ASSISTANT CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Job Summary

Within broad parameters and in accordance with general organizational requirements and accepted practices, supports the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in strategic financial management, policy development, and high-level oversight of financial operations. Ensures compliance with applicable accounting standards, state and federal regulations, and City policies, while driving innovation and efficiency in financial practices. Serves as acting CFO during absences, ensuring continuity of financial leadership and decision making. Serves as a trusted advisor to the CFO, City leadership, and City Council, and helps safeguard the City’s financial stability and advances strategic initiatives that enhance long-term fiscal health. Exercises significant independence and discretion. Supervises division heads for Community Development and Revenue, ensuring these areas align with the City’s financial goals and regulatory requirements. Supports planning, policy development, and operational oversight. Provides strategic analysis, review, and recommendations for financial reporting, audit, budget, and treasury functions. Operational management of accounting, budget, procurement, and daily revenue and community development functions remains with the respective division managers.

Essential Functions

• Provide Leadership and Strategic Support: Support the CFO in developing and implementing financial strategies, policies, and long-term plans. Ensure financial strategies align with the City’s strategic plan, City Council priorities, and long-term goals (i.e. GVL2040). Develop, recommend, and communicate financial policies and procedures. Present financial information and recommendations to City leadership and City Council as needed. Evaluate and advise the CFO and City management on long-range financial planning needs, costs of proposed programs/strategies and regulatory actions. Represent the CFO in meetings with City leadership, City Council, and outside agencies, serving as a credible voice for the City’s financial priorities and operations. Assist with development of financing strategies for capital projects. Assume departmental leadership in the absence of the CFO.
• Lead and Manage Assigned Finance Divisions: Plan, communicate and provide a strategic vision and direction for the Community Development and Revenue divisions. Ensure alignment with City financial goals, adherence to internal controls, and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Provide financial oversight. Ensure each division’s activities and initiatives are effectively integrated into the City’s overall financial strategy. Ensure the Revenue Division engages in efficient collection, recording, and reporting of City revenues. Monitor revenue streams and advise on strategies to optimize collections and compliance. Assist with planning, directing, and coordinating the department’s work plan through subordinate level managers. Develop and manage performance metrics and accountability measures collaboratively among divisions. Manage the department’s business through weekly meetings and review of division reports. Monitor each division's progress in accomplishing quarterly and annual goals.
• Manage Assigned Personnel: Maximize team member productivity and morale through effective hiring, disciplining, mentoring, coaching, evaluating employee performance, investigating, and resolving grievances and other human resources actions. Ensure division staff have adequate opportunities for professional development. Work with staff to identify and resolve problems and issues proactively. Ensure division management and their staff are compliant with Department and City Human Resources policies and procedures. Manage team member performance in a highly supportive but accountable environment, to include conducting regular meetings with division managers to provide needed direction and support to ensure the successful achievement of department and division goals. Lead and support department career progression and succession planning. Manage department completion of personnel related projects including but not limited to updating job descriptions, participating in Compensation Committee meetings, and completing and managing annual performance evaluations. Participate in hiring and selection of staff for open positions. Review and approve time sheets. Approve leave requests and authorize work hours and overtime, as needed, to ensure operational coverage.
• Provide Financial Reporting and Budget Support: Provide strategic input and review of financial reports such as but not limited to the Annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (ACFR), Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR), monthly departmental reports, Key Financial Indicators (KFI’s) prepared by the Accounting and Budget Divisions ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of the City’s financial reporting. Maintain compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) pronouncements and applicable state and federal regulations. Oversee compliance for assigned divisions and support audit preparation led by the Comptroller. Ensure timely and accurate submission of required reports for grants, accommodations tax, and other assigned areas. Review annexation agreement collections for annual payment computation. Provide oversight and review of other financial reports as required by state or federal law. Provide clear, succinct, and accurate data for management decision making. Provide oversight for federal award reporting under Uniform Guidance. Collaborate with the Budget Administrator, CFO and Comptroller on annual budget development, capital improvement planning, and long-term financial forecasting. Provide analysis and recommendations for policy and management decisions related to supervised divisions. Evaluate opportunities for refinancing or defeasance and ensure compliance with bond covenants and investment policies. Assist with maintaining the City’s strong credit ratings by supporting sound debt management and financial practices. Develop long-term forecasts and financial models to evaluate the fiscal impact of major initiatives, including capital improvement planning, public-private partnerships, and debt management strategies. Collaborate with departmental leadership to ensure accurate budget submissions, reviews performance against budget, and provide analysis to assist with policy and management decisions. Ensure compliance with grantor requirements and timely submission of grant reports. Monitor grant expenditures and ensure alignment with approved budgets. Ensure proper tracking, documentation, and reporting of grant funds. Coordinate with departments to maximize grant opportunities and ensure timely submissions.
• Lead Process Improvements and Internal Controls: Lead and champion process improvement initiatives and internal control enhancements. Identify opportunities for increased efficiency, transparency, and accountability. Ensure best practices and compliance with internal policies and external regulations. Provide leadership and cross-functional support for major technology initiatives, including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system implementation and optimization. Lead cross functional teams on projects and initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• Over six (6) years of progressively responsible experience in such functional areas as finance, accounting, investment, debt, and risk management.
• Must have at least four (4) years of responsible supervisory and administrative experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in business administration or public administration.
• CPA (or equivalent professional certification) highly preferred.
• Professional certification such as a CGFO or CPFO.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic financial planning.
• Local government experience (municipal experience is highly preferred).

