Deputy Chief of Grants Management and Planning - Non-Merit

Regular Schedule: 34 hours per week

A Non-Merit vacancy exists in the Department of Housing and Community Development. 

Non-Merit positions are not classified within the Baltimore County Government Classification and Compensation Plan.

A list of eligible applicants will be established based on the examination as outlined below.

Current and future vacancies occurring in any Office or Department of Baltimore County General Government may be filled from the list of eligible applicants.

All interested candidates must apply at this time. 

List all promotions and changes in job duties due to reclassification as separate work experience on your application. Applicants must include the dates of the promotions and reclassifications.

Note:  Failure to complete all fields of the "Work Experience" section of the application will result in your application not being considered.  A resume will not be considered in determining your qualifications for a position.  Applicants selected for an interview may provide a resume at that time.

You must attach your transcript(s) or license(s) to your application.  Unofficial Copies are acceptable.

Failure to submit proof of Licenses, Certifications and Education will result in your application not being considered.  Proof of licenses, certifications, and/or education must be submitted with each application.

Definition of Responsibility
Under direction of the Deputy of Operations, the Chief of Operations plans, directs, and controls DHCD’s use of federal, state and county grant funds administered to nonprofit partners and vendors as well as the annual development of major federal plans/reports. The Chief of Operations is responsible for the overall design/execution of federal, state and county funds used in accordance with the regulations, program requirements and directives provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), State of Maryland, and Baltimore County Government.

This position is essential for ensuring compliance with grant and County requirements, managing grant/contract development and Council approvals, overseeing proper set up of activities and reporting in HUD and other federal database(s) to correctly reflect expenditures for County reimbursement and program reporting, ensuring strategic use of subgrantee fiscal and narrative reports to inform data collection and funding decisions, formatting, and submission meet funder requirements.

Position provides primary program design and reporting guidance to the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), HOME Partnership (HOME), Continuum of Care (CoC) programs as well as other federal, state and county funds as needed.

Essential Duties

• Prepares and directs the preparation of the Consolidated Plan; the Annual Action Plan; and the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
• Prepares and directs the preparation of any required Substantial Amendments. 
• Ensures citizen participation requirements and statutory deadlines are met for all HUD-funded programs across the department.
• Reviews and approves departmentwide Environmental Review Records prior to recommending signature by Certifying Authority for consistency with Consolidated Plan and Action Plan.
• Plans, directs, and controls DHCD’s departmentwide use and set up of eligible activities in HUD’s Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) for all projects funded across the department. 
• Directs coordination with program staff in various DHCD divisions for identification of needed data elements and strategies for activity set up and fund usage. 
• Plans work with program and fiscal staff throughout DHCD in tracking of fund usage and program outcomes.
• Draws and certifies allocations as consistent with spending in the Action Plan and Con Plan. 
• Confirms IDIS activities with DHCD division chiefs before subordinate staff set up and again before federal draw to ensure proper eligible activities maintained. 
• Monitors (IDIS) to determine if any grant compliance issues are flagged for resolution and propose/resolve issues as needed, appropriately alerting department staff across divisions and senior leadership accordingly.
• Plans, administers and directs the monitoring of the County’s CDBG grant program across DHCD divisions and through external awards in accordance with the regulations, program requirements and directives provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including CDBG timeliness test results.
• Utilizes 24 CFR and other relevant funding regulations, tracks monitoring efforts occurring across divisions for inclusion of those monitoring results in CAPER and for any County single audit needs. 
• Ensures departmental staff across multiple divisions are properly trained on their responsibilities as it relates to grant activities, Section 3 reporting/compliance, HUD IDIS reporting, single audit. 
• May facilitate training with other DHCD staff and institute trainings with subgrantees.
• Establishes, directs, and maintains an effective system of internal controls and a compliance monitoring system to financial and reporting requirements of laws, regulations, and contracts applicable to federal, state, and county grant programs across divisions. 
• Directs staff in design and operational activities associated with federal, state, and county compliance monitoring/reporting.
• Serves as a point of contact for departmental contracts and other procurement and purchasing-related activities, routed for Purchasing Office and County Council contract approval. 
• Oversees, tracks, facilitates departmental awareness of contract status, expiration and reporting requirements at all life-cycle stages (pre-concept, Purchasing and Council approval, award finalization, award expiration). 
• Develops and implements organizational purchasing processes, goals, and train employees on departmental process to ensure compliance with County and federal and state purchasing requirements. 
• Prepares and notifies agency leadership team to attendance and presentation needs before Council – including preparing legislative contract matters for Administrative Dry Run, Council Work Sessions, and County Council Meetings. 
• Monitors the Purchasing/HUD MBE/WBE participation level as part of Council-related work, along with efforts of Affordable Housing and Capital Projects MBE/WBE requirements. 
• Coordinates contract close out and renewal options between department staff and Purchasing and Budget.
• Collaborates with DHCD staff, senior leadership, and elected officials to track socioeconomic purchasing goals like minority/small business, Section 3, Davis-Bacon, etc. and ensures other priorities and initiatives are successfully completed to meet the County’s grant funded program obligations. 
• Plans and direct Section 3 reporting policies for grants-related activities.
• Analyzes existing policies, procedures, and workflows. 
• Leads a collaborative cross-division effort with finance, grant management, and program staff to develop updated policies and procedures related to grants procedures related to grants.
• Creates enhanced training documentation for staff around standard operating procedures around monthly fund reimbursement review and approval, IDIS/State/county data entry; develops training modules for subgrantees on monthly grant compliance, budget modifications, year-end reporting, etc.
• Interacts and communicates effectively with internal and external audit functions related to the audits, reporting of financial assistance programs and information requests. 
• Coordinates and responds to all federal, state and county funder requests for assistance, communicating regularly with the Baltimore HUD Office, State of Maryland, County Council staff, etc. 
• Supervises, assigns and evaluates the work of professional subordinates and support staff as appropriate.
• Serves as a liaison between grantee/grantor and other departments in interactions with DHCD, providing excellent customer service to all.

