Ethics and Campaign Finance Administrator (Vacancy)

City of Columbus • Varies by position, OH

13d • Onsite

About The Position

Under direction, this position is responsible for ensuring legal compliance with all ethics and campaign finance laws applicable to City of Columbus elected officials, municipal candidates, candidate committees, and City employees; performs related duties as required.

Requirements

• Possession of a Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA accredited law school
• Three (3) years of experience providing ethics advice, reviewing or analyzing financial disclosure reports, conducting ethics training, or consulting on ethics related issues.

Nice To Haves

• Thorough knowledge of the field of ethics in business and government
• Thorough knowledge of local, state, and federal laws, rules, and regulations related to governmental ethics and conflicts of interest.
• Thorough knowledge of Columbus City Codes sections 107.02 - 107.05 pertaining to campaign finance and ethics reporting requirements.
• Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of business and public administration.
• General knowledge of the principles of investigation and due process rights.
• General knowledge of computerized budget and accounting systems.
• Ability to read and understand comprehensive financial records and reports.
• Ability to evaluate accounting forms, methods, and procedures.
• Ability to compile, analyze, and interpret complex data.
• Ability to advise administrators regarding important financial matters or ethical concerns.
• Ability to exercise judgment when making decisions.
• Ability to operate a computer and use applicable software programs.
• Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with administrative officials and members of the public.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Responsibilities

• Serves as Chief Ethics Officer for the City of Columbus; Provides guidance and counsel on matters relating to ethics, standards of conduct, and conflicts of interest that apply to City of Columbus elected officials, municipal candidates, candidate committees, and City employees; Develops and drafts policy recommendations intended to promote honesty, accountability, and trust in city government; Collaborates with other municipal offices to achieve uniformity in ethics policies and to ensure compliance Citywide
• Ensures City employees sign a pledge of ethical conduct at the time of hire and that City elected officials and employees complete any required ethics trainings in accordance with City policies and executive orders; Develops and facilitates trainings, presentations, and other educational programs for elected City officials and City employees to ensure compliance with ethics laws and to encourage ethical conduct;
• As needed, conducts timely investigations of potential ethics violations and/or conflicts of interest within the City; maintains communication with the Ohio Ethics Commission; Assists in the development of policies, procedures, and practices to prevent conflicts of interest; monitors existing policies on outside employment, procurement, and post-employment for compliance with applicable laws;
• Reviews all campaign finance reports, election period communications, and ethics reports to ensure that all are filed timely, accurately, and completely in accordance with City Code; Audits all campaign finance reports and disclosure statements to ensure contribution limits and itemizations are in full compliance with all campaign finance laws; identifies any reporting deficiencies and/or noncompliance; Informs candidates and/or campaign treasurers of reporting deficiencies; recommends corrective actions; ensures amended reports, corrections, or addendums are filed in full compliance;
• Assists candidates and others in understanding campaign finance laws and regulations; Administers an electronic filing portal for the online filing of financial disclosures and conflicts of interest, gifts, and travel disclosure reports required by law; Administers an electronic registry of individuals who self-identify as lobbyists engaging in advocacy on behalf of other interested parties; Reviews and evaluates disclosure reports to ensure timely, accurate, and complete disclosure and to identify potential conflicts of interest;
• Administers the processes around the receipt, review, and communications on citizen petitions, referendums, recalls, and matters involving the petitioning of the City; Reviews citizen petitions, referendums, recalls, and matters involving the petitioning of the City; Prepares training materials for candidates, campaign treasurers, and political committee officers; provides instructions for electronically filing campaign finance reports;
• Serves as the City’s codification coordinator, including ensuring that City Code reflects all Council-ordained and/or citizen-approved actions, overseeing the bi-annual legal review, and serves as liaison to third party vendors utilized for code management; Manages intake and compliance with public records requests; Prepares clear and concise reports and correspondence; compiles and formats data for use in budgets and annual reports; Participates in the preparation of legal case reviews; as requested, works collaboratively with the Columbus City Attorney on sworn complaints and investigations arising from potential campaign finance, disclosure, and/or ethics violations; May conduct special investigations as required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree