Foundation School Program (FSP) Senior Programmer (Programmer V) - Internal Vacancy

MISSION: The Texas Education Agency (TEA) will improve outcomes for all public-school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

Core Values:
• We are Determined: We are committed and intentional in the pursuit of our main purpose, to improve outcomes for students.
• We are People-Centered: We strive to attract, develop, and retain the most committed talent, representing the diversity of Texas, each contributing to our common vision for students.
• We are Learners: We seek evidence, reflect on success and failure, and try new approaches in the pursuit of excellence for our students.
• We are Servant Leaders: Above all else, we are public servants working to improve opportunities for students and provide support to those who serve them.

New hires, re-hires, and internal hires will typically receive a starting salary between the posted minimum and the average pay of employees in their same classification. Offers will be commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications and will thoughtfully consider internal pay equity for agency staff who perform similar duties and have similar qualifications. The top half of the posted salary range is generally reserved for candidates who exceed the requirements and qualifications for the role. The maximum salary range is reserved for candidates that far exceed the required and preferred qualifications for the role.

**This is a 5-business day internal posting. We are only accepting applications from current Texas Education Agency (TEA) employees. External applicants will not be considered. **

Position Overview:
The FSP Senior Programmer will perform highly advanced SAS programming tasks pertaining to the construction of datasets, analyses, and reports for the State Funding, Forecasting & Fiscal Analysis Division. The primary focus of this position is to perform development and testing on the FSP in conjunction with the FSP IT team, which includes translating statutory language into operationalizable requirements for SAS programming so that legislative mandates are accurately reflected in the agency’s funding calculations and reporting. The FSP Senior Programmer reports directly to the Managing Director of Forecasting. The work is highly complex and conducted under minimal supervision with considerable latitude for the use of independent judgment.

Flexible work location within the state of Texas may be considered for qualified candidates.

Please note that a resume and tailored cover letter are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Please note that a resume, tailored cover letter, and short answer responses are required attachments for applying to this position. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants who are strongly being considered for employment must submit to a national criminal history background check.

Essential Functions:
Job duties are not limited to the essential functions mentioned below. You may perform other functions as assigned.

1. Liaison with IT Development Team: serves as the primary liaison with the FSP IT development team on all matters related to FSP calculations and code deployments; ensures code and calculations perform as required; completes testing and coordinates with cross-functional stakeholders including IT Development, State Funding, Forecasting & Fiscal Analysis staff, and FSP programmers; analyzes the potential impact of proposed changes to the school finance system
2. Coding, Testing, and Documenting: performs advanced statewide school finance funding formula calculations in SAS; reviews and recommends updates to existing Oracle database SAS code models, including Foundation School Program and Available School Fund calculation code; tests code for expected results and implements changes as needed; documents and explains methodology changes; maintains the data dictionary for the FSP Summary of Finance application
3. Implements New School Finance Legislation: translates statutory language into operationalizable requirements for SAS programming, ensuring that legislative mandates are accurately reflected in the agency’s funding calculations and reporting; leads the annual FSP new-year initialization and implements yearly updates to FSP calculation code, documenting and explaining methodology changes; quantifies the fiscal impact of legislative changes at both the statewide and district level, along with the assumptions used to develop the estimates
4. Recurring Data Projects: executes SAS programming projects that recur on a defined cycle (annual, quarterly, or by legislative session) to support TEA reporting, audit, and compliance obligations; examples include calculating the annual Prekindergarten Expenditure Ratio and Maintenance of Effort (MOE), which support internal TEA reporting and Federal Reporting requirements associated with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and are included in an annual audit review and verification process
5. Ad-Hoc and Unplanned Requests: as directed, performs and reviews analytical work for infrequent or unplanned modeling requests related to the Foundation School Program (FSP); translates written requirements into working financial models; provides oral and written explanations understandable by multiple stakeholders and audiences; assists stakeholders with decisions regarding FSP cost forecasting methodologies