Examples of Other Duties

• Serves on various departmental review committees.
• Participates in trainings and performs periodic research to maintain and expand expert grant program knowledge.
• Researches additional grant opportunities appropriate to housing and community development work. May write or work with other departmental staff to write grant applications, as needed.
• Performs other related duties as needed or required.

 (NOTE: The duties and responsibilities listed above are for the purpose of determining a common set of minimum qualifications for all positions in this classification.  They may not include all of the duties of each position in this classification.  Each position in this classification may not be required to perform all of the duties listed.)Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Public Administration, Community Development, Urban Planning or a related field

Plus 



(Additional experience involving the oversight and administration of community development grant programs, evaluation of budgets, systems, policies and procedures, organizations and programs may be substituted on a year-for-year basis up to a maximum of four years for the required education.)


Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public financial administration and governmental budgeting principles and practices.
•  Knowledge of U.S. Housing and Urban Development CDBG program requirements and familiarity with other HUD programs such as HOME, HOME ARP, ESG.
• Knowledge of HUD Guidelines, HUD Exchange, and HUD systems including IDIS, REAC, eLOCCS and SAM.
• Knowledge of County grant processes and the ability to manage a grant award process that: results in executed grant agreements early in the County’s fiscal year; provides grantees with reimbursement instructions and individualized forms to make draws early
  in the fiscal year; captures performance goals for federal/state reporting by fund source; and ensures grantees are reimbursed in a timely manner after the grant start date.
• Ability to understand and interpret Baltimore County rules and regulations, and policies and procedures.
• Ability to analyze complex budgetary, financial, statistical, and other data, draw conclusions, and derive solutions.
• Ability to formulate, interpret, and administer policy.
• Ability to plan, assign, review and supervise the work of others.
• Ability to make concise and effective written and oral reports and presentations.
• Ability to work collaboratively across divisions on programs and initiatives.
• Ability to utilize federal, state, and county reporting/financial systems like IDIS and Workday.
• Ability to strategically plan work product of unit to ensure timely usage of grant funding.
• Skill in researching and working with the regulations and procedures of grant application submittals.
• Skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with associates, subordinates, public officials, and the general public to ensure excellent customer service.
• Skill in creating, analyzing spreadsheets and data, and communicating insights on patterns and gaps.
• Skill in preparing and interpreting complex contracts, purchasing agreements, budgets, and other fiscal data.
• Skill in grant reporting and compliance, developing policies/procedures, and working with relational databases.
• Skill in writing successful grant applications and other programmatic narratives for federal, and/or state funding.
• Skill in providing technical assistance to grantee staff and County staff in grant writing as appropriate.
• Skill in training and development of staff and facilitating subordinates career development.
• Demonstrated proficiency in project management. Coordinating, collaborating, and meeting tight deadlines involving information from multiple contributors.

Proof of Licenses, Certifications and Education
Applicants are required to submit proof of licenses, certifications and education beyond high school to meet the required and preferred qualifications of the position. Diplomas or transcripts must show the applicant's major field of study. Copies and unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Failure to submit proof of Licenses, Certifications and Education will result in your application not being considered. Proof of licenses, certifications, and/or education must be submitted with each application.

This position requires daily in-person attendance.

Physical and Environmental Conditions
The work of this classification is essentially sedentary but may include the operation of office equipment and occasional walking, standing, or other limited physical activities. Position is in office a minimum of 4 days per week. Occasional local travel to non-profit sites is required.

Employment Background Investigation
Applicants selected for employment with Baltimore County must successfully complete an employment investigation, including, but not limited to criminal background, education, and fingerprinting checks.

Salary : $58 - $71