State Travel Analyst 1,2,3

State of Louisiana•Baton Rouge, LA

About The Position

The Division of Administration/Office of State Travel has a vacancy. The Office of State Travel is responsible for setting Louisiana's general travel regulations, known as Policy and Procedure Memorandum 49 (PPM49). These regulations provide for more efficient administration of travel policies. The office sets maximum standards along with clarifying, guiding, reviewing, and approving all waivers to PPM49. The State Travel Analyst is also the state program administrator for both the State of Louisiana's LaCarte Purchasing Card Program and the State's Corporate Travel Card Program. Its responsibility is to educate agency program administrators and manage both programs to ensure success. The Office of State Travel is an integral part of many state agencies, colleges, and universities. With this in mind, this position will provide support to the Director and peers to ensure compliance with travel regulations, card policies, and assist all agencies that interact with the Office of State Travel.

Requirements

Three years of experience in the preparation or analysis of purchase or travel card transactions, program compliance, procurement, or administrative services; OR Six years of full-time work experience in any field; OR A bachelor’s degree.
Every 30 semester hours earned from an accredited college or university will be credited as one year of experience towards the six years of full-time work experience in any field. The maximum substitution allowed is 120 semester hours which substitutes for a maximum of four years of experience in any field.

Nice To Haves

Communicating Effectively: The ability to convey information, ideas, and emotions using structured communication methods that promote understanding and engagement.
Following Policies and Procedures: The ability to follow, reinforce, adapt, or develop policies and procedures to maintain compliance with federal and state legal requirements, State Civil Service rules, and organizational policies.
Making Accurate Judgments: The ability to objectively question, analyze, interpret, and evaluate information to form a conclusion.
Displaying Expertise: The ability to demonstrate specialized knowledge, skills, and experience to apply subject-matter expertise in diverse and evolving contexts.
Using Data: The ability to collect, analyze, and use data to generate insights and inform decisions.

Responsibilities

Serve as a technical specialist performing in-depth/expanded reviews in programs requiring advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Independently investigate operational and or compliance violations, for all participating agencies of the statewide LaCarte and Travel Card.
Conduct highly sensitive, confidential and complex compliance reviews of an agency’s purchasing card and travel card program transactions to determine compliance with operational/contractual commitments, program policies, purchasing rules, regulations, statutes, executive orders and PPM49.
Navigate through OST used software to run reports from contracted vendors, VISA reporting systems and third party audit software with focus on detailed data analytics and pattern spend.
Review reports and statistical samples of monthly, quarterly and annual transactions to determine agency’s risk factors and overall compliance and integrity of the program.
Conduct spot audits of state agencies for internal control deficiencies and examine records to ascertain weaknesses.
Interpret program’s mandated rules and regulations and ensure agency compliance with all mandated changes.
Meet with audit division staff members and agency representatives to discuss problems of non-compliance, special program exemptions and resolve discrepancies.
Travel statewide to verify the accuracy of data contained in reports against agency’s program requirements, such as storage and location of supporting documentation.
Conduct site visits to determine full program compliance.
Assist agencies with program mandated, annual, internal compliance requirements, as requested.
Provide training to agency program administrators on card program policies, procedures, purchasing rules, regulations, statutes, executive orders and PPM49.
Negotiate terms for disputed compliance review reports until OST and agency are in agreement with corrective actions.
Compose letters to agencies summarizing findings for non-compliance, corrective actions and recommendations.
Follow up to determine if corrective action has been taken.
Conduct sensitive compliance reviews, investigations or handle matters of great confidentiality related to the program with regards to purchasing transactions.
Assist agencies with establishing internal controls, policies and procedures as needed.
Coordinate with Inspector General, Attorney General, Legislative Auditor and law enforcement for possible criminal, suspected misappropriation of funds or fraudulent activities.
Prepare evidence and serve as a witness in court cases involving extreme violations of a card program's policy, guidelines, procedures, statutes, rules, regulations and executive orders.
Serve as a lead analyst or when conducting a compliance review of such large scale proportions that a State Travel Analyst 1 or 2 requires the assistance of the Analyst 3 to complete in a timely basis.
Assist other State Travel Analysts with judgment situations that may arise in a compliance review.
Assist Director with training lower level State Travel Analysts, including training of reporting systems, third party software, card program policies and interpretation of policies, rules, regulations, statutes and executive orders.
Assist in developing and enforcing standards, policies and procedures for agencies.
Assist with development of new RFP for both card programs including requirements for contracted vendor and contract vendor's reporting system and capabilities.
Perform all other duties as assigned.