Director of Finance

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity (CEO) provides leadership on issues of economic justice by advancing racial equity and inclusive growth to ensure that all Philadelphians share in the city’s prosperous future and by alleviating the immediate impact of poverty on individuals, families and communities.  CEO is Philadelphia’s Community Action Agency (CAA); CAAs are private or public agencies created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and federally designated to receive Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funding. 

Guiding Principles (We believe…)  

• The people of Philadelphia deserve the opportunity to live happy, healthy, full lives.  

• City Government should both recognize its culpability in creating and sustaining inequity and aspire to its responsibility to provide opportunities, represent the best interests, and promote the well-being of all residents.  

• People can offer meaningful insights into both personal experiences and how systems around them function.  

• Poverty is a deliberately created systemic issue and city government can lead in calling for justice and dismantling the barriers that often prevent opportunities.  

Values (How we work)  

• Dignity: We actively respect our individual colleagues and people in the community.  

• Inclusivity: Our work is more beneficial, valuable, and valid when our full range of experiences, knowledge, and skills can contribute.  

• Persistence: We recognize the challenges inherent in this work, and when we get discouraged, we find ways to be resilient, lift each other up, and push forward.  

• Accountability: We are transparent and honest about our plans, our actions, and our results.  

• Honesty: We create a space to have healthy, honest dialogues about systems, people, and misconceptions and then communicate truthfully.  

Position Summary

The Director of Finance is responsible for the integrity of CEO’s financial and accounting oversight. The Director of Finance will be a strategic thought-partner reporting directly to the Deputy Executive Director. The successful candidate will be a hands-on and participative leader accountable for translating the agencies vision into the development of a skills based internal team focused on strengthening the support of the following areas: finance, agency planning and budgeting, along with strategic management and budgeting of human capital and resources, grant administration, IT and procurement.

The Director of Finance will play a critical role in partnering with the Senior and Executive Leadership team in decision making of both short and long-term financial planning. As such deep knowledge and experience in creating and driving analytic frameworks for planning and managing organizational change, contract equity, forecasting and operations growth will be keys to success as CEO continues to enhance its quality programmatic efforts and builds capacity.

This position falls within the larger Operations unit within CEO and is required to identify the best practices to be shared across the broader organization.

Essential Functions

Financial Management

· Direct the grants management function in the fulfillment on reporting requirements as specified in grants that largely fund CEO (ex. CSBG, WorkReady and other grants as awarded or transferred).

· Review and approve preparation and finalization of monthly and annual financial reporting materials and metrics for CEO Oversight Board.

· Oversee budgeting, financial forecasting, and cash flow for administration, existing programs, and any proposed new site locations or funding sources.

· Create and utilize forward-looking, predictive models and activity-based financial analyses to provide insight into the agency’s operations.

Administrative Leadership and Management

· Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and commitment to CEO’s mission.

· Lead and develop all departmental staff. Hire and retain support staff as needed in the future.

· Evaluate staff performance.

· Develop training, professional development, and employee retention strategies to provide stability and success for the workforce in the fiscal department.

· Participate in ongoing strategic planning processes as an integral member of the Senior Leadership Team.

· Develop and maintain CEO’s financial standard operating procedures within compliant budgetary and legal requirements.

· Oversee daily operations of the agency’s fiscal department.

· Manage all fiscal responsibilities and grants accounting for compliance with all federal, state, and private grants/contracts.

· Ensure that expenditures are consistently aligned with grant and program budgets throughout the grant period.

· Serve as a business partner to Deputy Executive Director and Senior Leadership Team on the organization’s financial, budgeting, and administrative processes—including HR, payroll, and benefits functions—with an eye to continuously developing and improving systems.

· Lead efforts with IT staff on Fiscal system design and implementation plan and implement it successfully to meet City and DCED requirements in mind as the agency grows. Thought Leadership and Program Monitoring

· Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration on financial and grant matters.

· Oversee budgeting, financial planning and forecasting for administration, existing programs, and proposed new programming.

· Develop successful and trusting relationships with program leaders and recipients necessary to create and sustain an environment at CEO that supports these relationships.

· Represent the agency to partners including funders, fiscal agents, City Finance and Budgeting departments, foundations, subcontractors, auditors and board members.

· Produce and communicate monthly, quarterly, and annual reports of fiscal activities; ensure timeliness, accuracy, and usefulness of reporting for management, city officials, funders, foundations, and CEO’s Oversight Board.

· Attend and participates in hearings and various meetings; provide information related to financial/ budgetary requests

· Establish and enforce a strong system of internal controls that mitigate risks to the department; oversee financial monitoring of all subcontractors.

· Review and approve all requisitions, employee reimbursements, payment requests, payroll, vouchers, expenditure transfers, and release of grant funding; reconcile expenditures with City’s fiscal system.

· Coordinate all audit activities; review Controller's office annual audits of the department; compile information and prepare reports to be used in the department response to the audit; develop and implement corrective action measures to resolve any findings or issues.

· Other duties as assigned

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

· Proven effectiveness leading professionals in finance and accounting.

· Strong interpersonal relationship skills: ability to be a great team member and to work independently as

appropriate.

· Excellent people, written and verbal communication skills, with experience collaborating in a multidisciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team.

· Serving Leadership that creates and promotes an engaging and supportive work environment.

· Value centric and encourages diversity of thought, background, and perspective.

· Demonstrated experience and understanding of financial and grant management compliance on local, federal and state levels.

· Experience should include legal, audit, compliance, budget, and resource development.

· Experience in executing initiatives in a multi-stakeholder environment.

· Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities, proposing new ways of creating efficiencies, and guiding investment in people and systems.

· Ability to adapt and thrive in a continually evolving, autonomous and highly detail and deadline-oriented

environment.

· Tech savvy with experience and fluency in office and accounting software programs.

· Strong project management skills. Agile methodology experience preferred.

• Bachelor's Degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.  

• 6 or more years of progressive finance, budgeting, grant management, and accounting managerial experience, with at least 2 years of supervisory or managerial experience.   

• Preferred qualifications include local government or nonprofit experience and high-level management experience leading teams in family services, social services, or other related fields.  

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and/or Certified Public Finance Official (CPFO) preferred, but not required.  

TO APPLY:   Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $87,000 - $107,000

Discover the Perks of Being a City of Philadelphia Employee:

• Transportation : City employees get unlimited FREE public transportation all year long through SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. Employees can ride on SEPTA buses, subways, trolleys, and regional rail for their daily commute and more.
• Parental Benefits: The City offers its employees 8 weeks of paid parental leave.
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents.
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available
• Pay off your student loans faster - As a qualifying employer, City of Philadelphia employees are eligible to participate in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Join the ranks of hundreds of employees who have already benefited from this program and achieved student loan forgiveness.
• Unlock Tuition Discounts and Scholarships - The City of Philadelphia has forged partnerships with over a dozen esteemed colleges and universities in the area, ensuring that our employees have access to a wide range of tuition discounts and scholarships. Experience savings of 10% to 40% on your educational expenses, extending not only to City employees but in some cases, spouse and dependents too!

Join the City of Philadelphia team today and seize these incredible benefits designed to enhance your financial well-being and personal growth!

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Effective May 22, 2023, vaccinations are no longer required for new employees that work in non-medical, non-emergency or patient facing positions with the City of Philadelphia. As a result, only employees in positions providing services that are patient-facing medical care (ex: Nurses, doctors, emergency medical personnel), must be fully vaccinated.

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at View phone number on ziprecruiter.com or send an email to View email address on ziprecruiter.com.

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: