Financial Administrator

Overview of the Position The Federal Public Defender, Western District of Texas is accepting applications for the position of Financial Administrator, National Information Technology Operations and Applications Development (NITOAD), in San Antonio, TX. The NITOAD branch supports the federal defender program’s staffed offices in 204 locations throughout the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. The federal defender program operates under authority of the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, to provide defense services in federal criminal cases and related matters by appointment from the court to individuals unable to afford counsel.

The Financial Administrator is responsible for planning and executing budgets, developing programming for current and future fiscal years, and providing program support for NITOAD procurements. The Financial Administrator also performs these tasks:

• Ensures adherence to federal and local financial practices and procedures. Acquires current knowledge of fiscal year spending requirements and restrictions provided by
  1) Defender Services Office (DSO);
  2) the Guide to Judiciary Policy;
  3) applicable federal statutes; and
  4) GSA’s rules and regulations.
• Coordinates NITOAD’s budget formulation and execution requirements with DSO, to include development of acquisition plans for upcoming fiscal year.
• Develops multi-year budgets with input from NITOAD’s senior leadership to enhance and improve NITOAD's operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Helps develop NITOAD’s annual appropriation request and justification to Congress, including tables, supporting narrative, and graphic displays.
• Develops and monitors spending plans as budget allotments are received. Recommends reprogramming actions between budget classifications and categories, as necessary.
• Serves as the subject matter expert to execute the program budget including financial reporting to office leadership, transaction monitoring, and variance analysis of planned to actual obligations and disbursements.
• Provides tracking of expenditures against contracts/orders and the accuracy of vouchers and invoices.
• Assists in developing Standard Operating Procedures for NITOAD financial and procurement actions, including job specific guides.
• Prepares a variety of high-level written documents such as decision memoranda, agenda items, and analytical reports for senior DSO management, judicial officers, and federal public defenders.
• Creates and delivers compelling written and oral presentations and work product to a range of audiences from IT practitioners to executive level management.
• Manages and oversees day-to-day operations of accounting functions. Performs the accounting for the disbursement of appropriated funds for NITOAD. Assists the NITOAD Branch Chief in complying with the internal controls procedures of the office.

To qualify for the position of Financial Administrator, a person must be a high school graduate or the equivalent and have at least three years of general experience and two years of specialized experience. The ideal candidate should be self-motivated, have strong verbal and written communication skills, have strong data organization skills, with an intellectual curiosity for identifying and solving problems, and highly proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

Notwithstanding any educational substitution, experience in these areas is required:

• Experience with budget preparation, management, and analysis.
• Strong writing, editing, analytical, and quantitative skills.
• Knowledgeable in the federal budget processes.
• In-depth understanding of financial management principles, practices, methods, and analysis.
• Compliance with financial regulations, policies, and precedents.
• Working in a fast-paced team environment under tight deadlines.

A bachelor’s degree with a concentration in accounting or business administration is preferred. Some higher education may be substituted for experience. The selected candidate must successfully complete a ten-year background investigation with periodic updates every five years thereafter. Employment will be considered provisional…