Grants and Contracts Compliance Support Specialist​/State Program Administrator Principal

Grants and Contracts Compliance Support Specialist / State Program Administrator Principal

At the State of Minnesota, you will develop policies, provide essential services, and improve the well‑being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. You will be responsible for ensuring DCYF compliance with federal and state regulations, statutory requirements, and internal policies and controls. You will lead proactive risk assessment, specialized oversight projects, and the implementation of internal controls to mitigate systemic risks and safeguard DCYF’s financial and operational integrity.

This position provides strategic leadership and expertise for the oversight of grant and contract management work throughout DCYF. Telework within Minnesota or neighboring states and flexible hours options are available.

• Lead agency‑level oversight, compliance monitoring, and risk assessment of DCYF grants and contracts functions to ensure agency alignment with federal and state requirements and internal standards.
• Ensure that compliance, risk mitigation, and program integrity practices are integrated into DCYF contract and grant functions to establish a culture of accountability that effectively meets requirements and safeguards public funds.
• Provide technical assistance, general support, and specialized guidance to DCYF contract and grants staff to ensure high quality contracting and grantmaking work.

• Extensive knowledge of the full lifecycle of state and/or federal grants and contracts, including solicitation, evaluation, negotiation, contract execution, monitoring, payment and closeout, including applicable state statutes and federal regulations.
• Working knowledge of grant and contract management software systems and public sector accounting systems.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating the effectiveness of internal controls, policies, processes, and procedures.
• Strong ability to collaborate with others to design and implement effective strategies that increase compliance, mitigate risk, and strengthen program integrity.
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation, and communication skills; ability to communicate clearly and professionally both verbally and in writing; experience translating technical information into plain language for a variety of audiences.

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in public policy, legal studies, business administration or a related field.
• Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP) certification or similar compliance certification.
• Experience implementing formal compliance analyses such as descriptive analytics, diagnostic analytics/root cause analyses, predictive analytics, regulatory requirement mapping, or risk scoring.
• Variety of experiences working effectively with others from different backgrounds and cultures.

• Successful completion of a background investigation prior to employment, which may include reference check, criminal background check, driver’s license check, personnel file review of all current and former public sector employees, and additional assessment during the interview process.

Minnesota state agencies are equal opportunity, affirmative action, and veteran‑friendly employers. State agencies are committed to creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of the state and strongly encourage persons of color and Indigenous communities, members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, individuals with disabilities, women, and veterans to apply. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, marital status, familial status, age, sexual orientation, status regarding public assistance or disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic.