Bureau of Accounts Public Finance Analyst/Field Representative

Agency Overview :

The Department of Revenue's core mission is to collect the revenues required to support the business of the Commonwealth, to make a difference in the lives of children by enforcing the financial responsibilities of parenthood, and to assist Massachusetts cities and towns in sound and efficient fiscal management.

Vision Overview:

Our vision is to conduct our operations in a manner that inspires public confidence in government by administering and enforcing tax, child support and municipal finance laws in ways that are innovative, customer-focused, and transparent.

Division Overview :

The Division of Local Services (DLS) helps Massachusetts cities and towns achieve sound and efficient fiscal management through technical assistance, training, and oversight. Its bureaus are responsible for ensuring the fairness and equity of local property taxation, the accuracy and quality of local accounting and treasury management, interpreting state laws that affect local governance, distributing local aid and maintaining a comprehensive databank on local finances.

Job Summary:

The Bureau of Accounts (BOA) is hiring a new team member to process and approve State House Notes, assist with free cash, tax rate and Schedule A approvals during peak periods, and assist with BOA training initiatives. This candidate must have an excellent knowledge of municipal finance rules and laws and a passion for sharing that knowledge and developing the next generation of local finance officials through the Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship program.


DOR Accountants in the Bureau of Accounts analyze the financial reports and documents of the cities, towns, and counties, and districts of the Commonwealth; audit financial records; perform audit control functions; provide technical assistance to agency staff and to jurisdictions. This position processes State House Notes, reviews debt authorization, works with Treasurers and Financial Advisors regarding municipal debt. This position will also lean heavily into providing training and overseeing as lead administrator the Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship Program.

Duties and Responsibilities (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive) :

• Processes State House Notes of cities, towns, counties and districts, using Gateway and maintains that database in Gateway.
  
• Provides local officials of communities and districts with a variety of technical assistance, including assistance and assistance completing various Division of Local Services reports related to the State House Notes Program.
  
• Participates in preparation for the Municipal Finance Oversight Board meetings, such as review of items included in the applications for compliance with borrowing statutes and preparing coverage analyses.
  
• Assists Bureau and/or Division supervisors and managers in the development and implementation of policies, guidelines and other special projects as assigned.
  
• Assists in the development of various training sessions and procedure manuals offered by the Division both to outside public officials and to other Bureaus within the Division of Local Services when assigned, which improve overall professional competence and effectiveness. Also, attending training that will benefit both the individual and the Division of Local Services achieve their mutual goals.
  
• Serves as a bureau liaison to the Director of Special Initiatives regarding training matters as instructed by the Director of Accounts and participates in delivering external presentations to municipal officials and associations.
  
• Is the lead administrator for the Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship program, reviewing and updating curriculum on an annual basis, attending and administering the program on a daily basis, developing weekly curriculum assessments, and coordinating external and internal instructor participation.
  
• Performs audits of cash reconciliation procedures performed by city, town, and district officials on a test basis and other audits as directed by the Director of Accounts.
  
• Conducts special reviews as assigned concerning various aspects of municipal financial management and renders technical assistance as assigned. This includes but is not limited to participating in Technical Assistance Bureau reviews and monitoring and investigating Early Intervention metrics.
  
• Travels frequently on assignments, including overnight travel, upon the request of management.
  
• Represents the Division in a professional manner in all interactions with state and local officials and other interested citizens.
  
• Uses software technology, including but not limited to Excel, Word, PowerPoint, in carrying out assignments. Prepares Excel spreadsheets and related graphs in a professional-looking manner and maintains appropriate databases.
  
• Adheres to all Department of Revenue policies and procedures.
  

An external candidate recommended for a position with the Department of Revenue will be subject to a background check that includes checks for: state and federal tax compliance; child support compliance; education verification; Massachusetts CORI checks; criminal background checks in state(s) of current and previous residence/employment; validation of eligibility to work in the United States; and national fingerprint-based criminal background checks

Qualifications:
First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days.


Minimum Entrance Requirements:


Applicants must have at least (A) four years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional experience in accounting or auditing, of which at least (B) one year must have been in a supervisory, administrative or managerial capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.


Substitutions:


I. A Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting, business administration or business management may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required (A) experience.


II. A Graduate degree with a major in accounting, business administration or business management may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.


*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

NOTE: Educational substitutions will only be permitted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience. No substitutions will be allowed for the required (B) experience.


Special Requirements: None.

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.