Financial & Systems Analyst

Overview

The Agency of Education’s (AOE) Consolidated Federal Programs team is looking for a Financial & Systems Analyst to join us in ensuring financial compliance with federal education legislation, particularly the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). You will engage with School Districts (aka LEAs) to facilitate their understanding of and adherence to ESEA fiscal requirements, while proactively identifying and rectifying discrepancies in  data submissions. You also will assist them to anticipate funding changes, effectively track their spending to avoid reversions of federal funds and evaluate the effectiveness of their programmatic activities. Strong financial data analysis/financial modeling skills, combined with an ability to interpret complex fiscal regulations, are crucial for executing the intricate calculations essential to our mission.

 

We seek a team member with the ability to listen responsively to user needs, communicate financial insights clearly to diverse audiences, and develop accessible tools that empower LEAs to effectively analyze and manage use of their ESEA funds. Expertise in Excel, as well as tools such as Power BI and Power Query, are required. In addition, the ability to maintain the “human element” in data work is essential for success in this role. If this resonates with your qualifications and interests, this role offers a chance to make a significant impact on Vermont students’ learning through the facilitation of effective use of federal education dollars. 

 

Responsibilities: 

• Ensuring Compliance with ESEA Fiscal Requirements: 
  • Perform financial calculations required by ESEA, assist School Districts in understanding the results  and assist them with applying for waivers if needed. 
  • Create easy-to-use financial analysis and modeling tools and provide training to support School Districts to effectively conduct their own required calculations. 
  • Collaborate with AOE finance, regulatory compliance, and data teams to access necessary data and ensure accurate analyses. 
  • Develop systems to proactively find and fix errors in required data collections and provide explanations to the US Department of Education as needed.
• Data Analysis and Program Evaluation: 
  • Collaborate with CFP Team members and other Agency staff to support School Districts’ evaluation of program effectiveness through identification and/or development of appropriate strategies and tools to analyze relationships between programmatic expenditures and student outcomes.  
  • Extract, manipulate, and create ad hoc fiscal reports from various data sources as needed.
• Tracking LEA Reservations and Spending: 
  • Establish a process to monitor LEA allocation and spending of required “reservation” funds. 
  • Track carryover levels for various components of the ESEA federal programs. Determine which School Districts need to forfeit funds and oversee redistribution of funds. 
  • Determine eligibility for carryover waivers and oversee the waiver application process. 
  • Develop, and train LEA staff on, easy-to-use tools for projecting changes to their ESEA funds to inform their budgeting, instructional planning, and prevention of the reversion of federal funds Generate reports on LEA spending and keep LEAs informed about the status of their spending.  

 

This position offers the option to be remote up to 5 days per week at the discretion of the supervisor. Some in-state travel may be required, as well as in-person attendance at some staff meetings or trainings for the field, so candidates should be local to Vermont or the surrounding border states.

Who May Apply

This position, Financial & Systems Analyst (Job Requisition #49066), is open to all State employees and external applicants.
If you would like more information about this position, please contact Deborah Bloom at deborah.bloom@vermont.gov.
Resumes will not be accepted via e-mail. You must apply online to be considered.

Environmental Factors

Duties are performed in a standard office setting. Incumbents must be able to work under considerable pressure of budget and project deadlines and to exercise initiative in handling assignments. Strong differences of opinion may be anticipated as well as dealing with controversial and sensitive subject matters. Work may be required at other state office locations for which a private means of transportation must be available.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or higher in accounting, business or public administration AND three (3) years of experience that includes management and financial analysis.

OR

Bachelor's degree or higher AND four (4) years of experience that includes management and fi