Grant, Contracts & Compliance Coordinator

State of Colorado; Lakewood (CO); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental options

Wellness program

Life insurance

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

The State of Colorado, Department of Public Safety (CDPS) in Lakewood, CO, seeks a Grants Specialist IV to manage and monitor DCJ grant programs, ensuring compliance with federal and state rules. This role involves developing policies, maintaining the Grant Management System, coordinating audits, and guiding grant managers.

Hybrid work arrangement with in-office presence, competitive benefits, and opportunities for professional growth within Colorado's public safety framework.

Qualifications

• Seven years of grants administration experience.
• Experience with federal regulations and compliance related to grants.
• Experience writing policies and procedures for grant programs.
• Experience creating training materials and job aides for grant managers.
• Ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders and manage audits.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact for rules and regulations, contracting procedures, reporting, and monitoring concerning grants.
• Coordinate with division Grant Managers on administration of grants.
• Develop and revise administrative guides, reporting forms, and contracts for grants; liaise with auditors.
• Oversee the Grant Management System (GMS) and ensure compliance and continuity of grant services.
• Train and assist grant managers; improve statewide grant administration processes.

Skills

Grants administration

Regulatory compliance

Policy development

Training development

Stakeholder collaboration

Audit & monitoring

Job description

This position is open only to current Colorado state residents.

An eligible list established with this recruitment may be used to fill other similar positions within the Colorado Department of Public Safety in the next 12 months.

Our Mission - Engaged employees working together to safeguard lives and to provide diverse public safety services to local communities.

Our Vision - Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado.

Our Core Values - Unity, Honor, Service

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is dedicated to non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

At CDPS, our culture is driven by our commitment to creating a safer Colorado and guided by a public service focus. We strive to provide effective solutions and services to our fellow Coloradans. We model a culture of collaboration, innovation, and growth for our employees. We maintain a professional and inclusive workplace.

Careers with a purpose:

If you are passionate about public safety and public service, and are eager to dedicate your career to serving Coloradans, consider joining CDPS. Our team at CDPS consists of exceptional individuals and is an environment where you can challenge yourself and acquire new capabilities to build a rewarding and fulfilling career.

We are committed to providing public safety services to our communities including safety on our roads, preparing for and mitigating environmental disasters such as floods and wildland fires, disaster recovery, combating crime, promoting school safety, and victim services.

Classification and Salary:

GRANTS SPECIALIST IV

Anticipated Hiring Range: $6,022 - $7,829/month; $72,264 - $93,948/year

Full Salary Range: $6,022 - $9,636/month; $72,264 - $115,632/year

Benefits:

• Medical and dental options are available for permanent employees and their dependents. We also offer short and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance that includes legal resources and discounts.
• Eligible employees receive Basic Life and AD&D insurance equal to their annual earnings subject to a minimum benefit of $50,000 and a maximum of $250,000. Basic Life and AD&D are provided by the State of Colorado at no cost to employees.
• The State of Colorado's Wellness Program, State of Health, is a no-cost, year-long program that supports an employee’s health and wellness goals. This program offers personalized health coaching, skill groups and more. Participants can earn a $20 per month health insurance premium discount.
• Through BenefitHub, State of Colorado employees have access to discounts, promotions and special programs from hundreds of retailers, restaurants, travel and entertainment venues throughout Colorado and across the country.
• State contribution into a Health Savings Account when enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan.
• Eligible employees have access medical leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the State of Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI).
• Eligibility for hybrid or other flexible work arrangements based on the nature of the role.
• We offer excellent retirement benefits including mandatory PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans. For information on mandatory employee salary deferral (in lieu of contribution to Social Security), visit Colorado PERA for details.
• We provide generous time off including 11 paid holidays annually and accrued annual and sick leave and four annual wellness days.
• The Employee Assistance Program (C-SEAP) is available in every region of the state. It is our effort to support the well-being of employees and the workplace. EAPs provide short-term counseling, referrals and resources, as well as training and organizational development services.
• Tuition reimbursement and reduced college tuition at CSU Global and DeVry University.
• We offer Credit Union of Colorado membership eligibility.

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit State of Colorado benefits.

About the Work Unit

• Develops and implements policies and procedures common to the program offices;
• Coordinates training and education of managers throughout the Division;
• Manages finances and administration of multiple federal and state grant programs;
• Manages personnel, budget activities, and purchasing for the Division;
• Coordinates with the Department, Office of Information Technologies, State Controller, and other state agencies on administrative matters and office functioning.

The office consists of both Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ) and Executive Directors Office (EDO) personnel.

Work Environment

• Hybrid, minimum two days in the Lakewood office
• Work unit core business hours, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. with some flexibility availability

About the Job

This position provides compliance consistency throughout the DCJ units that manage and/or receive grants. This position makes decisions in collaboration with the other unit managers on how to improve the administration of all grant programs within the Division. This includes developing policies and procedures, reviews and advises all grant programs for compliance with federal and state regulations, developing uniform reporting forms, and updating current administrative guides. This position acts as a liaison between the different units.

