This position is accountable for providing technical support to personnel in planning, processing, and awarding a variety of transportation grants and intergovernmental agreements (IGAs). The incumbent assists departmental grant recipients by providing technical support related to grants and IGAs, awards, fiscal planning, and compliance monitoring for the Office of lntermodal Project Implementation (OIPI), Division of Aeronautics (DOA), and Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering (BSPE).
Grant agreements: 150-200 annually
Annual grant value: $400 million
Research projects: 10-20 annually
Special reports: 20-30 annually
This position reports to the Grants Unit Chief (Unit B). There are no subordinates reporting to this position.
This position performs technical research to support and document the planning, processing, and awarding of state and federal grants to fund transportation programs. The Grants Administrator (Unit A) supports the Bureau of Local Roads and Streets, Bureau of Design and Environment, and Office of Planning and Programming. The Grants Administrator (Unit B) supports the OIPI, DOA, and BSPE. This position is unique in that the incumbent should have a firm understanding of federal and state regulations and knowledge of informational sources providing transportation grant data.
Typical problems include ensuring the initial preparation of grant agreements complies with all state and federal program requirements. The greatest challenge is possessing an in-depth knowledge of the Illinois Department of Transportation's (IDOT) grant-funded programs required to promote effective research and reporting of grant financing, application, compliance, and performance.
The incumbent personally prepares initial grant IGAs and inter-agency agreements (IAAs) that define the scope of work and contain applicable provisions for compliance with state and federal regulations. The incumbent performs the research needed to forecast various grant appropriation amounts and identifies IDOT programs where grants may be applied. The incumbent compiles data on estimated funding available on the targeted grant programs. The incumbent collects data related to grant awards, payments, and performance and prepares ad hoc reports to summarize grant activities. The incumbent assists in identifying approved grantees and advising IDOT managers of both potential and targeted recipients. The incumbent provides the data required to review grantee performance to ensure compliance with agreement terms and conditions. At times, the incumbent advises grantees on performance issues to facilitate compliance with applicable regulations.