Certification/ Paralegal Specialist - Indianapolis, IN

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.