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Original Job Description
Description
Internal Control and Compliance Analyst (MA 4)
At the Department of Commerce we’re reimagining what’s possible in government. We’re builders, thinkers, and change-makers, working at the intersection of innovation, community, and impact. From unlocking critical funding to fueling inclusive economic growth, we’re turning big ideas into real-world solutions that uplift people and places.
Our agency’s strength lies in the diversity of our workforce and the breadth of the lived experiences and perspectives employees bring to the work. We believe equity is not just a value but a practice, which is reflected in how we design programs, engage communities, and deliver outcomes. We foster a workplace culture where curiosity is encouraged, bold thinking is welcomed, and collaboration drives our impact.
Let’s build what’s next, together.The Internal Controls Office is part of the agency’s Contracts and Compliance Division, which supports Commerce staff with contracting, internal controls, compliance, and audit liaison functions. The Internal Controls and Compliance Analyst plays an important role in helping Commerce programs strengthen internal controls, respond to audits, understand compliance requirements, and improve processes that protect state and federal funding. This position works across Commerce’s divisions and programs and provides support on topics such as expenditure review and approval, recipient monitoring, risk assessment, federal compliance, and internal policy requirements.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who has experience as an auditor, auditee, compliance analyst, grant monitor, or program operations professional and wants to learn more about governmental auditing from the agency side. The position provides exposure to a wide range of state, local, federal, and internally contracted audits, as well as the chance to work with staff, managers, and leadership across a diverse agency of more than 800 employees.
Day-to-day work may include coordinating audit requests, reviewing documentation, tracking audit issues, attending audit meetings, researching state and federal requirements, assisting with internal control documentation, and helping program staff understand compliance expectations. During onboarding, new analysts will have opportunities to shadow experienced audit liaisons and observe different phases of audit work.
The position also supports Commerce’s federal reporting monitoring including work related to 2 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 200.521 Management Decisions. In this role, the analyst helps ensure that internal controls are documented, compliance expectations are communicated clearly, and audit or monitoring issues are tracked and addressed in a timely way.
Key objectives of this position include:
- Ensuring internal controls and compliance processes for state and federal funding are identified, documented, and operating effectively.
- Providing department-wide support for internal control, compliance, audit liaison, and federal reporting monitoring processes.
- Supporting programs with practical guidance on compliance requirements, risk areas, corrective actions, and process improvements.
- Providing analysis and recommendations to update or implement agency policies and procedures.
Candidates within the Olympia region are strongly encouraged to apply. This position is includes required occasional in-person meetings or business needs at the Commerce Headquarters Office in Olympia. Candidates outside Washington state may also apply if they plan to relocate to the Olympia region before the first day of employment.
Duties
Provide internal support for internal controls and compliance
Tasks include:
• Provide technical analysis and astute awareness of federal compliance requirements, guidance, state laws, Commerce policies and best practices to form recommendations and work directly with program staff and Commerce leadership to implement internal controls and strengthen compliance.
• Performs internal control reviews of program functions to identify and document key controls and offers guidance to staff, on identified key controls and other internal control processes.
• Consulting on multiple projects concurrently, managing time effectively, requiring minimal supervision in the execution of assistance provided to the Internal Control Officer.
• As assigned completes the development and/or recommends corrective action plans, and monitors the implementation and effectiveness of those key changes.
• Collaborate in making recommendations to program staff and management to improve the monitoring and oversight of grant recipients, contractor and federal subrecipients.
• Consult with Commerce staff on topics such as fiscal monitoring including expenditure review and payment, award recipient monitoring, and risk assessments.
External Audit
Tasks include:
• Providing facilitation and consultation during audits, monitoring, reviews by external entities, regulators or other funding or oversight organizations to ensure key controls are designed and working effectively and the Department is in compliance with applicable laws and policies.
• Ensuring external audits are supported, tracked, managed and responded to appropriately to organize reporting to leadership and reporting to external parties.
• As assigned, coordinates day-to-day activities of external audits at Commerce, including working with auditors to schedule appropriate staff for meetings, obtaining program specific information, identifying key processes and responsibilities to ensure external audits are professional addressed within professional audit standards.
• Audit support including attending external audit meetings, entrance and exit conferences, and taking notes to share with internal stakeholders and the Internal Control Officer. Support will be for audits conducted by the Washington State Auditor’s Office, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee,
as well as private Certified Public Accounting firms and other state and federal agency auditors. Assists in working with program staff to respond to deficiencies reported and communicating needs and requests of external auditors to assist program staff with understanding on how to implement internal controls and facilitate compliance.
• Keeping detailed records, tracking documents and managing requests for information, including audit status reports, transactions tested, information provided by grantees, testing samples and selections, deficiencies reported, data base information system and general ledger system controls, audit requests for information, assistance requested by program staff, and recommended corrective actions.
• Building and maintaining positive and supportive relationships while ensuring internal controls are in place and ensuring compliance with laws and policies.
