This is advanced professional work in the preparation, award, monitoring and evaluation of contracts negotiated with various public or private agencies by county departments.

Employees in this class are responsible for performing various duties in the preparation, award, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of contracts negotiated between the county and private or other governmental agencies. Duties or combination of duties vary, depending on the department to which assigned. Contracts are typically those of a community service or community improvement nature funded by federal, state and local sources. Emphasis of the work is on assisting grant recipients in the preparation of applications, defining of program objectives and preparation of budget proposals, and on monitoring ongoing contracts from the fiscal and/or programmatic standpoints including preparation of required evaluation reports. Incumbents frequently visit agencies under contract, work closely with their personnel and coordinate monitoring assignments with departmental accounting officials responsible for the processing of reimbursement requests and maintenance of expenditure controls. Employees operate with considerable independence of action and exercise professional judgment in the advice and assistance furnished to grant recipients and in the evaluation of their performance. General supervision is received from a professional or administrative superior who assists in the resolution of difficult problems and reviews and evaluates completed work for timely service to agencies and conformance with departmental and funding source policies and objectives.

ILLUSTRATIVE TASKS

Keeps informed on the preparation of requests for proposals issued for potential grant recipients; assists in preparing specifications for proposals as assigned; reviews completed proposals and discusses projects being considered; makes recommendations for award of contracts to committees responsible.

Assists personnel in agencies under contract in establishing budgets, including staffing patterns, capital improvement, supply and other costs; advises on allowability of items and expenditures and requirements in presenting modifications of budgets during the contract year; works with grant recipients to establish or redefine goals and objectives in their programs.

Plans, schedules of monitoring visits to assigned offices on a systematized basis; reviews program and fiscal performance, following established monitoring policies and procedures; reviews percentage of client load in relation to goals, status of budget expenditures and other information, and completes required monitoring reports.

Reviews reimbursement requests from agencies under contract and authorizes or disapproves expenditures within established limits; authorizes transfer of budget expenditures from one object class to another within established procedures; forwards expenditure requests which require higher level approval; authorizes budget revisions within delegated authority.

Discusses with supervisors cases where agencies are not achieving contract performance goals, or are not following required procedures so that corrective action can be taken; identifies deficiencies and advises project directors of need for corrections.

Advises on provisions of various federal and state funding guidelines and program directives as well as departmental policies and procedures during the contract term; completes required evaluation reports before termination of contract; assists internal or external auditors as needed subsequent to contract completion.

Performs related work as required.

KNOWLEDGES, ABILITIES AND SKILLS

Considerable knowledge of principles and practices of contract preparation and administration in federally funded programs.

Considerable knowledge of provisions of federal and state funding source guidelines relating to the application for, preparation and administration of contracts in the area of assignment.

Considerable knowledge of federal and state legislation relating to the application for, preparation and administration of contracts in the area of assignment.

Considerable knowledge of the principles and procedures of budget preparation and justification in contract proposals.

Considerable knowledge of departmental policies, procedures and techniques in fiscal and program monitoring and evaluation of ongoing contracts.

Considerable knowledge of the detailed program and fiscal provisions of specific contracts assigned.

Knowledge of official county position classification specifications and the relationship between classes of positions.

Ability to furnish effective technical assistance to the public and agencies in the preparation of contract proposals.

Ability to plan appropriate staffing levels for grant recipients to achieve program objectives.

Ability to exercise sound judgment and apply departmental and funding source guidelines accurately in the preparation of budgets and monitoring of fiscal activities of grant recipients.

Ability to plan and schedule work so as to monitor assigned contracts as required by departmental and federal procedures.

Ability to evaluate programmatic activities of agencies under contract effectively and to readily discern ineffective performance.

Ability to deal effectively with departmental staff members, committee personnel, project directors and officials in agencies under contract.

Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

REV 05/98