audit/Uniform Guidance findings) to proactively identify high-risk contracted entities requiring heightened oversight.
Serves as the primary fiscal point of contact and authoritative liaison for contractors, grantees, and subrecipients regarding fiscal compliance, contract requirements, and accounting standards.
Leads routine and specialized consultative communications, providing proactive guidance on allowable cost principles, financial reporting formats, and documentation expectations.
Facilitates formal verbal and written communications regarding audit inquiries, review notifications, and monitoring findings.
Delivers structured technical assistance, compliance webinars, and one-on-one remediation conferences to guide subrecipients through resolving complex accounting deficiencies and successfully executing Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).
Performs related work as assigned, including providing support to specialized agency projects, participating in cross-functional workgroups, and preparing administrative materials to support division priorities during legislative intervals.