Overview
Posting notes: This listing is part of an ongoing recruitment and may close at any time. Applicant pools may be screened more than once. All positions with the New Mexico Public Education Department are based in Santa Fe, NM.
Mission: Equity, Excellence and Relevance. The New Mexico Public Education Department partners with educators, communities, and families to ensure that all students are healthy, secure in their identity, and holistically prepared for college, career, and life.
Vision: Rooted in our strengths. Students in New Mexico participate in a culturally and linguistically responsive educational system that addresses the social, emotional, and academic needs of every student.
Key Responsibilities
- Review, analyze, and approve operating budgets for all school districts and charter schools.
- Calculate and monitor the distribution and use of more than $4.1 billion in State Equalization Guarantee funding.
- Collect and analyze projected and actual student membership data.
- Collect and analyze information related to the Teacher Cost Index and licensed employees certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
- On a quarterly basis, review school district and charter school actual revenues, expenditures, and cash reports.
- Review Emergency Supplemental Awards and Out of State Tuition Awards.
- Address school district or charter school Board of Finance suspensions.
- Provide technical support and training for school district and charter school business personnel.
- Help develop the public-school support appropriation recommendation in relation to SEG.
- Other tasks include Federal Reports NPEFS, F33, and SLFS; mill levy setting for Capital Outlay and Debt Service Funds; updating NM UCoA in OBMS; calculating Rural Population Index for SEG purposes; calculating Energy Efficiency Credits for SEG purposes; updating entity data in OBMS; updating PED email lists for Superintendents/Charter Representatives and School Business Officials; creating Bond Certification Certificates to issue GO Bonds or ETNs; and various miscellaneous tasks.
Role Purpose
This position provides statewide leadership for school finance analysis and fiscal oversight to support accurate education funding, transparent reporting, and strong compliance practices. It ensures the School Budget Bureau's statewide finance cycles operate smoothly, including SEG oversight, mill levy rate setting, statewide reporting outputs, and timely support for executive and legislative decision-making. The role also leads capital finance and debt oversight activities when needed, manages the OBMS contract and prioritizes finance system projects and modules, and maintains a small assigned LEA portfolio to support escalations and continuity during critical deadlines.
How This Role Is Executed
- Supervise and support a team delivering statewide finance analyses, reporting products, dashboards, and data quality checks; set priorities and timelines; review and approve final work products.
- Oversee statewide funded run and SEG methods and outputs; validate assumptions and summarize impacts for Finance and Operations leadership.
- Lead the annual mill levy and tax rate setting process, including statewide data verification, reconciliation, documentation, and issue resolution.
- Provide leadership for capital finance and debt oversight activities as needed, such as bonding capacity certifications, refinances/defeasances, and validating principal and interest payment data.
- Coordinate financial interventions or takeovers when state-directed fiscal management is required.
- Own the OBMS contract and finance system roadmap: gather business needs, prioritize projects and modules across the agency, coordinate with IT and vendors, and support testing and rollout.
- Lead alignment of UCoA/PSAB and federal crosswalk/allowability controls to support consistent reporting and prevent invalid coding combinations.
- Maintain a small LEA portfolio for continuity, complex cases, and escalations.
Customers
- PED leadership (Secretary, Deputy Secretary of Finance and Operations), the School Budget Bureau, and partner PED bureaus.
- New Mexico school districts and charter schools.
- External stakeholders relying on accurate statewide school finance information, including the Legislature/LFC, the DFA and other partner agencies, auditors, bond advisors, and the public through requested reporting and data.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will engage with PED leadership, the School Budget Bureau and partner PED bureaus, as well as New Mexico school districts and charter schools, and external stakeholders who depend on precise statewide school finance information, such as the Legislature/LFC, DFA, auditors, bond advisors, and the public through required reporting and data requests.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in business administration, economics, accounting, finance, or auditing, and six (6) years of experience in accounting, business administration, public administration, finance, or auditing, including two (2) years of managerial or supervisory experience.
- Any combination of education from an accredited college or university in a related field and/or direct experience in this occupation totaling ten (10) years may substitute for the required education and experience.
- Any required licensure, certification or registration shall be defined at the time of recruitment and will be in addition to the above requirements.
Employment Requirements
Must possess and maintain a valid New Mexico driver's license.
Working Conditions
Work is performed in an office setting with exposure to Visual/Video Display Terminal (VDT) and extensive computer and phone usage. Some sitting, standing, bending, and reaching may be required. Some occasional travel is expected for meetings and conferences.
Supplemental Information
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Agency Contact Information
Sara Cordova, 505-469-3717, or Email
For information on Statutory Requirements for this position, click the Classification Description link on the job advertisement.
Bargaining Unit Position
This position is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.