This position has key responsibility for maintaining and overseeing the use of a Grant Management System (GMS) within the Division. This position has a key responsibility to analyze the gaps in services and ensure that the DCJ grant management process is comprehensive; and to maintain continuity of grant customer services and audit/compliance and accountability when utilizing a GMS.

Key Responsibilities

Grants Audit & Monitoring and Compliance Responsibilities

• Serves as primary contact for rules and regulations, contracting procedures, reporting, and monitoring concerning grants.
• Works collaboratively with the division Grant Managers on administration of grants
• Coordinates the development of any revisions to administrative guides, reporting forms, and contracts for grants. Recommends grants policy changes as necessary. Works with upper management and state and federal auditors regarding regular grant audits/monitoring and any grants management concerns. Recommends and oversees implementation of any changes needed for compliance. Ensures all administration unit functions and activities follow applicable rules and regulations.
• Federal Entity Administrator Delegations: SAM.gov Entity Administrator, FSRS, Grants.gov, DIAMD and JustGrants.
• State of Colorado Delegations: Purchasing Delegation to perform Competition Requirement assessments for all DCJ Grants; and OSC Signature Delegation for executing DCJ Grant Agreements & Modifications.
• Ensures compliance of DCJ grants with Grant Related Fiscal Rules, Procurement Code, OSC Policies, 2 CFR 200, Award Conditions, Policies & Procedures, Grant Templates, Federal Requirements, and Special Conditions.
• This position serves as the DCJ Records Retention Liaison responsible for policies, procedures, and providing guidance on record retention.

Execution of Grant Agreements & Modification (OSC Delegate)

This position is an Office of the State Controller (OSC) Delegate to execute Grant Contracts for the Division of Criminal Justice. This position is responsible for reviewing and signing grant contracts and grant modifications. This final approval creates a legal binding commitment between the Division of Criminal Justice and the grant contract recipient.

This position must ensure the grant contracts and modifications are not in violation of fiscal rules, funds are sufficiently encumbered in CORE, and review and approve the corresponding CORE encumbrances. A large number of contracts valuing millions of dollars are reviewed and approved annually. Because of the multi-year nature of such grants, the grants total more than $150 million in active awards at any given time.

Maintenance and Implementation of Grant Management System (GMS)

Acts as Division lead on GMS and works with all division units with grant responsibility to maintain, upkeep and upgrade a GMS in a manner that supports consistent grant management and administration policies while allowing flexibility for unique requirements in different programs. Collaborates with units regarding the project timeline plans for each funding announcement. Works with the vendor to make necessary changes to the software. Represents the Division and the Department as a subject matter expert on the statewide CORE Grantee team. Supervises the Business Application Specialist with documenting GMS processes, procedures, and change requests, as well as develops division-wide policies and protocols for the use of GMS. Develops division-wide user manuals and training materials.

Training and Technical Assistance

Provides technical assistance to all grant managers in DCJ in system utilization. Identifies internal staff training needs related to contracting. Works with grant units to ensure consistency in applications, contracts, monitoring, and reporting. Anticipates needs of grant managers, analyzes processes, and develops strategies to address concerns. Works with other divisions in the Department and outside state agencies to improve statewide grant administration. Facilitates Grant Policy Staff meetings and Planning Grants / Grants Accounting Group (PG/GAG) meetings within the Division.

Strategic Planning

Consults and collaborates with the unit managers within the division and department as well as the Office of the State Controller (OSC) who are involved in grant management to establish policies, develop priorities, solve operational problems, and solve operational problems. Collaborates with the units regarding the DCJ strategic plan relating to grant management by providing input into the timeline and helping to set achievable goals for the grant process in coordination with both grants teams.

Note, to be considered for this position, you must meet one of the following options for consideration.

Proven Experience, Knowledge, Skills

• Seven (7) years of relevant experience in grants administration that includes planning, coordinating, monitoring or managing grants and other restricted funds

OR

• A combination of related education and relevant grants administration experience assigned equal to seven (7) years. If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications, transcripts must be attached at the time of application.

Preferred Qualifications and Competencies

• Previous State or Federal grant administration experience
• Experience with federal regulations and compliance related to grants
• Experience writing policies and procedures
• Experience creating training for internal users, including developing training materials and job aides
• Experience with meeting facilitation
• Experience collaborating with multiple stakeholders

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a Colorado resident at the time of application.
• Requires successful completion of a background investigation that includes a polygraph exam, a fingerprint based criminal history search and reference checking.

Appeal Rights

If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for the position, you may protest the action by filing an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the date you receive notice of the elimination. Also, if you wish to challenge the selection and comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the receipt of notice or knowledge of the action you are challenging. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for more information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at www.colorado.gov/spb. A standard appeal form is available at: www.colorado.gov/spb. If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within 10 days of your receipt of notice or knowledge of the action: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: [phone]. Phone: [phone]. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination.

Disability Accommodation

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure equitable opportunity applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to Human Resources at: [e-mail].

The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

Colorado Department of Public Safety is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship.