IT Policy and Process Analyst

Join the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and be part of a team committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of fellow Texans. At HHSC, your contributions matter, and we support you at each stage of your life and work journey. Our comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement and more. Explore more details on the Benefits of Working at HHS webpage.

Brief Job Description:

The IT Policy and Process Analyst (Management Analyst III) performs advanced policy and process work for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's IT Division. The analyst is expected to work with a high level of independence and has significant latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

The analyst is responsible for developing policies and processes that help all staff understand how to obtain technology (for example, artificial intelligence products) and use the technology safely and effectively to support their business functions while complying with applicable state, federal, and other requirements. The analyst is also responsible for developing policies and processes that explain how the IT Division operates and what is required of IT staff to maintain effective operations.

The analyst uses their research, critical thinking, and analytical skills to learn new technical subject matter and analyze best practices and state, federal, and other requirements. The analyst synthesizes their research to draft requirements and other policy and process content, working cross-functionally with experts and stakeholders to validate the draft content and ensure compliance requirements, business objectives, and risk are adequately addressed. 

The analyst applies advanced writing and editing skills to develop policy and process documents and related communications, ensuring they are well organized, easy to read and understand, clearly inform staff of the actions they need to take, and meet editorial, writing, branding, and accessibility requirements.

Essential Job Functions (EJFs):

1) Research technology-related subject matter, best practices, business operations, and compliance requirements (state or federal laws, rules, regulations and agency policies and processes) and assess, critically analyze, and apply insights from that research to assigned documents, ensuring documents effectively address the business objective, compliance requirements, and risk and that requirements are referenced and cited appropriately.

2) Develop documents that clearly present information in writing and visually (flowcharts), ensuring standards for editorial correctness and style, effective and clear writing, agency branding, accessibility, and flowcharts are met.

3) Ensure documents clearly define and explain their scope, audience, requirements, and who is responsible for requirements. 

4) Plan, schedule, and facilitate meetings and workgroups to effectively and efficiently gather and document information and decisions for assignments, including verifying at least one full business day before a meeting that required attendees have accepted the meeting, providing agenda items in advance of meetings with details on who is required to participate to address the items, providing meeting notes and action items to participants after each meeting, and including meeting notes in the team's tracking tool.

5) Direct and organize tasks and timelines following the team's governing policies and processes, ensuring that assigned documents are completed within established timeframes, that timelines, detailed status notes, and other tracking details are kept up-to-date in team tracking tools, and that regular status updates and timely due date reminders are sent to management and others involved in the assignment.

6) Develop effective and clear communications to request completion of action items (such as reviews and approvals), announce published documents to staff, and respond to staff questions about assigned documents after publication, ensuring communications help recipients understand what actions they need to take, by when, and with what objective and ensuring designated templates are used, when applicable.

7) Conduct stakeholder and expert analysis and ensure experts and representatives from affected areas are included in meetings, workgroups, and draft reviews and provide needed input and expertise to support the completeness, accuracy, and quality of documents.

8) Ensure consistency and correctness across publications by identifying the need for, documenting, and executing an implementation plan when an assigned document requires changes to other publications. Where implementation involves a tool, work with the experts to ensure the tool and its features and contents are consistent with the related policy or process.

9) Maintain publications by periodically reviewing them independently and with experts to verify their accuracy or  to identify and make needed changes.

10) Support the quality of team publications by completing peer reviews and providing complete and comprehensive feedback to peers on their documents using the team's checklist.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):

• Knowledge of state government.
• Knowledge of how to interpret, analyze, and explain, and apply laws, rules, regulations, legal language,
policies, and other forms of compliance requirements.
• Knowledge of core principles of effective business writing, including plain language, grammar rules, and editorial styles.
• Skill in writing and developing policies, processes, or similar documentation.
• Skill in using the tracked changes and comments features in Microsoft Word.
• Skill in conducting independent research and working effectively with stakeholders to understand technical concepts and jargon that is new or outside of your experience.
• Skill in writing and editing technical documents for ease of use by a lay person.
• Skill in customer journey mapping or other techniques used for workgroup facilitation or to support customer service driven business practice and service delivery.
• Ability to work effectively independently, as well as collaboratively with diverse groups of people.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to attend to details.
• Ability to research, analyze, and apply relevant information to assignments in a manner that is rigorous and comprehensive and adequately addresses compliance requirements, business objectives, and risk.
• Ability to effectively manage versions of a document to maintain a record.
• Ability to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills to proactively identify issues and propose ways to
address them.
• Ability to communicate effectively and authoritatively with people at all levels of the agency in virtual and non-virtual settings.
• Ability to apply time management, project management, and multitasking methods to direct and organize tasks to meet timeframes for multiple assignments.

Registrations, Licensure Requirements or Certifications:

None required. 

Preferred certification in a process improvement methodology, auditing, or technical writing (or a similar subject matter).

Initial Screening Criteria:

Minimum education: Bachelor's degree

Minimum experience: At least 3 years of experience in policy or process development work or work involving the analysis and application of laws, rules, regulations, or standards to other compliance-driven documentation.

Additional Information:

The selected applicant must live in Texas and work in an office location in Austin Texas.

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Active Duty, Military, Reservists, Guardsmen, and Veterans:

Military occupation(s) that relate to the initial selection criteria and registration or licensure requirements for this position may include, but not limited to those listed in this posting. All active-duty military, reservists, guardsmen, and veterans are encouraged to apply if qualified to fill this position. For more information please see the Texas State Auditor’s Job Descriptions, Military Crosswalk and Military Crosswalk Guide at Texas State Auditor's Office - Job Descriptions.

ADA Accommodations:

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), HHSC and DSHS agencies will provide reasonable accommodation during the hiring and selection process for qualified individuals with a disability. If you need assistance completing the on-line application, contact the HHS Employee Service Center at 1-888-894-4747. If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodation to participate in the interview process, please notify the person scheduling the interview.

Pre-Employment Checks and Work Eligibility:

Depending on the program area and position requirements, applicants selected for hire may be required to pass background and other due diligence checks.

HHSC uses E-Verify. You must bring your I-9 documentation with you on your first day of work. Download the I-9 Form

Telework Disclaimer:

This position may be eligible for telework.  Please note, all HHS positions are subject to state and agency telework policies in addition to the discretion of the direct supervisor and business needs.