Office of Policy Staff Services Officer (SSO-III)

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS • Austin, TX

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Medicaid and CHIP Services (MCS) department is driven by its mission to deliver quality, cost-effective services to Texans. This Staff Service Officer (SSO III) position makes a significant contribution to MCS’s mission by supporting the development and ongoing management of the Medicaid and CHIP Office of Policy.

The SSO reports to the Deputy Associate Commissioner (DAC) of MCS Office of Policy and is responsible for providing complex project coordination and support services. The SSO also supports the Deputy Executive Commissioner of MCS Policy and Quality. Work involves planning, directing, and coordinating several staff services functions to include human resources (including hiring and onboarding new staff), documenting processes, accounting, budgeting, purchasing, information technology, training, travel, and property management for the department; and maintaining the section's business continuity plans. This position works under general direction with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgement. This position is not supervisory but is expected to train and lead Administrative Assistants in the Office of Policy.

Work involves the coordination of diverse department level projects; executive assignments and managing project activities to ensure timelines are met. The position prioritizes the DAC and Deputy Executive Commissioner (DEC) of Policy and Quality calendars and works on multiple tasks with rapidly changing deadlines.
Tasks may include managing the flow and review of documents; scheduling meetings; proofreading assignments and other work products produced by the DAC's program areas; compiling business operations information for the DAC and DEC and facilitating communications to and from the DAC and DEC within and external to HHSC. The selected applicant exercises tact, discretion, and diplomacy while being assertive and is responsible for completing special projects and preparing special reports, as directed by the DAC. The selected applicant will be expected to stay abreast of HHSC administrative polices and provide guidance and training to section leadership and direction to administrative staff in the department.

The ideal candidate thrives in a fast-paced environment that emphasizes: teamwork to achieve goals, excellence through high professional standards and personal accountability, curiosity to continuously grow and learn, critical thinking for effective execution, and integrity to do things right even when what is right is not easy.

This position will allow for constant learning opportunities and a chance to impact the healthcare provided to individuals receiving Medicaid and CHIP. MCS Office of Policy offers a collaborative and supportive working environment.

Requirements

• Knowledge of: Local, state or federal agency programs; fiscal or budgeting techniques and practices; and of office management and human resource administration.
• Modern office management practices and procedures and competence with technology tools such as Microsoft Office productivity tools, especially Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Project management theories and practices applicable to projects of moderate scope.
• Health and human services programs, policies, and procedures.
• Skills in: Navigating an on-line human resource system such as CAPPS and Career Center and assists staff with navigating the system.
• Effectively communicating with professional and support staff and the public both verbally and in writing.
• Effectively organizing, tracking, and reviewing written and electronic documents.
• Coordinating activities and critical thinking.
• Problem solving, detecting potential issues, and resolving issues without delay.
• Ability to: Edit memos and reports critically and in accordance with the organization’s writing reference guide, and to train content contributors on the writing reference guide.
• Study and evaluate programs and propose recommendations, interpret and apply agency policies and procedures, and make decisions affecting the operation of administrative services functions.
• Work independently to gather, assemble, correlate and analyze information and operate effectively within established guidelines and timeframes.
• Develop and implement appropriate office policies and procedures.
• Direct and organize compliance activities.
• Prepare and edit accurate and concise reports.
• Serve as team leader for an employee or group of employees and to function effectively as a member of a team.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Stay calm under pressure.
• Learn new office management tools quickly, such as Visio.
• A minimum of two years’ experience in office management, business administration, human resource administration, or budget preparation/coordination work.
• Experience directly coordinating, tracking, and responding to executive assignments.
• Experience organizing, managing, and completing multiple assignments with competing deadlines.
• Experience managing an executive calendar and scheduling meeting requests with multiple people.

Nice To Haves

• Four years’ experience in office management, business administration, human resource administration, or budget preparation/coordination work.
• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in business administration or a related field.
• Experience working in a department at the Health and Human Services Commission.

Responsibilities

• Acts as the lead administrator for the section.
• Advises and provides direction to other administrators.
• Stays abreast of HHSC administrative policies, including human resources (HR), executive memos, travel, purchasing, and records retention.
• Provides guidance and training regarding division policies and procedures as needed to section leadership, staff, and other administrators.
• Assists in development and review of section policies and procedures; recommends and implements procedural or policy changes to improve operations and programs.
• Provides direction to administrative staff in the section.
• Analyzes and prioritizes meeting requests.
• Prioritizes the DAC and DEC calendars and meeting requests.
• Schedules meetings, conferences, or conference calls using Outlook, to include notification of all parties involved; assists in planning and preparing agendas and meeting materials; may take meeting minutes; prepares files in advance of meeting; tracks meeting tasks and follow-up lists.
• Facilitates travel arrangements, prepares and submits travel forms and vouchers.
• Coordinates diverse department-level projects and executive assignments, organizes office-level meetings, manages facility-related changes (e.g., new construction, new expectations, building moves, cubicle or conference room adjustments) and manages project activities to meet timelines.
• Tracks and assigns projects, required reports, and deliverables due to the DAC or DEC.
• Learns section programs, functions, and policies to help achieve section goals.
• Assesses the importance of various projects; complies with deadlines and works on multiple tasks with rapidly changing deadlines.
• Monitors and manages project deliverables to ensure they meet requirements and expectations.
• May monitor and manage office level budgets.
• Determines barriers to completion of section projects/assignments and facilitates resolution.
• Manages the flow and review of documents and correspondence.
• Acts as the Office of Policy section’s primary liaison on administrative matters to HHSC staff within other departments and auditors; as well as other state and federal agencies, external stakeholders, and the public.
• Coordinates responses to stakeholders and facilitates responses to assignments from HHSC executive staff and open records requests.
• Develops correspondence and documents and reviews documents produced by the DAC’s program areas; ensures documents are clear, concise, and grammatically correct, follows the HHS executive writing reference guide and HHS brand guide, and is response to correspondence requests.
• Develops charts, graphs, and tables in Word, PowerPoint, Visio, and Excel.
• Gathers and assembles data and information to develop presentations and reports for leadership.
• Analyzes, prioritizes, and disseminates incoming e-mail and identifies issues for the DAC’s attention to ensure appropriate deadlines are met.
• Adheres to the principles of confidential information.
• Exercises tact, discretion, diplomacy while being assertive.
• Exhibits professional behavior when working with all levels of staff.
• Acts as liaison with HR staff, HHSC legal staff, CAPPS Service Center, and Career Center.
• Works with hiring specialists to make necessary adjustments, ensure accuracy of position numbers, broadcasts changes to deadlines and updates to staff on behalf of the DAC and Deputy Director.
• Reviews all HR items that come through the DAC's office.
• Works with the section’s directors and managers to post jobs by reviewing posting documents and audit packages prior to submission.
• Assists with screening, interviewing, and recommending employment of applicants; and assisting with processing promotions, demotions, merit increases, disciplinary actions, transfers, and discharge of employees.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Excellent health benefits
• Lifetime monthly retirement annuity
• Generous time off benefits
• Leadership commitment to invest in and foster your professional growth and career advancement.
• Having an impact to the lives of thousands of clients that depend on Texas Medicaid and CHIP throughout Texas.
• Exposure to the Texas legislative process to analyze and inform legislators of potential impact of proposed bills.
• Being part of a team at the forefront of interpreting, implementing, and developing healthcare policy that has statewide impact.
• The opportunity to learn and engage with multiple domains of professional administrative functions, healthcare delivery systems, federal/state Medicaid partnerships, and other activities related to the administration of the Medicaid and CHIP programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees