Senior Contract Compliance Analyst

Position Overview

The Illinois Tollway is dedicated to providing and promoting a safe and efficient system of highways while ensuring the highest possible level of service to our customers. Whether it's I-PASS, the Move Illinois Program, open road tolling or keeping you safe with our H.E.L.P. trucks, we are committed to delivering great benefits and services to customers.

The Tollway is a user-fee system – no state or federal tax dollars are used to support maintenance and operations. Operations are funded by toll and concession revenues.

Under the leadership of the Board of Directors and Executive Staff, the Tollway is committed to achieving the following goals: increase collaboration with regional transportation and planning agencies, promote the regional economy, maintain financial integrity, foster environmental responsibility and sustainability, maintain the safety and efficiency of the Tollway system, further transparency and accountability, enhance customer service, and maintain public trust.

In support of this mission and under direct supervision of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program Manager or Business Enterprise Program (BEP) Manager, the Senior Contract Compliance Analyst in the Finance/Contract Compliance Department will be responsible for training and providing technical support to Contract Compliance Analysts and User Departments; preparing various statistical reports, reviewing the work of non-senior compliance staff, consistently monitoring applicable contracts to ensure that Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (IPWA) and Employment of Illinois Workers on Public Works Act (Illinois Preference Act or IPA) requirements, BEP, DBE or Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB) contract goals are met, training Tollway contractors and subcontractors on compliance regulations, policies, procedures and systems, and ensuring adherence to Tollway procedures and all applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Essential Job Functions

The incumbent will train Tollway staff and contractors, review Contract Compliance Analysts’ work for accuracy and completeness, perform monitoring and tracking of EEO, BEP, DBE and VOSB goals to ensure that the Tollway's Diversity goals are met on all contracts and that small businesses, minorities, women, disadvantaged, and veteran-owned businesses receive contracting, subcontracting and employment opportunities.

Incumbent will handle complex contract compliance projects and issues, prepare various statistical reports, review utilization plans to verify goal commitments, assist with or perform goal-setting, conduct site visits, review and approve vendor payment requests, review and approve reallocations and partial/final releases, utilize contract compliance systems to monitor and track prime and subcontractor payments and review certified payrolls to verify the accuracy of EEO hours reported in the Capture system.

Incumbent will train contract compliance analysts, vendors and user departments on contract compliance processes, procedures, policies, regulations and systems. Incumbent must be a self-starter with excellent judgement and decision-making acumens and the ability to recommend policy enhancements for the Compliance team. Responsible for following all Tollway policy/procedures when operating a Tollway vehicle. Must maintain a current Illinois driver's license. Must maintain current Operational Vehicle Usage Log Sheets. Notify your immediate supervisor of any maintenance problems with your vehicle.

• Train Contract Compliance Analysts and other compliance staff, user departments and Tollway contractors on contract compliance processes, procedures, policies, regulations and systems.
• Review the work of contract compliance staff for accuracy and completeness.
• Prepare or assist management in preparing various statistical reports in communicating team/departmental compliance achievements against goals.
• Assist with special projects and provide ongoing support to Compliance Analysts in addressing challenges and solving problems.
• Conduct regular team meetings with assigned Compliance Analysts to track team progress and ensure that team assignments are completed in a timely manner and as required.
• Assist with setting EEO, BEP, DBE and VOSB diversity goals on solicitations for goods and services, professional services and construction related projects.
• Review bid proposals and PSB submissions for responsiveness check to ensure required goals are being committed.
• Verify the certifications of DBE, BEP and VSOB vendors identified on utilization plans.
• Attend pre-bid, pre-construction and post construction meetings to provide an overview of EEO, BEP, DBE and VOSB prior to contract award and provide vendor status at closeout.
• Recommend approval of utilization plans submitted by vendors.
• Prepare board review documents on diversity goals and past vendor performance.
• Review contract compliance systems, compare and reconcile compliance documents.
• Track and monitor diversity goal commitments on contracts.
• Conduct site visits to ensure that employees are paid in accordance with Davis Bacon laws and the prevailing wage rates, and to ensure that DEBs, BEPs and VOSBs are performing commercially useful functions.
• Perform interviews of contractor employees and investigate reported discrepancies in prevailing wage rates and fringe benefit payments.
• Excellent driving record with the ability to follow road safety standards.
• Meet with contractors and subcontractors to resolve payment and work-related disputes.
• Gather and analyze data for creating reports on ethnicity participation percentages, payments and work hours of minorities on contracts.
• Monitor recorded wages in compliance systems, run reports in Capture to ensure that EEO work hour requirements are being met.
• Prepare reporting and responses to inquiries to both internal and external constituents on EEO, BEP, DBE and VSOB.
• Approve invoice and pay estimate submissions, reallocations, partial/final release, change orders and/or extra work orders, and supplements, after confirming vendor compliance with contract goals.
• Submit recommendations to withhold vendor payments due to compliance goal and contract violations.
• Maintain project files electronically on Tollway networks and in hard copies as a requirement of state record retention policies.
• Prepare reporting as required by the State on EEO, BEP, DBE and VSOB.
• Participate in vendor trainings on Compliance systems and agency sponsored diversity fairs.
• Review and recommend approval of partial and final retention payments.
• Assist management with employee evaluations based on training assessments
• Must be willing to work flexible hours, some evenings and late nights to perform construction site visits on the roadway.
• Ensure that contractors and subcontractors comply with the IPWA and IPA contract compliance requirements
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Education (Required)

• Some college level coursework

Skills and Experience (Required)

• Minimum of four (4) years' experience in auditing, accounting, contract management and administration, EEO, BEP, MBE, WBE, DBE or VOSB contract goals; or four (4) years of equivalent work experience in a related field with equivalent education.
• Must be willing to work flexible hours, some evenings and late nights to perform construction site visits on the roadway.
• Demonstrated problem solving and ability to analyze, plan, organize and execute projects.
• Effective analytical, verbal, written, and interpersonal skills are required to work with a population of diverse staff and vendors.
• The ability to exercise objective judgment, discretion, maintain confidentiality, and work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Must be computer literate with proficiency in Excel, knowledgeable in Word and Power Point.
• The position requires the ability to work independently, excellent business decision making capabilities and the ability to develop and recommend policy enhancements.

Skills and Experience (Preferred)

• Previous experience in working with federal, state, and local requirements a plus.
• Considerable knowledge of related laws, prevailing wage laws, EEO, BEP, DBE and VOSB requirements, and contracting procedures preferred.

This position is subject to the Revolving Door provision under the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act. For questions regarding the Revolving Door provisions, please contact the Illinois Tollway Ethics Officer.

The Illinois Tollway is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, disability, unfavorable discharge from military services, age, order of protection status, military status, sex or sexual orientation.