Description

As a member of the Finance team working under the Senior Manager of Budget & Grants, the Grants & Finance Administrator works to ensure proper accounting, compliance, and maximum utilization of grant funding from federal, state, and other grant funding sources. Duties include preparation of grant reimbursement requests; grant reporting; grant budgeting; assisting departments in applying for, managing, and complying with requirements of grants.

Reviews and monitors grant-funded contracts awarded by various funding agencies to ensure DCTA compliance with requirements and regulations governing awards. Serves as agency liaison for FTA Triennial Review and other funding agencies reviews or audits.  Serves as the agency liaison for National Transit Database (NTD) annual reporting.  Consults with Procurement to ensure grant funding agency requirements are appropriately incorporated throughout the procurement process.   

Additionally, this role supports the agency’s financial planning, reporting, and operational analysis functions by preparing and analyzing budgetary and financial data, developing executive-level reports, and ensuring accuracy, transparency, and compliance in financial processes. This position assists with the annual operating and capital budget, monthly financial reporting, service plan analysis, and ad-hoc financial research to support executive leadership and agency decision-making. The role serves as a key resource for enterprise financial reporting systems, requisition and budget transfer workflows, cashiering functions, and financial policy documentation, while providing analytical support for performance assessment, peer agency comparisons, and continuous improvement initiatives across the organization.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The following duties are standard for this position.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the classification if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this classification.

Grants

• • Work with Finance and Operations staff to ensure an accurate, timely, efficient and transparent process for the entire grant life cycle, from proposal to close. This entails pre-award management, tracking payments, reviewing and producing relevant reports, monitoring grant activity, post-award management and records retention.  

• • Review expenditures, prepare documents for eligible expense reimbursement requests for submission to funding agencies.
  • Responsible for the completion, accuracy and timeliness of other regularly required federal reports, including but not limited to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, Drug & Alcohol, and Safety Data reporting.

• • Prepare and submit quarterly progress and financial reports for each project line of an award to state, federal and other funding agencies.
  • Prepare quarterly grants status report for Board of Directors meetings.

• • Assist with quarterly grant status updates to Executive Team and applicable staff and facilitate meetings with staff and funding agencies as needed.

• • Review grant agreements and correspondence with funding agencies. Responsible for maintaining all grant agreements and Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) pertaining to grant awards.

• • Responsible for ensuring award amounts are included in the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) and requesting modifications as necessary.

• • Responsible for tracking Transportation Development Credit (TDC) balances to ensure they are utilized before expiration.

• • Assist with grant compliance and interpretation of relevant Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular’s as well as other related Federal and State regulations and legislation.

• • Assist with on-going training to staff as it relates to grant administration and organizational policies.

• • Assist Senior Manager of Budget and Grants in developing and preparing grant budgets for the annual budget cycle.

• • Helps manage public participation and public involvement requirements for all grant funding.

• • Ability to interpret funding agency regulations and policies for the departments, monitor funded projects to prevent over-expenditure of funds or ineligible expenditures and ensure awards are fully expended.

• • Assist with monitoring of federal mandated programs related to Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Davis-Bacon Acts including auditing and advising department grant managers as necessary and coordinating and monitoring payroll recordkeeping on federal grants.

• • Assists the Finance department by acting as one of the liaisons between the agency’s project managers and the grant consultants when pursuing competitive federal grant opportunities.

• • Review and update agency’s profile on the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) award management platform, TRAMS, including user access and submission of annual Certifications and Assurances.

• • Responsible for renewing registration with System for Award Management (SAM.gov) annually.

• • Review policies and recommend changes as needed to maintain compliance with granting agencies’ requirements.
  • Maintain expense documentation in accordance with record retention requirements.

• • Assist with the development of procedures consistent with adopted policies.

Finance

·        Assists in the preparation, review, and analysis of the agency’s annual operating and capital budgets, as well as monthly and periodic financial reports, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and compliance with established financial standards and policies.

·        Develops ad-hoc and recurring budget, financial, and service-related reports to support executive leadership, management decision-making, and public transparency initiatives.

·        Prepares, updates, and maintains intermediate service plan reports and supporting data for executive review, incorporating operational and financial metrics to support performance evaluation.

·        Collects, assembles, analyzes, and interprets financial and operational data to assess agency performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and evaluate alternative budgetary or operational strategies.

·        Compiles and prepares invoices for contracted services expenses.

·        Provides direct support to the Senior Manager of Budget & Grants during the annual budget development process, including data validation, report preparation, and coordination with internal departments.

·        Develops and maintains proficiency in the agency’s enterprise financial reporting systems and serves as a resource to staff by assisting with system use and training new users as needed.

·        Reviews, processes, and supports workflow for requisitions, budget transfers, and related financial transactions within the agency’s financial management system (Tyler Munis), ensuring proper authorization and adherence to budget controls.

·        Assists in the preparation, organization, and documentation of the Operating and Capital Budget Book to support the agency’s participation in the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award program.

·        Conducts financial and technical research, including peer and comparable transit agency analyses, to support budget development, performance benchmarking, and operational planning initiatives.

·        Serves as the initial point of contact for cashiering activities, including receiving payments, preparing bank deposits as required, and ensuring proper handling and documentation of funds in accordance with agency procedures.

·        Assist staff with travel-related bookings and expense coordination in compliance with agency policies and financial controls.

·        Performs technical research, data compilation, and special financial analyses assigned to support departmental and agency-wide initiatives.

·        Assists in the development, review, and maintenance of financial policies, procedures, and process documentation to ensure clarity, consistency, and regulatory compliance.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Where applicable, an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of education/experience listed below.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE (where applicable, an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered)

Must be 21 years of age or older. Bachelor’s degree in finance. A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in professional business administration, grant and contract administration, finance and budget administration, or related work field.

Special Requirements: Hold a current Texas Driver's License (Class - C) or have the ability to obtain one upon entry to the position.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• • Grant and finance accounting and budget practices

• • Knowledge of state and federal grant process and related requirements

• • Understanding of accounting concepts, including generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB)

• • Experience with financial management software

• • Adept at online research and information gathering
  • Acting within the scope of designated responsibilities, work as a public employee with courtesy and professionalism, adhering to the highest standard of ethics.
  • Customer Service focus
  • Strong math/accounting skills, strong reading comprehension skills, ability to interpret guidelines and instructions. 

PREFERRED SKILLS

• • Knowledge of Federal OMB Circular A-133 (Single Audit) and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (the “Super Circular”)

• • Grant proposal submission, pre-award process and post-award administration experience.

• • Strong writing and oral communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Knowledge of procurement, DBE, Davis-Bacon and related federally mandated programs

The ideal candidate will:

• • Possess a positive attitude, and practices good judgement, while open to receiving/providing feedback

• • Hold the ability to get along with others, individually and in a large group. Has the desire to care for the organization’s well-being and for the co-workers he/she interacts with. Interested in partaking in group development and team building activities

• • Be open to collaborate and work in a team-oriented and helping environment

• • Possess an influential and welcoming communication style

• • Foster a culture that values critical thinking and problem solving; and encourages constructive feedback, engagement, inclusion, and diversity at all levels

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

Physical activities include, but are not limited to: on a continuous basis, sitting at a desk for long periods of time; researching information both in written form and on the computer; using a computer and monitor for long periods of time; intermittently twisting and reaching office equipment; writing or using keyboard to communicate through written means; occasionally running errands; lifting light weight; reaching above the waist and reaching below the waist; repetitive motion and fingering when using computer keyboard and/or 10-key calculator; and seeing, talking and hearing when dealing with internal and external customers. The essential functions of this position require the daily use of a computer, telephone, and calculator. The essential functions of this position are performed in an office environment.

Summary

Come be a part of an amazing team working to move the people of the 6th largest growing county in the United States!

Additional perks and benefits that accompany full-time employment with DCTA:

• Employee portions of Medical and Dental benefits are 100% paid by the employer.
• If you have utilized a Proportionate Retirement Program in the past, the service time transfers to DCTA’s retirement system, TCDRS. The following systems apply:
  • Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS)
  • Employees Retirement System (ERS)
  • Judicial Retirement System of Texas (JRS)
  • Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
  • City of Austin Employees Retirement System (COAERS)
• Expanding time-off accruals: 12 days of vacation time accrued for the first year, increasing by one day each year, with a max of 17 days annually. Additionally, employees earn 12 days of sick time each year, 4 floating holidays, 9 fixed holidays, and the ability to earn two additional days off through the Wellness Program.
• Regional transit passes (bus and rail) for you and your immediate family.
• DCTA strives to continually improve our Servant Leadership culture. We pride ourselves in having an open, caring, and communicative community of employees, with the drive to help build each other up. 
• Extensive Wellness Program, including several opportunities to volunteer with the agency, sporadic lunch and learn events, chair massages, the potential to earn two extra days off each year, and continual efforts to improve wellness throughout the agency.

***DCTA IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER***