USDA Grant Analyst - Project

Full Job Description

Important note: This recruitment is for a project classification, Civil Service title Department Analyst - Project, which is currently funded through September 30, 2028.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities.

You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• Staff Development/Wellness - Annual benefit allowances of up to $2,000 and ongoing education/training opportunities
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Incentive Retirement Savings Plan (IRSP) and 457 Voluntary Deferred Compensation - 3% of salary County contribution to a 401(a), in addition to the County matching up to 1% of base salary in 401(a), based upon employee contribution
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits: Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief – County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

About the Position

As a member of the Strategic Initiatives Division, in the County Executive's Office, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Grant Analyst - Project is responsible for the management of the recently awarded $10.7M USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Advancing Markets for Producers grant for which the County of Sonoma is the lead agency. The multi-year grant project involves multiple external partners and sub-grantees. This position manages the full lifecycle of the grant and plays a central role in ensuring that all aspects of the grant are executed in compliance with federal regulations, internal policies, and the terms of the funding agreement. The Analyst applies project management best practices to coordinate timelines, manage risks, and support decision-making. In addition, this position maintains systems for tracking the status of the project and provides regular updates to leadership and stakeholders to ensure that the project remains on track, within budget, and in full compliance with all applicable requirements.

The Analyst also serves as the primary liaison to USDA, the USDA Grant Program Manager, and all external collaborators and fosters clear communication and coordination throughout the duration of the project. The Analyst ensures that all disbursements are accurate, timely, and supported by appropriate documentation and maintains detailed financial records and reconciles expenditures against the approved budget, ensuring all costs are allowable and allocable under federal guidelines. Other responsibilities of the position include proactively identifying and addressing any compliance issues and working closely with internal and external stakeholders to resolve them and preparing and submitting all required reports to USDA.

What You Bring

The ideal candidate possesses grant management, organizational, and communication skills to successfully manage a large federal grant.

The ideal candidate is a problem-solver and doer who seeks solutions.

An individual who is willing to learn, attentive to details and timelines, and able to anticipate will be most successful in this role. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have:

• Federal grant management experience, including administering grants, preparing progress reports, managing budgets, and tracking data
• Familiarity with federal grant reporting systems and federal grant requirements
• Superb written and oral communication skills to effectively communicate with project partners, USDA points of contact, and County departments
• Competency in Excel and proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite
• Some knowledge of the agriculture and/or climate fields
• Municipal or county government experience

The Department

The County Executive’s Office is guided by the Board of Supervisors’ broad mission and carries out the Board’s policy goals by managing, directing, and coordinating the operations of the County’s departments and agencies.

In addition, the CEO ensures implementation of County policy; prepares the County budget; provides public information and outreach to the community; analyzes and creates public policies to develop recommendations; researches grant and funding opportunities for strategic projects; coordinates with departments and agencies to manage Board priority projects; acts as the Clerk to the Board of Supervisors; implements the County’s legislative platform and oversees the County’s legislative advocacy program; prepares studies and analyses, including fiscal and programmatic performance assessments of County departments and programs; and develops and implements the County’s Strategic Plan.

The CEO’s mission is “to build a sustainable and equitable future for the community by making collaborative, transparent, and informed policy recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.”

The County Executive's Office is currently recruiting to fill a USDA Grant Analyst - Project position which is funded through September 30, 2028. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment.

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Salary Resolution (SalRes) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Requirements

Experience: Work experience which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed.

Normally, one year of full-time professional level staff experience related to general administration, accounting, budgetary analysis, or human resources work including research, analysis, and preparation of written reports and recommendations would provide such an opportunity.

Education: Any combination of course work and training which would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed.

Normally, academic coursework in public administration, business administration, management, accounting, political science, economics, statistics, English composition, psychology or closely related courses would provide such an opportunity.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Qualifications

Working knowledge of: principles and practices of business and public administration as pertinent to area of assignment; principles, practices and political implications of decisions regarding budgeting, fiscal management, human resources and contract management; principles and methods of work planning, staffing analysis and project management; techniques and practices of research methodology, data collection, and analysis; report writing; application and use of basic statistics; the use of electronic information equipment and specific systems as used within the department.

Knowledge of: operations and functions of county government and the structure and function of the assigned department; modern supervisory management and human resources practice; modern office methods and procedures.

Ability to: plan, organize, and conduct research, analysis and statistical studies related to the various aspects of administration, budget and general management matters; collect, compile and analyze qualitative and quantitative data; review and implement changes in work methods, systems and procedures; understand, interpret and explain laws, regulations and policies governing program operations; prepare budgets, grant applications, service contracts and complex narrative and statistical reports; communicate effectively orally and in writing, and present conclusions and recommendations before advisory and policy bodies; establish and maintain effective working relationships with management, employees, clients, and the public in carrying out sound management policies; understand program objectives in relation to departmental goals and procedures; organize and prioritize work assignments; persuade, examine, and project consequences of decisions and/or recommendations; analyze administrative problems and budget requests; use of electronic information equipment and specific systems as used within the department; effectively supervise the work of technical and office support staff.

Additional Information

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria.

Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications.

Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position.

Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments.

This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate’s personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process.

Personal information includes the applicant’s name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race.

This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire.

Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination.

Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment.

Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation.

Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position.

If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter.

You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at www.yourpath2sonomacounty.org. Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail.

All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement.

Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging.

We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve.

The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: AK

HR Technician: PPB