• Using professional judgment and knowledge of agency processes, risks, audit and standards to apply to internal programs to effectively advise and support agency staff and leadership through these engagements.
Federal Reporting Monitoring
Tasks include:
• Federal reporting monitoring – Subrecipient monitoring is performed which includes the identification of applicable subrecipients receiving federal funds, reviewing and verifying their federal audit submission status in the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, and identification of Commerce funded findings issued.
• Monitor and evaluate corrective action plans and provide guidance and direction with approval from the Internal Control Officer or delegate.
• Serve as consultant to management who leads manager’s special projects relevant to internal controls and federal reporting monitoring.
Policy & Procedures
Tasks include:
• Advises and updates policies and procedures related to the Internal Control Office owned processes, including internal control, compliance requirements and audit processes and standards.
• Provides guidance and recommendations for policies and procedures in all Commerce divisions, departments, units and programs as necessary.
Other duties as assigned
Tasks include:
• Other Duties as Assigned
• Assists team with Federal Reporting Monitoring as needed.
Qualifications
Required Position Qualifications:
Any combination of eight (8) total years of experience. This could be gained by a combination of relevant education beyond high school equivalency and/or professional-level experience in accounting or business administration or related field of study.
Experience must include the following:
Minimum of Three (3) years of substantial professional-level experience that must include professional experience in 4 or more of the following:
• Assisting in complex engagements or projects
• External audit knowledge and experience
• Internal control identification and application
• Project planning and objective setting
• Developing work plans
• Data gathering, analysis, and verifying evidence
• Providing technical advice and/or training
• Conducting research
• Analyzing and concluding on policies, laws, rules or regulations
• Conducting business analysis and developing requirements
• Leading business projects
• Managing business operations
• Business policy development
Minimum of three (3) years of substantial professional-level experience that must include professional experience in the following:
• internal or external governmental audit experience applying professional standards, theory, methodology, tools and techniques, specifically risk-based planning; designing objectives, scope and strategies; risk assessment and control design; data/evidence gathering and analysis.
• Drafting responses to audit results and preparing reports.
• Current knowledge of and experience with professional auditing standards;
o Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS)
o Generally Accepted Governmental Auditing Standards (GAGAS)
o Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO)
o Intermediate skills with Microsoft programs such as MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint.
• Managing or monitoring federal grants, federal programs, and or federal policy for an organization
Experience and education (including college-level coursework, technical and/or vocational education, and or certification programs) combinations that meet the requirements for this position:
| Possible Combinations | College credit hours or degree - as listed above. | Years of required experience - as listed above. |
| Combination 1 | No college credit hours or degree | 8 years of experience |
| Combination 2 | 1 year of education beyond post-high school or GED equivalency | 7 years of experience |
| Combination 3 | 2 years of education beyond post-high school or GED equivalency | 6 years of experience |
| Combination 4 | 3 years of education beyond post-high school or GED equivalency | 5 years of experience |
| Combination 5 | 4 years of education beyond post-high school or GED equivalency | 4 years of experience |
Preferred/Desired Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with a major in accounting or business administration or related field of study.
• Licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), or Certified Government Auditing Professional (CGAP). Current understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Government Auditing Standards, and the Institute of Internal Audit Professional Standards and Uniform Guidance.
• Experience and education in the accounting and/or auditing profession (including college-level coursework, technical and/or vocational education and certification programs) or combinations that meet the requirements for this position.
Required Position Competencies:
• Understanding of current Title 2 Code of Federal Regulations.
• Strong interpersonal skills including relationship building, problem solving, and team work.
• Ability to communicate clearly and accurately, and to work effectively with staff, other divisions and stakeholders.
• Ability to anticipate questions and problems and the impact of potential changes, respond quickly, and accurately assess when to engage others.
• Ability to effectively balance and prioritize multiple tasks and handle and maintain confidential and sensitive material.
• Must have excellent/demonstrable communication skills – oral, written, and listening to provide advanced-level communication to the department’s managers, divisions, program managers, and other state agency representatives.
• Ability to provide consultation to division, program managers, and external stakeholders regarding office operations.
• Must demonstrate good judgment, ethics, integrity, sense of responsibility, loyalty to the agency, flexibility, values customer service.
To be considered for this position the following are needed:
- A complete and detailed online application.
- A cover letter (enter online).
- At least three professional references (enter online).
Supplemental Information
This position is based in the greater Puget Sound area to attend occasional meetings. Many Commerce employees work remotely or have a hybrid schedule.
This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies over the next 60 days.
Technical support is provided by NEOGOV, 855-524-5627 (can't log in, password or email issues, error messages). DES job seeker support may answer general questions regarding the recruiting system atcareershelp@des.wa.gov.
Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity
The Washington State Department of Commerce is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application, testing, or interview process or this job announcement in an alternative format may email Human Resources at Human.Resources@commerce.wa.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.