PURPOSE OF POSITION

Performs a variety of complex administrative, professional and technical work guiding and directing operational activities in support of the city’s compliance with local, state and federal regulations.

Responsible for overall financial strategy, and the performance of all finance functions including all aspects of administration, planning, directing, and supervising the operations of the Finance Department. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, accounting, budgeting, fixed asset management, annual audit, grant reporting, payroll, utility billing, accounts payable and receivable, collection, disbursement, purchasing, banking, customer service, reporting, internal and external support, and treasury management for the city. Work is performed with considerable independence in judgment and decision-making under the general direction of the City Manager.

This position is considered an emergency/disaster position. During emergency conditions, all city employees are automatically considered emergency service workers. City employees are subject to being called to work in the event of a disaster, such as a hurricane, or other emergency situation, which requires that the employee be ready, willing, and able to report to work during emergencies and/or disasters of any kind, notwithstanding any other commitments the employee may have and be able perform emergency services duties, as assigned.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Responsible for the development and implementation of budgetary control systems by proactively planning, monitoring and evaluating operational financial activities against budgets, recordkeeping systems, or other administrative control processes and procedures in adherence to best practice methods.

Maintains the financial records of the city in a manner consistent with generally acceptable accounting principles (GAAP) and governmental budgeting requirements.

Supervises, trains, directs, and evaluates department personnel, and monitors all activities and operations of the department; sets goals and objectives, and establishes guidelines for performance.

Plans, directs, and coordinates the work of employees engaged in general ledger accounting, special assessments, lien tracking, utility billing, accounts payable, procurement, and solid waste and recycling contracts in accordance with city procedures.

Ensures proper preparation of bills, surcharge billing, and issuance of credit. Reconciles discrepancies in any one of various accounting control mechanisms by cross-checking source documentation, balancing figures, or through other related processes.

Prepares financial statements and reports required by governmental units and regulatory agencies. Formulates financial and accounting procedures consistent with applicable policies, laws, and regulations.

Provides specialized leadership managing the city's payroll system, payroll operation and processing to ensure accurate, timely employee payments, tax compliance, payroll tax filings, and maintain regulatory compliance with federal and state labor laws.

Optimizes the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software platform (MUNIS Tyler Technologies), supporting the payroll, human resources, utility billing teams, and executing process improvements and system modernization to reduce manual intervention and enhance data integrity.

Supervises financial audits and reviews by other government agencies, state auditors, and independent auditors.

Supervises and provides critical leadership and direction by developing comprehensive financial strategies and fiscal plans for short-term and long-term goals while simultaneously ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and internal controls.

Provides leadership direction in the development of capital improvement projects (CIP) by overseeing fiscal capacity, debt issuance, and long-term financing strategies to ensure projects are realistically funded. Responsibilities include collaborating with stakeholder departments to prepare multi-year capital plans, establishing capital reserves, and linking funding strategies to asset useful life.

Responsible for the city’s annual budget from draft through finalization in compliance with Florida's Truth in Millage (TRIM) process.

Supervises and evaluates effectiveness and efficiency of all internal financial control systems to safeguard assets and ensure the accuracy and reliability of data report runs. Performs audits and ratio analysis to verify results and protect against fraud or error.

Supervises the management of fixed assets, physical inventory, tagging, and specific accounting entries for additions, transfers, and disposition. Responsible for defining capitalization guidelines that comply with accounting standards such as GAAP.

Directs and supervises daily cash management; determines current, intermediate, and long-term cash flow needs; approves expenditures; and develops appropriate funding alternatives. Manages investment funds to balance yield with liquidity needs.

Develops policies and procedures for approval by the City Manager and/or City Council as applicable.

Prepares and presents reports on financial activity and conditions to City Council, management, financial institutions, credit agencies, and others.

Monitors and approves purchase orders for compliance with policies, procedures, and associated budget. Reviews, develops and recommends purchasing policy and procedural changes.

Administers the City’s external debt program and bond issuance being responsible for developing financing plans, structuring offerings, and managing the issuance of bonds, notes, and loans to fund capital projects and infrastructure working with underwriters and rating agencies to ensure compliance with legal, tax, disclosure requirements and reporting activities.

Manages the Self-Insurance Loss Fund for the risk management insurance program overseeing the financial accounting, tracking deductibles and setting reserves. Works with the Human Resources/Risk Management Director on the workers’ compensation program.

Manages the emergency/disaster claims process for FEMA, completing proper and accurate documentation for claim reimbursements.

OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS

Maintains high levels of personal and professional integrity promoting core values, integrity and accountability throughout the organization.

Works towards maintaining the Finance team’s capacity and flexibility to respond to fluctuating workflows while achieving positive outcomes for the department to promote teamwork and efficiency within the Finance Department.

Serves as a member of various staff committees. Attends City Council meetings as required.

Provides records in compliance with public records requests and other information in compliance with applicable city policies.

Attends professional development workshops and conferences to keep abreast of trends and developments related to duties and responsibilities.

Provides back-up to other related positions as needed.

Performs other duties as assigned.

CRITICAL SKILLS/EXPERTISE

Comprehensive knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) standards of governmental budgeting, and financial reporting standards. Applicable Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) rules and regulations relating to city financial reporting.

Significant knowledge of current governmental accounting theory principles and practices.

Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of principles of internal control systems, fraud prevention, fixed asset management, and guidelines for internal and external audits.

Considerable knowledge of office automation and computerized financial applications. Advanced knowledge of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software platforms, specifically Tyler Technologies Enterprise ERP (MUNIS) to manage financial transactions and record daily operational data. Advance knowledge of Management information Systems (MIS) for data aggregation, reporting, analysis and managing information for decision-making.

Considerable knowledge and thorough understanding of local, state, and federal Internal Revenue (IRS) regulations governing municipal finance and payroll/labor tax laws to include payroll process and accounts payable functions.

Considerable knowledge of Florida's Truth in Millage (TRIM) process.

Expertise in preparing Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), discussing trends, uncertainties, and critical accounting estimates that impact the city’s financials in preparation for audit compliance.

Strong understanding of capital improvement projects (CIP), long-term financing strategies, asset useful life tracking, bond issuance, and external debt programs.

Expertise in daily cash management, cash flow forecasting, and investment fund management to balance yield with liquidity.

Knowledge of managing Self-Insurance Loss Funds, tracking deductibles, setting reserves, and executing the FEMA emergency/disaster claims reimbursement process.

Analytical proficiency to perform ratio analysis, evaluate financial internal controls and procedures, and cross-check source documentation. Ability to identify weaknesses/inefficiencies, develop appropriate measures for remediation, and reconcile discrepancies.

Strong technical skills to execute process improvements, reduce manual intervention, and enhance data integrity within financial software systems.

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills to prepare and confidently present complex financial reports to the City Manager, financial institutions, and credit agencies.

Proven ability to effectively supervise, train, and evaluate department personnel while setting up performance goals and expectations.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, city officials, and the general public. Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.

Ability to monitor and adhere to customer service principles to meet quality standards by collaborating across stakeholder departments.

Ability to work with considerable independence in decision-making and operational execution under the general direction of the City Manager.

Ability to formulate, implement, and monitor financial, accounting, and purchasing policies, procedures, and budgetary control systems.

Capacity to effectively coordinate with underwriters, rating agencies, state auditors, and independent auditors to ensure legal and tax compliance.

Ability to perform work that requires constant and careful attention to detail with extreme accuracy using logic and reasoning and /or with frequent interruption while working, reading and understanding documents and reports.

Ability to analyze, interpret and carry out assigned projects to their completion. Ability to plan, organize prioritize and coordinate work to meet time commitments.

Ability to prepare reports and present ideas clearly and concisely. Knowledge of methods of data collection.

Working knowledge of modern office practices, systems and procedures; working knowledge of personal computers and electronic data processing with indispensable practical ability to use spreadsheets.

Proficient skills with a personal computer to include but not limited to Microsoft Office products with emphasis on Outlook, Excel and Word.

Ability to manage confidential and sensitive personnel data in a professional and discrete manner.

EQUIPMENT USED

Personal computer, software applications including Window and Microsoft Office products with emphasis in Outlook, Excel and Word; Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform to integrate and automate core accounting processes, telephone; 10-key calculator; typewriter; copy machine; scanner; fax machine.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The work location is in a City Hall office. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to quiet.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Graduation from an accredited college or university with Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Public Administration or Business Administration, or related field.

Five (5) years or more of experience of progressively responsible financial management experience to include public sector accounting, governmental budgeting, and municipal finance.

Three (3) or more years of supervisory experience, or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.

Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver’s license.

Possess the National Incident Management System (NIMS) IS-700 within 30 days of employment and the ICS-100 and ICS-200 within 90 days of employment. There may be additional NIMS required, which will be scheduled by your supervisor.

Must possess the Cyber Security Awareness Training for State of Florida Employees within 30 days of employment and maintain it every year thereafter per state statute 282.318(4)(i).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

State of Florida experience is highly preferred and desired.

Graduation from an accredited college or university with Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Public Administration or Business Administration, or related field.

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and local governmental finance and accounting experience.

Microsoft Office Suite at an intermediate to advanced level. Excel at an advanced level.

Significant experience with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and accounting software systems.