Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide local school boards, schools and stakeholders with information and clarification regarding Ministry of Education funding legislation, policies and programs in order to facilitate implementation.

To analyze, advise and calculate the legislative and other grants payable to school boards.

To monitor and report on the compliance with the funding policies of the ministry in accordance with the provisions of the Education Act.

Duties / Responsibilities :

1) Administer annually the Legislative Grants Regulation including the verification, analysis and review of board financial estimates and statements and recommending the resultant cash flow.

2) Provide advice, expertise and guidance to school boards in the preparation of financial estimates and financials to ensure consistency of reporting and application of the grant legislation including the interpretation and clarification of various ministry funding policies, procedures, regulations and the Education Act.

3) Perform field intelligence, identify and research issues, prepare background and advisory reports, briefing notes and issue sheets, ministerial correspondence and recommend resolutions where appropriate to issues related to ministry funding policies and initiatives.

4) Participate in various accountability activities undertaken by the ministry and conduct where necessary appropriate audits i.e. enrolment, staffing, class size, uniform code of accounts etc. including the preparation of written reports on findings.

5) Conduct special assignments such as participating on committees, provide training (professional development) and direction to client groups, carry out ad hoc financial investigations and analysis, and make recommendations for improvement to financial management systems and procedures.

6) Maintain an accurate mainframe data base; extract and upload school board financial data from ministry developed PC software; verify the integrity of the financial data such as residential/commercial taxation and enrolment using independent data base sources, apply computer based comparison techniques; compile, manipulate, and analyze financial statistics; create provincial summaries and detailed financial reports for use in issue sheets and briefing notes for internal and provincial audit purposes, to reconcile monthly advances a year end in order to report to external auditors.

Staffing and Licencing :

n/a

Knowledge :

Job requires technical knowledge usually associated with an accounting or audit designation.

Job requires knowledge of accounting and auditing principles and practices in order to perform accountability activities at the local school and board level and to provide interpretations of ministry developed accounting policies.

Job requires advanced analytical skills.

Job requires sound knowledge of legislation related to the funding of elementary and secondary education (technical paper, student focused funding grant regulation) in order to monitor funding activities and ensure compliance by school boards and to provide interpretation and clarification to stakeholders.

Job requires thorough knowledge of Ministry policies, regulations, directives and processes in order to monitor and assess compliance of school board financial systems, to provide accurate information on the funding guidelines of various education programs and to provide strong guidance to school boards.

Job requires knowledge of the mandate and functioning of school boards including cultural, societal and resource information related to local communities which impact on education services and funding to ensure local needs are considered in policy and decision-making at the ministry level.

Job requires knowledge of funding issues as it relates to policy development and implementation processes in order to provide intelligent input and to monitor implementation.

Job also requires advanced knowledge of information technology and standard word-processing, database and spreadsheet software to create financial reports for use in new projects and to prepare computer based comparison techniques.

Skills :

Job requires analytical, reasoning and problem solving skills to; ensure that grants are spent efficiently and in accordance with the government's intent; analyze local financial issues for the purpose of identifying the nature and problems and issues at the local level and facilitate, mediate, or negotiate the resolution of issues; to assess financial performance and policy compliance; build financial information reports from a variety of data sources; assess new and existing policies for the impact on local school boards and develop financial policy recommendations for unique local agencies (e.g. isolate school boards, care and treatment centres)

Job requires that information be drawn from a number of sources including school level data, ministry and board financial and statistical reports census information, surveys, and anecdotal; information from school board staff. Information is analyzed and integrated to assess the feasibility of new grant programs, to review the effectiveness of existing programs, to monitor financial performance and policy compliance, and to develop accountability measures.

Job requires acting as a technical resource to ministry staff participating in studies, special projects and working committees.

As a contact for school board personnel, and expert on district school boards and issues, the jobholder develops prompt reports on local financial issues and the impact of proposed policies on district boards.

Job requires excellent written communication skills necessary to make presentations, prepare detailed reports, issue sheets, decision notes, briefing notes and ministerial correspondence. Job requires excellent oral and written communication skills necessary to present, discuss and explain highly complex financial information to senior management, school board business officials, parents and community interest groups and skills required to act as a resource to school boards, schools and stakeholders to explain/interpret funding legislation and ministry policies and procedures in facilitating, mediating and negotiating solutions to issues with school board business officials, parents and community interest groups to provide clarification and resolution to issues. Job requires interpersonal skills necessary to promote the ministry's funding directions and initiatives at the local level and to deal with situations involving non-compliance with funding legislation or ministry requirements.

Job requires providing project leadership to Finance Officer colleagues or Education Officer staff; reviewing accuracy/completeness of reports, data an analysis prepared prior to overall consolidation, clarifying problems and ensuring integrity of data ensuring reports adhere to ministry policies and procedures. Job requires occasional training and mentoring of seconded staff for first few months of their contract.

Job requires planning and coordinating own activities within a set of broad objectives, timelines and directives. Job also requires assisting with the scheduling and coordination of the preparation of ad hoc financial analysis projects and reporting with senior analyst, financial and program managers, working with other staff to gather information and consolidating analysis carried out by self and others in some instances coordinating/collecting/consolidation of work done by staff in other sections with own analysis and information to provide comprehensive report.

Job is responsible for performing a wide variety of audits and implementing recommendations. Job is responsible for carrying out a variety of financial management activities, including monitoring and identifying budget/expenditure variances, researching and explaining sources/causes and analyzing potential impact. Job is responsible for the development and management of financial initiatives or models, determining funding and ensuring compliance. Job requires considerable accuracy in analyzing financial estimates and statements for the determination of school board grant entitlements.

Job requires providing clarification, advice and guidance to clients (internal/external) on: ministry funding, policy and grant legislation; providing input to ministry funding policy and procedures; acting as a resource for local school boards on financial, funding issues; working with individuals and board officials to resolve local issues; obtaining/providing information regarding issues which have impacts on the organization and making recommendations for modifications; providing advice to school board business officials regarding management techniques and procedures to assist in ensuring compliance with government/ministry funding policies and directives.

Freedom of Action :

Job requires the development of directives and guidelines to work within the government/ministry policies and regulations and within financial management and accounting practices. Job requires performing work with latitude of decision making by: representing the ministry in the field to school boards and other stakeholders; interpreting, applying and promotions the ministry policies, directives, guidelines and regulations; developing and designing financial reporting models, procedures and mechanisms; developing analyzes/explanations/assessments of financial data; providing advice to clients on interpretation and application of policies directives, guidelines and regulations; making and accepting recommendations to improve financial management systems and data reporting systems. Job requires reviewing, mediating and resolving district finance issues, consulting with boards, educational facilities, interest groups and community representative to identify finance concerns, issues, requirements and priorities and provide feedback to the ministry. Job requires interpretation of legislation, policies, directives and regulations and providing viable solutions for finance issues and disputes.
Work is reviewed by providing consolidated analysis and completed reports to supervisor for assessment of overall soundness and degree to which decisions/information meets the needs of managers using the data/model to make decisions and payments to school boards and authorities.
Job refers to supervisor issues that are precedent setting and which deviate from policy in order to carry out an analysis of impact on budget appropriations.