Sections

Functional Statements > Office of Finance and Operations

- Mission and Responsibilities
-  Organization
-  Order of Succession
-  Functions and Responsibilities of Office of Finance and Operations (OFO) Components
Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Services
Office of Management and Planning
Office of Financial Management
Office of Acquisition, Grants, and Risk Management
Office of Human Resources
Office of Security, Facilities and Logistics
Office of Business Support Services

-  Primary Delegations of Authority  

Mission and Responsibilities

The mission of the Office of Finance and Operations (OFO or Office) is to transform the Department of Education (ED or Department) into a high-performance, customer-focused organization by providing services to our customers that help them do a better job of managing their people, processes, and overall strategy. The OFO is headed by a senior official, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, serving as the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations and the agency’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

The Office directs, coordinates, and has overall responsibility to perform the following functions:

- Develops and manages the Departmental Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program.
- Supports maximum participation by small businesses in Department procurements.
- Develops and implements Department-wide systems and procedures for strategic accountability and performance management.
- Develop and oversee Departmental systems such as total quality management, organizational development, and management directives.
- Conduct evaluations and assessments of Departmental programs and internal management practices.
- Direct and recommend policy for the Civil Rights Reviewing Authority and the Office of Administrative Law Judges.
- Coordinates the review of Department-wide policies to ensure consistency with the Secretary’s guidance and the Administration’s goals.
- Oversees all financial management activities related to the programs and operations of the Department.
- Prepares a variety of reports for the agency’s senior leadership integrating key financial information with major Department policy activities and performance objectives.
- Oversees credit management issues and trends relative to student financial assistance programs and makes recommendations and develops alternative strategies based on sound principles of credit and financial management.
- Develops, manages, and provides policy guidance and oversight of the Department's fiscal management activities and operations.
- Provides leadership and direction in the areas of internal control and assessment, financial management training, post audit activities, debt collection, and indirect cost determination. 
- Prepares and transmits reports on Chief Financial Officer functions to the Secretary, the Congress, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
- Manages the Department's contracts and purchasing activities.
- Establishes and maintains requirements for acquisition workforce development and career management.
- Develops, manages, and provides regulatory, policy, and procedural guidance and oversight to the Department’s acquisition system and completes acquisition management reporting requirements.
- Fulfills the responsibilities of the Chief Acquisition Officer.
- Develops, manages, and provides regulatory policy, guidance, procedures, and oversight of the Department’s grant awards and administration including risk management and technical assistance, grants management training, pre and post single audit activities, and indirect cost determination.
- Coordinates the implementation of ED Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects in extramural and intramural research projects.
- Manages budget programs, process, and proposals.
- Strengthen the effectiveness with which Federal funds are spent through mandated oversight, appeal, and review authorities.
- Provides technical expertise in formula development, modeling, forecasting, and trends analysis; and conducting analyses of costs/benefits and institutional effects of regulations.
- Oversees policy development and reviewing policy recommendations submitted to the Secretary by Principal Offices.
- Analyzes current and proposed education policy; directs the development of policy options for legislative proposals and program reauthorizations based on policy analysis.
- Designs, conducts, and reports on evaluation studies to describe program operations and program outcomes of participants and to promote program improvement.
- Provide personnel and training services to Departmental offices.
- Administer programs to improve the work life of Department employees including the development of family-friendly programs and initiatives.
- Coordinate policy for management reform initiatives, such as the President’s Management Agenda Initiatives, human capital management, and the Government Performance and Results Act.
- Provide resource management services including facilities management, administrative support, and security services.
- Administer personnel security and suitability and information security - as it relates to classified national security information - on a Department-wide basis.
- Support IT activities that affect the Office of Financial Operations (OFO) systems, services, or applications, commercial shared services platforms, or Federal shared services platforms.

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Organization

OFO is under the supervision of the Assistant Secretary who reports directly to the Secretary. The Assistant Secretary also serves as the Department’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The Office is composed of seven service area organizations, which perform the major functions. In addition, the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) and the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Services (OEEOS) report directly to the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations. An Immediate Office also supports the Assistant Secretary.

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Order of Succession

In the event that the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations dies, resigns, or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office and the office is thereby deemed to be vacant, and the Secretary has not designated in writing another individual to act as the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations, the following officials, in the order shown, shall perform the functions and duties of the office in an acting capacity.

In instances where the office of the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations is filled, but the head of OFO is absent, unavailable, otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the position, and/or there is a disruption in the normal channels of direction and communication, and unless the head of OFO or the Secretary, in writing, designates another individual to act as the Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations, the following officials, in the order shown, shall serve in an acting capacity as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Finance and Operations:

- Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary/Deputy Chief Financial Officer
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Management and Planning
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources
- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Security, Facilities, and Logistics Services

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