Driver's License Requirements

• Valid South Carolina Class D Driver's License.

Performance Requirements

Knowledge of:

• Laws and ordinances governing municipal government accounting, payroll, budgeting and internal controls.
• Principles and practices of governmental accounting, finance, and budgeting, including long-range financial planning, forecasting, and debt and investment management.
• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements, as well as relevant GFOA best practices and reporting standards.
• Public-sector financial operations, including internal controls, treasury management, capital financing, and audit preparation.
• Applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and policies governing municipal finance, public administration, and regulatory compliance.
• Methods for evaluating the financial impact of policy and economic changes on municipal operations and capital projects.

Ability to:

• Interpret and apply complex accounting standards, regulatory requirements, applicable federal rules and regulations, and City policies and procedures.
• Provide strategic financial leadership and sound recommendations that support organizational objectives
• Plan, organize, direct and coordinate department operations, ensuring accuracy, accountability, and fiscal integrity.
• Analyze and communicate complex financial data clearly and persuasively to executive leadership, elected officials, and external stakeholders.
• Lead, coach, and develop staff to achieve high performance and continuous improvement.
• Manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced, results-oriented environment.
• Exercise sound judgment, integrity, and discretion in handling sensitive or confidential matters.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships across departments, agencies, and the community to advance the City’s financial goals.
• Establish and maintain excellent and effective professional working relationships with City Manager, department directors, staff, City Council, other municipal governments, agencies, and members of the public.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines; and exercise integrity, ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of assigned tasks.
• Analyze and interpret financial documents and prepare complex financial reports.
• Interpret and apply pertinent laws and regulations as they relate to municipal finances.
• Apply the highest level of creative thinking, complex analysis, and reasoning to originate and develop innovative program or production concepts, techniques or procedures which can have a major impact on the nature and quality of programming or operations.
• Competently address situations that are often unique where precedents and/or prescribed solutions do not exist.
• At an advanced level read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical journals and procedures, financial reports, legal documents, and governmental regulations as well as literature, books, reviews, reports, and abstracts.
• Work with advanced mathematical operations methods and functions of real and complex variables.
• At an advanced level write policies, contracts, speeches, formal presentations, and/or technical and legal documents and correspondence and compose emails in a clear and professional manner.
• Operate general office equipment to include scanner, printer, copier, telephone, and computer with Microsoft Office Suite and financial software.

Working Conditions

Primary Work Location:

Office environment.

Protective Equipment Required:

None.

Environmental/Health and Safety Factors:

Relatively free from unpleasant environmental conditions or hazards.

Physical Demands:

Constantly requires vision and hearing. Frequently requires sitting and talking. Occasionally requires standing, fine dexterity, walking, and handling/grasping. Sedentary strength demands include exerting up to 10 pounds occasionally or negligible weights frequently; sitting most of the time.

Mental Demands:

Frequently requires time pressures, frequent change of tasks, irregular schedule/overtime, performing multiple tasks simultaneously, and working closely with others as part of a team. Occasionally requires emergency situations, tedious or exacting work, and noisy/distracting environment.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

The City of Greenville is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Prospective and current employees should contact Human Resources to request an ADA accommodation.

Disclaimer

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.