Certification Specialist

Job Description:

Onsite.

Phone and in-person interview.

This position requires a high level of professionalism and objectivity to ensure that only qualified enterprises gain access to program resources. Do you accept this requirement?

This is a position of trust and requires the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality due to the types of personal and financial information submitted to the program. Do you accept this requirement?

This position works in the office 37.5 hour per week. Monday-Friday with hours between 8:00am-5:00 pm with 1 hour unpaid lunch break. Do you accept this requirement?

A writing sample, 1-2 page legal review, must accompany the candidate's submission. Is this included?

The MBE/WBE Certification Specialist supports the Division of Supplier Diversity's mission of providing equal opportunity in State contracting. The certification specialist protects the integrity of the program by ensuring that only qualified enterprises.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:
Audits all certification applications, both new and re-certifications, to determine program eligibility, reviews requests for certification based on agreements with other certifying bodies, and reviews classification code amendment requests;
Analyses the application form and the accompanying documentation supplied by the applicant and requests missing or additional information from the applicant as necessary;
May conduct phone interviews or in person interviews of business owners and conduct site visits of applicant firms to confirm application information and to determine program eligibility;
Prepares necessary reports to document findings of fact and to make recommendations, references the governing regulations and policies to support findings;
Presents findings and recommendations to the Certification Review Committee and participates in committee decision making;
Prepares preliminary denial letters as needed for the review of the Director of Certification and/or IDOA legal counsel;
Serves as a witness at hearings appealing denial decisions;
Identifies and assigns appropriate industry classification codes for eligible firms;
Prepares correspondence to internal and external customers regarding program information;
Communicates with internal and external customers in writing and via phone, fax, e-mail, and in- person;
Confers with co-workers and supervisor regarding certification issues;
Enters requisite application information into electronic database;
May be assigned to create and/or present program information for workshops, seminars, etc.
Completes special projects as assigned;
Performs related duties as assigned.
Job Requirements:
Preferably have a legal background;
J.D. or Paralegal certificate preferred. B.S. in Political Science, Public or Business Administration, or similar area of study minimum education level or equivalent and related experience;
Experience in a government or business office environment;
Familiarity with and experience in applying statutes and regulations to make determinations about eligibility and using applicable provisions to support the determination;
A valid Indiana driver's license;
Previous experience with Microsoft Office software suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint);
Proven oral and written communication skills;
Proven ability to develop and maintain significant rapport with customers and clients;
Proven ability to understand, interpret, and apply applicable federal and state laws and regulations;
Proven ability to review, interpret, and analyze complex business and legal documents;
Proven ability to reach detailed, logical conclusions utilizing critical thinking strategies;
Proven ability to provide deliverables and to meet established deadlines
Limited travel may be necessary, in-state and less than 25% of the time
Preferably has the ability to communicate/translate oral and written materials to/from Spanish/English.
Difficulty of Work:
Good judgment and the ability to work independently is required to review certification applications and documentation, to make eligibility recommendations, and to answer customer inquiries. Employee works with a variety of firms and applications, which requires the ability to handle multiple variables that may be new or unprecedented. For those situations that are new or unprecedented, employee must refer to state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures to determine appropriate response in consultation with Certification Review Committee members.
Responsibility:
The MBE/WBE Certification Specialist must develop expertise in the statutes, regulations, policies, and legal decisions that would impact how applications are analyzed. This position requires a high level of professionalism and objectivity to ensure that only qualified enterprises gain access to program resources. The MBE/WBE Certification Specialist must possess excellent analytical and critical thinking skills to review and to interpret complex business information. The MBE/WBE Certification Specialist must be familiar with State procurement methods and be able to relay that information to a widely varied audience. The MBE/WBE Certification Specialist is responsible for the frugal consumption of the State's resources as it relates to the use of a State vehicle and credit cards and reimbursable travel expenses should the need for travel arise. This is a position of trust and requires the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality due to the types of personal and financial information submitted to the program. A high degree of accuracy is required to ensure that certification applications are processed correctly and efficiently. Dedication to continued improvement of program policies and practices is mandatory.
Personal Work Relationships:
Work relationships are informative in nature and require the dissemination of program information via phone, fax, e-mail, and in-person. Division contacts are for the purpose of certification eligibility, certification recommendations, and other certification issues.

Skill matrix: IN-IDOA-MWBE Certification Specialist (735825)

Skill Required / Desired Year of Experience Required B.S. in Political Science or Business Administration, or similar area of study.

Required 4 Valid Indiana Driver's license.

Required 4 Have a legal Background.

Required Previous experience with Microsoft Office software suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint

Required Must possess excellent analytical and critical thinking skills to review and to interpret complex business information.

Required Experience in a government or business office environment.

Required Familiarity with and experience in applying statutes and regulations to make determinations about eligibility.

Required Proven oral and written communication skills

Required J.D. or Paralegal certificate preferred.

Highly desired