Environmental Program Specialist​/Trainee – NY HELPS

Duties Description

The Fiscal Planning and Management (FPM) Section, in the Division of Water’s (DOW) Bureau of Water Assessment and Management, is an integral part of the DOW’s operational structure responsible for the direct management of contracts and procurement and liaison to DEC’s Division of Fiscal Management (DFM). The Environmental Program Specialist 1 (EPS1), in the FPM Section, is responsible for assisting in the completion of various contracts and contract related activities related to DOW’s water quality programs.

• Learn about New York State and DEC procurement options, rules, and policies and advise DOW staff on appropriate procurement options for their project(s).
• Manage a portfolio of contracts and agreements with a focus on state assistance contracts from the Water Quality Improvement Projects (WQIP), Nonpoint Source Planning Grant (NPG), 604(b) Management Planning Grant programs and Legislative Initiative Funding (LIF).
• Review and process reimbursement requests.
• Facilitate reimbursement, workplan and budget approvals with Regional and Central Office Project Managers.
• Maintain and document regular outreach with municipalities to ensure timely execution of contracts and grants assigned.

• Develop skills and familiarity with DEC’s internal financial management system.
• Process contract transactions, enter contract details, create encumbrances and make payments in SFS.
• Develop the ability to utilize SFS Analytics for fiscal tracking.

• Assist with the preparation of federal grant applications and amendments.
• Assist with monitoring grant spending during the performance period of the grant.
• Work with program staff to amend grants, as necessary.

• Working with specific appropriations, track and report monthly status to internal stakeholders and reconcile with the Division of Fiscal Management (DFM).
• Maintain FPM cash plan documentation as required.
• Facilitate cash plan meetings with internal stakeholders as necessary.
• Research discrepancies and questions from DFM and resolve as appropriate.

• Work with Project Manager 2 to update FPM training (videos, SOPs, PowerPoint training) for internal DOW and Regional Staff, focusing on contract execution and WQIP/NPG process.
• Develop familiarity with the state budget process, laws, and resources relevant to procurement in DOW (e.g., State Finance Law, Environmental Protection Fund budget,and Guide to Financial Operations published by the NYS Office of the State Comptroller).
• Support general office operations for the DOW (e.g., records management and/or inventory management).
• Ensure that internal financial controls are followed.

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At a future date, it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination.

Employees will then be afforded with all of the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

Qualifications for NYHELPS or 55b/c
* appointment are:

• EPS TRAINEE 1:
  Four years or experience in a position where you have responsibility for the following: development and implementation of program policies and procedures; preparing and interpreting rules and regulations; development, preparation, and management of procurement (solicitation) documents, contracts, or grants; providing non-engineering technical assistance and information to consultants, public officials, and facility managers; collecting data, reviewing alternatives, performing qualitative or quantitative policy analyses;
  
  writing technical or programmatic reports; developing,…