CAIC Program Assistant (Program Assistant II) - Remote/Hybrid

JOB
This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.
Consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. It’s our mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today – and tomorrow. That means we have to balance development with conservation so the state we all love provides similar opportunities for our children and their children.
We invite you to explore our website at https://dnr.colorado.gov/about-us to find out more about the work we do to manage Colorado’s natural resources for today – and tomorrow.

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply.

In addition to offering rewarding, meaningful work, we offer:

• Medical and Dental plans
• Strong, flexible retirement plans including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus pre-tax 401K and 457 plans
• Paid life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Employee Wellness programs
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Health Savings Accounts
• 10 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave
• Flexible work schedule options and remote-work options
• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system
• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

The Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) is a program within the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Executive Director’s Office. The program is a partnership between the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Department of Transportation (CDOT), and the Friends of the CAIC (FoCAIC) a 501c3 group. The mission of the CAIC is to provide avalanche information, education and promote research for the protection of life, property and the enhancement of the state’s economy. The CAIC promotes avalanche safety by reducing the impact of avalanches on recreation, industry and transportation in the State through a program of forecasting and education. EXAMPLE OF DUTIES This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

This position provides support services to CAIC including but not limited to: technical & high level administrative, records management, accounting & purchasing, procurement and contracting, budget tracking, and process improvement functions. Position has the authority to design, recommend, and implement administrative operations and procedures within CAIC as well as DNR-wide to accomplish the work.

ADMINISTRATIVE: This position is responsible for CAIC administrative functions. The position drafts professional business communications (e.g. emails, letters, notices, etc.…); handles incoming/outgoing mail; travel arrangements; procures, organizes and maintains the CAIC office supply inventory; researches and provides recommendations for complex, legal, or other issues affecting CAIC (e.g. fixed assets, copyright issues, handling of hazardous materials, UAS/Drones, etc.…), and supports the CAIC’s education program with scheduling and correspondence.

This position is designated as the State Fleet Liaison and HR Liaison for CAIC. As State Fleet liaison, this positions tracks mileage, manages maintenance and fleet records retention, manages employee commuter agreements, and provides utilization reports and recommendations to the CAIC director. As HR liaison, this position reviews and changes monthly CAIC FTE levels and timesheets to ensure FTE levels are consistent with the annual budget, manages and oversees the hiring of all permanent and temporary CAIC staff, recruit and onboard temporary staff, processes change of work or address information and completes separations from State employment)

FINANCIAL SERVICES: This position manages all finance services for the CAIC (including accounts payable and receiving, procurement, budget, and contract management).
Accounts Payable

• Create general accounting expenses (GAXs), invoices (INs) and receiver (RC) documents for CAIC expenditures.
• Facilitate payment to vendors including but not limited to incorrect billing, payment amount, lost/stolen warrants, and incorrect remittance addresses.

Manages CAIC’s Onecard Program

• Facilitate the process to obtain a OneCard for Travel, Procurement, Meat Planner, or Utility card(s) for staff members.
• Make approved OneCard purchases.
• Collect documentation, perform allocation, and reconciliation of all purchases made on any CAIC OneCard.
• Respond and provide documentation for OneCard Audits.

Procurement

• Contact vendors to acquire commodities or services for CAIC staff and mission.
• Reviews expenditure requests to determine if waivers, outside approval, or encumbrance is required (e.g. CCI Waivers, OIT Approvals, Training Waivers, etc.…).
• Drafts documents required for the encumbrance of funds, or the acquisition of commodities or services requiring the State of Colorado Bid process (e.g. Personal Service Agreements, Sole Source (or Brand), Requests and Justification Memos, Scope of Work Documents, etc.…).
• Ensure that Purchase Order (POs) and Contracts are created after requisition have been approved at the appropriate levels. Distribute and maintain POs and Contracts as required.
• Contact vendors when the contract or PO are set to expire to renew leases or contact potential vendors to establish and negotiate new contracts.
• Track expenses under different Master Task Order Contracts.
• Shepard Task Orders through the approval process for high-risk purchases.
• Produce RQSs for appropriate purchases.

Budget Planning and Reporting

• Summarize the CAIC Budget in submitting recommendations to the CAIC Director and support their communication with DNR leadership and the Joint Budget Committee or Office of State Planning and Budgeting.
• Track and analyze CAIC expenditures and revenues, and prepare budget reports reflecting actualized expenditures and revenues or forecasted for the next fiscal year.
• Determine and submit the fixed and variable account coding strings for each of CAIC’s fleet vehicles to State Fleet Management.
• Assist EDO Accounting and EDO Budget Staff in fiscal year end close procedures, includes creating journal vouchers to ensure that all revenues and expenditures have been recorded in the correct appropriations.
• Ensure that EDO budget staff are appraised of large purchases.
• Establish and maintain central files for accounting records.
• Determines coding strings for SFM Vehicles Interagency Agreements, Grants, and Contracts.

CAIC/CDOT Agreement

• Ensure that the correct personnel costs, operating costs, and vehicle costs are invoiced to CDOT for reimbursement.
• Created an ITI and notify the proper individuals at CDOT, to facilitate CAIC to receiving reimbursement for those expenses.
• Monitor the contract amounts, provide reports, and recommendations as needed.
• Maintain records of the CDOT Agreement both financial and the contract.
• Maintain records of the U.S. Forest Service Contract.
• Ensure that the correct personnel costs and operating costs are invoiced to CDOT for reimbursement.
• Monitor the contract amounts, provide reports, and recommendations as needed.

SMALL PROJECTS: Oversee and complete small projects for the CAIC and other groups in DNR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.
The Assessment Process

• All applications received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed by an HR Specialist against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement.
• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process. Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position will be a structured application review by Subject Matter Experts.
• Resumes, cover letters and other attachments are not considered as part of initial reviews, therefore, it is important to document in your application your education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement.
• Please thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) since question responses may be evaluated for content, writing ability, spelling, grammar, and effective communication.
• This recruitment may involve additional testing and/or exams to arrive at the top group for interviews.

A salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

We are committed to increasing a “Colorado for ALL" of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of all backgrounds and abilities. The State of Colorado believes that a “Colorado for ALL” drives our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. 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.

The Department of Natural Resources 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. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Coordinator, at dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us.

ADAAA Accommodations
Any person with a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) may be provided a reasonable accommodation upon request to enable the person to complete an employment assessment. To request an accommodation, please contact dnr_hr_employeebenefits@state.co.us at least five business days before the date that any accommodation will be required to allow us to evaluate your request and prepare for the accommodation. You may be asked to provide additional information, including medical documentation, regarding functional limitations and type of accommodation needed. Please ensure that you have this information available well in advance of the assessment date.

E-Verify
The Department of Natural Resources participates in E-Verify in accordance with the program's Right to Work for all newly-hired employees. Employees are queried through the electronic system established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify identity and employment eligibility. You may complete section 1 of the I-9 form upon your acceptance of a job offer letter, but no later than your first day of employment and in addition, on your first day, but no later than the third day, you are required to submit original documents to verify your eligibility to work in the U.S. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities.

Toll–Free Applicant Support - Technical Help
If you experience technical difficulty with the NEOGOV system (e.g. uploading or attaching documents to your online application) call NEOGOV at 855-524-5627, Mon-Fri between 6 am and 6 pm (Pacific Time). The Human Resources Office will be unable to assist with technical issues. Helpful hints: If you are having difficulty uploading or attaching documents to your application, ensure your documents are PDF or Microsoft Word files and close the document before you attempt to upload it.