Director of Child Nutrition Services - Financial Resources

EXEMPT

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill Director of Child Nutrition Services Financial Resources. This full-time position is based in Olympia, Washington. This position may be eligible for partial to near full-time telework. Telework is a combination of in-building and off-site days. We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.

About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 7 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.

At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise. OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

• We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We have a tuition assistance policy and support employees seeking tuition waiver through participating higher education organizations. 
• We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant (six weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee. The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.

Vision, Mission, and Values 

Vision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.
 
Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.

Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child

Equity

Each student, family, and community possess strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

• Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ , and highly mobile student populations.
• Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools.

Position Overview

This position resides within the Child Nutrition Services (CNS) division at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and reports to the Chief Nutrition Officer. This position is responsible for oversight of Child Nutrition Program federal fiscal compliance requirements and the distribution of Child Nutrition Program reimbursements and federal and state program payments. This position provides supervision and oversight to staff who provide support to program operators in submitting claims for reimbursement and proper use of federal and state funds. This position works in close collaboration with the parallel leadership positions within the CNS division. Successful impact will result in making progress on strategic goals for the agency including a committed, unified and customer focused OSPI that supports school districts and other Child Nutrition Program Sponsors to provide equitable access to program participants. 

Key Responsibilities
This position supervises a team of eight and is responsible for decision making and oversight of statewide Child Nutrition program federal fiscal compliance.

• Lead the CNS division in federal fiscal compliance and subrecipient payments.
• Support the Chief Nutrition Officer in budget development, implementation, and monitoring of expenditures.
• Oversight and accountability for federal and state Child Nutrition Program payments to program operators.
• Supervise, train, coordinate, and evaluate the work of program staff to ensure the CNS mission is met.
• Complete, verify and submit federal 
• Oversight of Child Nutrition Program operators use of federal funds. 
• Oversight of Procurement Review of Child Nutrition Program operators
• Oversight of Child Nutrition Program subrecipient audits
• Oversight for CNP operators procurement and contracting of Food Service Management Company (FSMC) services.

Required Qualifications: (this is degree and years of experience)

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, auditing, business administration, public policy, or related field (additional year of experience providing professional financial services may be substituted for a degree)
• Minimum 5 years work experience supervising staff
• Minimum 5 years work experience administering programs and implementing federal and/or state regulations

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following: 

• Auditing experience. 
• Ability to formulate policy pertaining to federal fiscal changes, audit issues, and related topics.
• Experience analyzing state and federal laws and regulations, accounting records, written evidence, oral testimony and policy statements. 
• Expert knowledge of federal regulations, procedures, and policies of the US Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Programs.
• Demonstrated competency in the areas of leadership, individual and group interpersonal skills, and sound management practices.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in writing and verbally, including the ability to conduct both formal and informal presentations to both large and small groups.
• Ability to manage resources effectively, lead with integrity and seeks to support results.
• Experience administering programs and implementing federal and/or state regulations

Desired Qualifications: 

• Knowledge of and experience with federal regulations, procedures, and policies of the US Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Programs

Compensation
 The annual compensation for the position is $116,153 - $129,780 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information.  This position serves at the pleasure of the Superintendent and is Civil Service Exempt. This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.

Application Process

Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word and PDF format only:

• A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement; 
• A current résumé, and;
• A list of three or more professional references.   

Please address any questions to:

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast 
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200

360-725-6278: sal.salazar@k12.wa.us 
 
Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 725-6270 or (360) 725-6066, or e-mail hroffice@k12.wa.us.

New Jobs Alert Service

OSPI offers a subscription service, which regularly notifies subscribers of new OSPI employment opportunities on careers.wa.gov. Subscribers are notified via text or email alert. If you are interested in this service, then please subscribe at this location. 

OSPI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from job seekers who will contribute to our diversity. OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. If you would like, please include your name and gender pronouns in your application, to ensure we address you appropriately throughout the application process. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resource consultant listed in “Application Process.” 

Salary : $116,153 - $129,780