Planning Specialist

The Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) is a cabinet-level agency within the District of Columbia government, committed to the safety, permanence, and well-being of children and families residing in the District of Columbia. Charged with protecting child victims and those at risk of abuse and neglect, CFSA fosters collaborations within its administrations to deliver exceptional family-focused services to the community and its residents.

Job Summary

This position is located in the Office of the Planning, Policy, Program Support, and Licensing Administration (PPPSLA), Office of the Deputy Director for Planning, Policy, and Program Support (ODDPPPS), Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA). The Planning Specialist is responsible for ensuring that the Children’s Bureau (CB) child welfare federal reporting requirements are completed as specified by Title IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, and all CB regulations and program instructions are met, as well as responsible for ensuring that local reporting and planning activities are carried out. This includes planning support for child welfare initiatives, strategic and operational planning, performance accountability, committee coordination and support, governance-based development, and other management initiatives and processes.

Duties And Responsibilities

The Planning Specialist duties and responsibilities include:

• Serves as a liaison to designated program areas to keep abreast of programmatic updates and priorities and to collect data and narrative program descriptions to be used in federal and local reporting.
• Provides staff support to internal and external committees, work groups, and task forces. Plans and conducts outreach activities, including interviews, focus groups, and surveys to obtain internal and external stakeholder input, feedback and recommendations, and synthesizes the feedback to inform strategic planning and reporting requirements.
• Drafts, revises, and edits writing for one voice to bring consistency in mechanics, perspective, and style to multi-authored local and federal reports.
• Participates in the CB Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) process, which includes but is not limited to, writing for the statewide assessment, participating on review teams, scheduling stakeholder interviews, analyzing review results, and supporting the subsequent Performance Improvement Plan development and updates. Supports the development of the 5-year Child and Family Service Plan (CFSP) and subsequent Annual Program and Services Reports (APSR).
• Prepares for federal audits and ensures timely and appropriate compliance with federally mandated initiatives impacting child welfare. Develops and implements workplans for special and ad hoc initiatives for ODDPPPS and in collaboration with program area staff.
• Presents updates, reports, and findings to the Supervisor and other senior managers. Develops and makes presentations to Agency staff and leadership. Serves as a contract administrator and/or grant manager to manage payments and oversee implementation of work by external vendors as well as manages deliverables and requirements of federal grant awards made to the Agency.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications And Education

Master’s degree in a field related to social work, public policy, public administration, or law and three years of direct experience related to federal compliance, report writing, project management, and data collection and analysis is highly preferred.

Skills

Must possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the grade 12 level in the District of Columbia government service or its non-District equivalent. Specialized experience is experience which is directly related to the position and has equipped the individual with the advanced knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies to successfully perform the duties of the position including:

• Drafting and editing of local and federal grant and compliance reports
• Planning and coordination of multi-disciplinary committees, task forces, and work groups
• Coordination of qualitative data collection activities such as interviews, focus groups, and surveys to obtain internal and external stakeholder feedback
• Contract administration and/or grant management to monitor vendors and ensure deliverables are met
• Planning and implementation of special projects
  
  

Licenses and Certifications

Certificate in Project Management or its equivalent is highly preferred.

Working Conditions/Environment

Work is generally performed in an office setting while sitting at a desk or table.

Other Significant Factors

Special Area of Consideration: Open to the Public

Tour of Duty: Monday-Friday, 8:15 a.m. - 4:45 p.m. Qualified Candidates must be flexible when it comes to tour of duty. Tour of duty may include evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Promotion Potential: No

Collective Bargaining Unit: This position is covered under a collective bargaining agreement.

Duration of Appointment: Career Service– Regular Appointment

Pay, Plan, Series & Grade: CS-0301-13

Position Designation: This position is deemed as “security” sensitive per DPM Chapter 4, Suitability. The candidate/incumbent is subject to a criminal background check, traffic records check, and consumer credit check (as applicable), reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol test, and post-accident or incident drug and alcohol test.

Residency Preference: Applicants claiming "Residency Preference will be required to maintain residency in the District of Columbia for a minimum of (7) years. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of employment.

EEO Statement: The District of Columbia Government is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, matriculation, physical handicap, or political affiliation.

Closing Statement: Official Job Offers are made by D.C. Child and Family Services Agency's Human Resources Only.