Chief Financial Officer - Office of Court Management

Official Title: Chief Financial Officer - Office of Court Management

Pay Grade: Executive Management

Salary Range: Entry Level Pay $141,089.52 to $205,297.68

Salary Notes: This position is designated as Management. Starting Salary will be based on a review of qualifications and experience.

Departmental Mission Statement: As the financial center for the Trial Court, the Fiscal Affairs Department prepares and receives budget requests, oversees and processes all financial transactions from funds appropriated by the legislature and available through grants, trusts, and capital allocations for 119 court divisions, the Administrative Office of the Trial Court, the Administrative Offices of the seven Trial Court departments, the Sentencing Commission, the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, and the Office of the Jury Commissioner.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE:

Notes

• This position currently offers a hybrid schedule of no more than two days remote per week (subject to change).
• This position will remain open until filled with preference given to candidates that apply within the first 30 days
• This position is designated as a public employee role under Massachusetts law; therefore, you must file a Statement of Financial Interests (SFI) each year with the State Ethics Commission. Massachusetts ethics regulations require individuals in this role to submit an annual Statement of Financial Interests to the State Ethics Commission; your acceptance of this offer confirms your agreement to comply. For further information about SFI please click Here

Position Summary

The Massachusetts Trial Court is re-engineering many of its programs, driven by a commitment to improve access to justice by improving technology. The Trial Court’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for budgetary and fiscal oversight for all Trial Court operations and all required internal and external financial reporting; analyzing budget issues and preparing budgetary plans to meet statutory and strategic needs on a variety of complex financial matters; contingency planning for future budget scenarios, supporting workforce development and technology investment within available resources; internal audit activities including increasing capabilities for enterprise risk management and for process improvement; and managing the procurement process to ensure the fair, timely and cost effective acquisition of necessary goods and services.

This position requires adaptive leadership skills, a commitment to continuous improvement, a keen understanding of state budgets and the budget process, the ability to manage the 70-person fiscal staff, and the ability to foster the professional development of the team of skilled financial administrators. Project tracking and meeting strategic benchmarks is expected, as is evaluating fiscal operations and making recommendations for automating processes and increasing work efficiency. The CFO must be an effective communicator and collaborator with executive leadership. The CFO serves as a key member of the Trial Court’s executive leadership team.

Supervision Received: Reports to the Court Administrator, and performs duties which require substantial independent judgment, innovation, and initiative.

Major Duties

Strategy, Planning and Management

• Assesses and evaluates the financial performance of the organization with regard to long-term operational goals, budgets and forecasts;
• Provides insight and recommendations to both short-term and long-term strategic plan of organization;
• Identifies, acquires and implements workflow systems and software to provide critical financial and operational information;
• Creates and establishes yearly budget and multi-year budget models and alternatives that align with the organization’s strategic goals;
• Recruits, interviews and hires budget, audit, procurement, accounting, grants, and payroll fiscal managers and other departmental staff;
• Mentors and develops a team of senior managers, managing work allocation, systems training, performance evaluations, and the building of an effective and efficient team dynamic;
• Participates in pivotal decisions as they relate to strategic initiatives and operational models;
• Develops an Enterprise Risk Management approach to manage internal and external risks;
• Implements policies, procedures and processes as deemed appropriate by the executive leadership team;

Financial Analysis, Budgeting and Forecasting

• Prepare and present regular financial reports relating to forecasts and projections;
• Identify, develop and execute analysis of business initiatives and/or new service offerings;
• Develop and maintain annual operating budget;
• Manage all financial planning and analysis staff; supervise creation of reports, software implementation and tools for budgeting and forecasting;

