Assistant Director of Finance and Accounting

Department: Finance

EEO Category: Professional

FLSA Status: Exempt

Salary: $100,711.61

Position Overview

The Director of Finance and Accounting is generally responsible for oversight, supervision, and management of the City's Department of Finance/ Accounting and its personnel. The key accounting and reporting functions within the City, including budgeting, planning, forecasting, financial and regulatory reporting, internal controls, research and analysis, compliance with contractual documents, budgetary restraints, and government regulations are all elements of this Director's duties.

The Director is responsible for development and oversight of the City's annual operating budget, preparation of carry-forward reports, preparing and reporting to the City Administration on expenditures, oversight of accounts payable and correct payment of disbursements, and reconciliation of City accounts. The director also assists with planning and projecting revenues/expenses and produces budget reports that allow departments to manage and analyze their budgets. The Director further oversees budget transfers and journal entries and assists the Administration in budget planning and analysis activities. This Director supervises accounting professionals, accounting clerks, and works with internal and independent auditors to ensure adherence to prescribed generally accepted accounting principles, standards, and procedures.

The Director also plans, directs and coordinates activities of the Department of Finance/ Accounting to ensure a fiscally sound governmental organization. The Director further has oversight responsibilities associated with fiscal reporting, debt management, treasury functions (including, but not limited to, those relating to cash management within all departments in the city, investments, grants administration, and procurement). The Director also provides effective fiscal reporting and financial advice to all City departments.

The Director is supervised by the Chief Administrative Officer and supervises and manages staff within the Department of Finance and Accounting.

Essential Job Functions

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Sets forth desired objectives, develops procedures, and proposed changes in existing methods.

• Oversees, manages, and supervises staff within the City's Department of Finance and Accounting and interacts within the City's organizational structure on municipal matters.

• Plans, organizes and directs fiscal and management control functions within the City and the Department of Finance and Accounting.

• Manages the financial reporting, account, and cash management functions of the City of Gulfport, to include, but not be limited to, providing Department employees, City management team and elected officials with budget guidance, timeline tools, training, and hands-on assistance.

• Responsible for the preparation, maintenance, and monitoring of the City's annual budget and the interactions with other staff and departments concerning the same.

• Responsible for the preparation of monthly and annual financial reports and any other reports required by City Administration.

• Conducts revenue and expense trend analysis, and benchmarking to prepare budget narratives, reports and schedules that explain and substantiate the annual proposed budget.

• Coordinates and oversees management of the City's debt and assists with City bond sales.

• Supervises, manages, and oversees the following areas of municipal government: accounting comptroller, receipt of revenue and bonds, data processing, insurance, licenses, purchasing, tax collections, and receipt and accounting of revenue, and grants administration, as well as other areas as assigned by City administration- to include, as an example of possibilities, elections and payroll and accounting and receipt of revenue within the Municipal Court and Utility Billing.

• Prepares and presents accurate, comprehensive, timely, and user friendly financial reports and information in support of the City's internal and external reporting requirements, including financial budgets, projections and crucial data to facilitate long-term financial planning by the City's administration, management team and elected officials. The Director is to provide financial reports and analysis to enable managers to monitor their budgets, make mid- course corrections, facilitate informed decision-making and promote programmatic and fundraising success. Providing cash flow forecasts and historical trend reports to help ensure the organization's obligations are met in a timely manner while maximizing the return on the investment portfolio will also be a key part of the Director's duties

• Provides management support to procurement, community development (grants management), utility billing, and the 311 call center.

• Represents the City in dealings with outside agencies such as, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA); and other granting agencies where financial matters are present or involved.

• Serves as liaison to any external auditors, and ensures that the City has timely and accurately fulfilled all of its obligations and responsibilities set forth in the terms of engagement letters for the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements in accordance with applicable regulations.

• Prepares comparative annual financial statements at the end of each fiscal year that are accurate and complete.

• Prepares and provides statements and reports associated with the City's financial status and/or involving financial forecasts and/or historical financial data that are in accordance with widely accepted accounting principles.

• Ensures that all financial obligations, payouts, invoices, and expense reports are executed in a timely and accurate manner; and ensures that payment for goods and services on behalf of the City are properly matched to authorized purchase orders and approved receiving documents.

• Directly involved with daily administration functions of various Federal, State, and Local statutes.

• Makes presentations of complex and difficult issues to the City's elected officials, administrative/management leaders, and/or the public as needed or requested.

• Creates, maintains, and preserves the City's financial information and records.

• Creates, maintains, and oversees internal auditing controls within the City and policies and procedures associated therewith.

• Collaborates and coordinates with the City's management and leadership teams and other departments on City matters as needed or assigned.

• Develops planning and strategic goals for the Department of Finance/ Accounting.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed. In addition, the Director must minimally possess meaningful and extensive knowledge and skills and the ability and experience to provide or engage in activities associated with the following involving a public, governmental entity:

• Governmental accounting standards and financial reporting.

• Investment fund management and municipal debt administration.

• Procurement and management of all different types of insurance involving a public, governmental entity.

• Purchasing and materials management.

• Municipal budgeting laws.

• Federal reporting, grants management and requirements on related grants (e.g., Governmental Accountability Office (GAO), Office of Management and Budget (0MB), Stafford Act (FEMA).

• Applicable Federal, State and Local laws relating to operations of a Municipal Government.

• The planning, organizing, and provision of activities related to financial reporting and accounting, sales tax administration and collection, procurement, utility billing, and municipal courts.

• The selection, supervision, training, and evaluation of personnel within the Department of Finance and Accounting.

• Cooperative work with others.

• Skilled communication both verbally and in writing associated with the provision of formal reports and/or presentations.

• Interaction and communication with the public on relevant municipal issues

Education and Experience

Education: A Bachelor's degree in Accounting or a related business field with at least twenty (20) hours of coursework in accounting is required

Experience: Candidates are required to possess a minimum of ten (10) years of experience in accounting, business planning or operations, or financial analysis, preferably working with governmental accounting system and/or a municipal governmental entity. Candidates are required to possess a minimum of five (5) years of experience in supervision in management, experience managing bonds and insurance, handling licenses and tax collection, overseeing payroll, and administering grants.

Skills: High aptitude in accountancy and a good understanding of computers and their role in accounting is required. The ability to work and communicate effectively with individuals possessing varying levels of accounting and budgeting knowledge is required. The ability to develop knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures or backgrounds is required.

Licenses or Certificates

Certification as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is preferred. Must possess a Mississippi Driver's license.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

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

Physical requirements include occasional lifting/carrying of 1O+ pounds; visual acuity, speech and hearing; hand and eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary to operate a computer keyboard and basic office equipment. Subject to sitting, standing, reaching, walking, twisting and kneeling to perform the essential functions. Working conditions are primarily inside an office environment.

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The City of Gulfport

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Assistant Director of Finance and Accounting