Program Planner 3 (Procurement & Application Specialist)

Iowa Department of Education’s mission is ensuring all students experience a world-class education. To accomplish our mission, we need talented, passionate people working together to build an excellent education system that empowers all students to achieve their full potential.

The Program Planner 3 (Procurement & Application Specialist) will be an integral member of the Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services, providing technical assistance, monitoring and support to operators of the USDA Child Nutrition Programs.

Your Responsibilities:

• Perform statewide monitoring of organizations participating in the USDA Child Nutrition Programs to ensure compliance with federal regulations including procurement, resource management and general administration. Draft and complete reports of programmatic monitoring results, including recommendations for corrective action. Review and approve organization corrective action responses.
• Serve as the application coordinator for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Track, review and approve submitted documents to advance organizations through the pre-approval process. Ensure organization application documents meet all federal requirements. Review and approval annual program applications.
• Assist with organizational administration of all Child Nutrition Programs.
• Gather and analyze supporting data from spreadsheets, surveys and other data sources.
• Develop and update procedures, forms and flow charts.

Candidates are encouraged to include detailed information about their relevant experience in their application, or submit a cover letter and resume in addition to their application.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to keep multiple projects moving forward at the same time and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work in an environment where the individual may be receiving guidance and direction from multiple individuals.
• Experience being detail-oriented with ability to apply established procedures and requirements into practice with speed and accuracy.
• Willing to travel and willingness to remain out of home location overnight on occasion as the job requires (primarily in-state travel).
• Proficiency with office software applications, e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, and ability to learn other custom software applications including web-based systems.
• Experience in government regulation implementation.
• Ability to convey required corrective action while maintaining a positive working relationship.
• Experience working with USDA Child Nutrition Programs preferred.

If you wish to review a copy of the Position Description Questionnaire, please contact [email protected].

Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday; some nights and weekends, occasional in-state and out-of-state travel

A successful candidate will bring or have the ability and desire to learn:

• Passion for pursuing common goals in pursuit of public service
• Strong technical skills
• Strategic and analytical mindset
• Ability to work in complex situations and meet deadlines while leading teams as a non-traditional leader (no supervisory authority)
• Experience providing technical assistance and professional learning to educators
• Ability to interpret and break down highly technical or regulatory language, and present information in an understandable manner
• Ability to manage self in relation to prioritization and time management
• Conflict resolution and interpersonal skills
• Desire to work with diverse teams and stakeholders

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

• Opportunities to make a widespread difference in the lives of children, their families, and Iowa communities
• Collaborative, positive work environment
• Talented and passionate work colleagues that will help you learn and grow
• Opportunities to collaborate with experts from around the country
• Employee discounts from a variety of vendors
• Competitive salary and benefits package:

https://das.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/hr/documents/employment/Benefits_Beyond_the_Paycheck.pdf (Download PDF reader)

E-Verify and Right to Work The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1. Seven years of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility).

2. All of the following (a, b, and c): a. One year of full-time work experience in the administration or operation/execution (i.e., providing consultation and/or technical assistance to stakeholders, research and analysis, or enforcement of program guidelines/policies/procedures) of a program (i.e., the provision of a service or an administrative oversight/enforcement responsibility); and b. A total of four years of education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and c. A total of two years of graduate-level education and full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience.

3. Graduation from an accredited school of law.

4. Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes nine months of full-time work as a Program Planner 2 or twenty-seven months of full-time work as a Program Planner 1.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.