Finance Director

Job Description
Sumter Local Government Consulting is pleased to be assisting Fairburn, GA, in conducting a recruitment for their next Finance Director.


The Role

The City of Fairburn is seeking an experienced municipal finance professional to serve as its next Finance Director. Reporting directly to the City Administrator, the Finance Director serves as the City's Chief Financial Officer and provides leadership for the City's financial management operations.

The Finance Director oversees accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, accounts payable and receivable, treasury and cash management, debt management, procurement, audit coordination, state compliance reporting, grant administration, and financial controls. The Director also has primary responsibility for coordinating preparation of the City's annual budget and monitoring financial performance throughout the year.

This is both a technical and leadership position. The Director must ensure the accuracy and integrity of the City's financial information while giving the City Administrator, Mayor and Council, and department directors the information they need to make sound decisions. An important part of the role is the ability to take complex financial information, identify the issues that matter, and present those issues clearly to elected officials and others who may not have a finance background.

The Director will lead an eight-position Finance Department. Recent organizational changes converted a budget and finance analyst position into two staff accountant positions to provide additional backup capacity and strengthen budget oversight. The next Director will be expected to continue developing the team, establish clear expectations, encourage cross-training, and ensure that critical financial functions are supported by reliable processes and appropriate internal controls.

One of the most significant near-term responsibilities will be the City's transition from ENCODE to BS&A financial software. The implementation will involve multiple departments and will require coordination of business processes, data, training, internal controls, and ongoing financial operations. Experience with financial system implementation, and particularly familiarity with BS&A, will be valuable.

The Ideal Candidate

Fairburn is looking for an experienced municipal finance professional who understands both the technical and leadership sides of the job. The successful candidate should have a strong command of governmental accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, forecasting, internal controls, debt management, procurement, and audit requirements. Just as important will be the ability to apply that knowledge in a practical way that supports the work of the entire organization.

The next Finance Director should be comfortable working directly with the City Administrator and presenting financial information to the Mayor and Council. The ability to explain complicated financial matters in understandable terms will be important. The City is looking for someone who can provide a recommendation, explain the financial implications of different options, and give decision-makers reliable information without unnecessarily complicating the discussion.

Leadership style will matter. The Director should establish expectations and hold people accountable while remaining approachable and willing to work through issues with employees and department directors. The City needs someone who can develop the Finance staff, improve processes where needed, and build productive working relationships throughout the organization.

Salary

$130,000 - $136,000

Application Process

For more information on this position, including supplementary documents and resources, visit the recruitment webpage at:

The first review of resumes will take place on September 8, 2026.

Please refrain from communicating with the staff or elected officials with the City of Fairburn.

Please contact the Executive Recruiter with any questions or concerns:

Jeff Jones

Email: View email address on click.appcast.io

Phone: View phone number on click.appcast.io

Website:

Requirements

Job Description

Benefits

Benefits Guide