Accounting, General Ledger, Administration and Operations

• Supervise the accounting department to ensure the proper functioning of all systems, databases and financial software;
• Provide regular maintenance and backup of all accounting systems and supervise company financial staff;
• Review and ensure the application of appropriate internal controls financial procedures;
• Ensure timeliness and accuracy of financial and management reporting;
• Oversee the preparation and communication of weekly, monthly and annual financial statements;
• Review all month‑end closing activities including general ledger accounts, balance sheet accounts and overhead cost allocation;
• Enhance and implement financial and accounting systems, processes, tools and control systems;
• Serve as a key point of contact for external auditors; oversee the preparation and support of all internal audits;
• Utilize forward‑looking models and activity‑based analyses to provide financial insight into the organization’s plans and operating budgets;
• Develop and administer systems for monitoring expenditures and fiscal operations within the various Departments, Divisions and Administrative Offices of the Trial Court and establish uniform standards and procedures for developing and reviewing the Trial Court’s budget;
• Prepare and coordinate system‑wide data collection and prepare related financial reports;
• Gather financial data and analyze complex issues related to the budget, and make appropriate recommendations;
• Maintain accurate records;
• Prepare automated spreadsheets for internal use and/or for use by courts and offices;
• Prepare and distribute financial reports with operating results (consolidated and departmental level) and provide quantitative and qualitative analysis of key variances and trends, highlighting both risks and opportunities;
• Lead special projects; and
• Perform related duties as required.

Job Competencies

All applicants must be able, through the interview process, to demonstrate the development and support of professional activities to increase team performance and innovation as well as knowledge and understanding of the following areas:

Ethics and Values Communicates and demonstrates the ethics and values of the Fiscal Affairs Department and the Trial Court.

Mission Understands, upholds, and communicates the Trial Court and Fiscal Affairs Department missions.

Applied Knowledge Demonstrates advanced accounting, auditing, and investigative knowledge with an ability to responsibly and effectively administer all fiscal protocols.

Team Building Fosters a sense of shared goals and accountabilities through the development of positive relationships among staff and colleagues in order to promote a healthy work environment.

Performance Measurement Understands the value and importance of performance measures as a basis for both individual and departmental assessments.

Strategic Thinking and Planning Utilizes the best available information to successfully plan and achieve positive future goals and objectives on an organizational and local level.

Commitment to Diversity Promotes an environment of diversity through understanding, respect, and positive communication with persons of varied racial, ethnic, economic, and cultural backgrounds.

Continuous Learning Demonstrates a commitment to continuously improving himself or herself through professional development.

Minimum Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements for consideration for the position of Chief Financial Officer;

• A Bachelor’s Degree in business, accounting or public administration or related field
• Ten (10) years of professional work experience in fiscal affairs, of which five (5) or more must be in a senior managerial capacity within a large organization;
• An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered by satisfying the minimum requirements.
• Graduate degree preferred

• Considerable knowledge of budget forecasting, modelling, and budget contingency planning, and related analysis;
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience with the budget procedures followed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is very strongly preferred, but experience in a similarly complex environment will earn consideration;
• Demonstrated experience with financial planning and analysis;
• Excellent knowledge of accounting and financial processes;
• Experience in developing, analyzing and monitoring financial reporting tools in the context of financial modeling.
• Demonstrated knowledge of statistics, data collection, and data processing techniques;
• Advanced working knowledge of and ability to use personal computers and related business software, including Microsoft Office; highly proficient with Excel, including pivot tables;
• Ability to conduct detailed fiscal analysis concerning the budget and to convey the fiscal implications of different courses of action;
• Ability to organize and present factual and fiscal data in a clear and understandable format;
• Ability to train, supervise, and coordinate the activities of professional and support staff;
• Ability to defend budget positions, challenging budget requests and representing the Office of Court Management’s position on Fiscal Affairs matters;
• Ability to establish work priorities and to work independently;
• Ability to analyze and solve problems within overall policies and resource limitations;
• Ability to maintain accurate records with an attention to detail;
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work professionally with persons at all levels, including judges, and to maintain effective working relationships;
• Ability to handle sensitive matters on a confidential basis;
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team;
• Ability to travel to as necessary throughout the Commonwealth; and
• Ability to supervise the work of subordinate staff.

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