Financial and Contractual Specialist

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Austin, TX

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and be part of a team committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of fellow Texans. At HHSC, your contributions matter, and we support you at each stage of your life and work journey. Our comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement and more. Explore more details on the Benefits of Working at HHS webpage. This position is a temporary, time-limited grant-funded position in response to the 2025 Central Texas Floods declaration. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides the SAMHSA Emergency Response Grant (SERG) program is a grant opportunity, inclusive of mental health and substance use prevention, response, and recovery services, that authorizes SAMHSA to act immediately under emergency circumstances that create a behavioral health crisis, where the crisis overwhelms the behavioral health system or creates behavioral health service needs that do not fit existing behavioral health resources. The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) administers the SERG program using a bifurcated structure, comprising both programmatic and fiscal components. Under the direction of Disaster Behavioral Health Coordination's (DBHC) SERG Program Manager, this position is responsible for journey-level financial management and technical assistance to manage federal disaster funding, supporting the SERG team, contracted SERG providers, and the DBHC Associate Director. The position ensures federal funds are budgeted, expended, and reconciled according to HHSC and SAMHSA award requirements. The Financial/Contractual Specialist will deliver financial technical assistance and guidance to SERG contractors and ensure that appropriate accounting codes are set up and utilized to track and monitor budget and expenditures in HHSC’s contracting and accounting systems. This position may assist with financial audits to confirm appropriate and allowable expenditures. The position tasks include maintaining a monthly expenditure report as a means of tracking provider and state expenses for state and federal reporting and inquiries; notifying the Program Manager of any budget or expenditure issues; and requesting approval of budget modifications and extensions. This position involves developing and managing contracts, processing invoices, and completing SERG closeout requirements. The role requires planning, developing, coordinating and implementing senior level fiscal management and technical assistance. Additionally, the position involves collaborating with SAMHSA and HHSC’s budget, legal and accounts payable personnel to ensure compliance with contracting processes and procedures within HHSC's contracting systems. Position ensures timely contract development, management, payment and grant closeout.

Requirements

Knowledge of overall program, including federal and state guidelines, regulations, programs, policies and procedures.
Knowledge of contracts, funding, policies and procedures.
Knowledge of public administration and management techniques and program management processes. Skill in responding to disasters in a behavioral health environment and working within grant parameters. Skill in project management; work with multiple stakeholders, and provide oversight to contracted vendors.
Skill in using personal computer application software such as Visio, MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project or similar programs.
Skill in written and oral communication, including the ability to make public presentations and write technical information in an understandable format.
Ability to gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts; to devise solutions to problems; to conduct sophisticated research; to prepare reports; to develop, evaluate, and interpret policies and procedures.
Ability to work cooperatively as a team member in a fast-paced, deadline-oriented environment.
Ability to function as financial support to the SERG Manager to ensure federal funds are budgeted and expended according to the SAMHSA requirements and award.
Ability to provide financial technical assistance to contractors as appropriate.
Ability to travel 30% or as needed to conduct onsite technical assistance and quality management visits, attend mandatory training and strategic planning meetings.
Ability to work hours other than 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM; nights, weekends and holidays to accomplish grant and agency deliverables.
Current Driver’s license
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major course work in accounting, business administration, finance or a related field preferred.
One year of experience in grant management, budgeting, and/or financial management.
Ability to travel up to 30% and/or as needed to meet grant deliverables.
Ability to work hours other than 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM, including nights, weekends, and holidays in support of the program and agency mission.

Nice To Haves

Graduate level education may be substituted for experience.

Responsibilities

Involves planning, developing, coordinating, implementing, and overseeing the collection, organization, analysis, and preparation of materials in response to requests for federal disaster program information and reports. The Financial Specialist is needed to provide fiscal technical assistance and oversight to ensure provider expenses and invoices are appropriate and submitted in the appropriate format. The position will work closely with HHSC contract and purchasing staff to review/audit each Provider invoice prior to submission for payment. The Financial Specialist will ensure that appropriate accounting codes are set up and utilized to track and monitor both budget and expenditures in the agency's contracting and accounting systems. HHSC will maintain a monthly expenditure report to track Provider and State expenses for state and federal reporting and inquiries. The Financial Specialist will notify the Program Manager of any issues with budget or expenditure. The Director will approve requests for budget modifications and/or extensions.
Works under minimal supervision, with extensive latitude for initiative and independent judgment. Involves planning, developing, coordinating, implementing, and overseeing compliance with federal disaster program policies and procedures, statutes, and rules according to HHSC and SAMHSA requirements. Delivers federal disaster consultative services and technical assistance to DBHC leadership related to planning, implementing, and monitoring of related programs and services. Oversees others who analyze legislation to develop recommendations for policy and programmatic issues relating to the implementation, improvement, and/or expansion or reduction of federal disaster funding.
Responsibilities include the preparation of comprehensive reports that present findings and recommendations, as well as conducting federal disaster surveys and reviews to ensure compliance with certification requirements, laws, regulations, policies, and related procedures.
Performs related work as assigned.