Director of Finance

If you're a finance leader who wants more than a seat at the table, and who wants to help write the agenda, this is the role.

El Dorado Irrigation District is looking for a visionary finance executive to serve as Director of Finance and District Treasurer. You’ll lead a talented team, guide the District’s long-range financial planning, and partner with the General Manager and Board to fund the infrastructure of the next generation, all in the beautiful Sierra Nevada foothills near Lake Tahoe.

Want to know more? [Download the Director of Finance Recruitment Brochure].

A Message About This Opportunity

After steering the Finance Department through a period of significant progress, the District's current Director of Finance has announced her retirement. During her tenure, she led the Department in implementing several critical financial initiatives that have strengthened transparency and long-term financial resilience for the District; including the modernization of the District's financial system, continued recognition for excellence in financial reporting and the investment policy, improving financials and the advancement of a comprehensive rate study to guide the District's next chapter of fiscal planning.

To ensure a smooth leadership transition, the current Director of Finance plans to be with the District through April 2027, working closely alongside her successor to transfer institutional knowledge and support continuity across the Department's ongoing initiatives.

Consequently, her carefully planned and structured retirement creates an exciting opportunity for a new finance executive to build on this strong foundation and help shape the District's financial future.

Live, Work & Play in El Dorado County

The El Dorado Irrigation District (District/EID) is located on the western slope of the iconic Sierra Nevada, just west of world-renowned Lake Tahoe. A scenic drive along Highway 50, heading east from the Sacramento County line toward Lake Tahoe, carries you through the heart of the District's 220-square-mile service area and showcases the extraordinary natural diversity that defines this region.

El Dorado County offers an unmatched quality of life for those who love the outdoors and small-town charm alike. This is the epicenter of California's Gold Rush country, home to the celebrated Apple-Hill, a scenic patchwork of orchards, farms, breweries and wineries known for u-pick apples, fresh cider, donuts, and a flourishing wine and craft beer scene.

For outdoor enthusiasts, our county offers a wide range of year-round recreational opportunities. It is dotted with sparkling alpine lakes and reservoirs, from Jenkinson Lake at Sly Park to Silver Lake, offering boating, kayaking, fishing, and swimming against a backdrop of granite peaks and pine forests.

Higher into the Sierra, countless smaller alpine lakes and wilderness areas offer quiet, secluded escapes for hiking, backpacking, and fishing far from the crowds. The American River carves through the foothills below, drawing whitewater rafters and kayakers each spring and summer, while the El Dorado Trail winds through historic rail corridors for hikers and cyclists closer to town. And when winter arrives, Lake Tahoe's renowned resorts are just up the road, offering world-class skiing and snowboarding.

Few places offer such easy access to this much natural variety, mountains, lakes, rivers, and snow, all within a short drive of home.

Whether it's the crisp mountain air, a weekend among the orchards and vineyards, or a day spent on one of the region's many alpine lakes, El Dorado County offers a high quality of life, all while being part of an organization dedicated to serving our remarkable community.

For the right candidate, the District offers an exciting place to live, work and play.

About El Dorado Irrigation District

EID traces its history back to the first hand- dug ditches that transported water to Gold Rush-era prospectors in the mid-1800s, and was formally organized in 1925 under the Irrigation District Act. Today, the District is a full-service water utility providing drinking water, wastewater treatment, and recycled water for residential, commercial, and industrial needs across western El Dorado County.

District operations include a 21-megawatt hydroelectric power project, four reservoirs and their dams, and 23 miles of flumes, canals, siphons, and tunnels, along with public recreation sites such as the Sly Park Recreation Area and a 48-unit campground at Silver Lake.

Our Board of Directors

The District is governed by a five-member Board of Directors, each elected from a different geographic division to a four-year term, with no term limits. The Board typically meets twice a month during regularly scheduled, noticed public meetings.

As Director of Finance for El Dorado Irrigation District, you won't be managing a single fund or a narrow slice of the budget. You'll sit at the helm of every dollar that keeps a full-service water utility running - drinking water, wastewater, recreation, recycled water, a 21-megawatt hydroelectric power system, and a fleet of vehicles and equipment that serves a 220-square-mile community. One day you're structuring debt financing for the District's next capital project; the next, you're presenting the ACFR to the Board; the next, you're at the table as a member of the District’s MOU negotiation team. And running through all of it is the budget and financial planning work that ties the District together, which drives the development of the District's Capital Improvement Program and informs the rate strategy that will fund infrastructure for the next generation.

This is a single-executive level classification, so there's no ceiling above Finance Director except the General Manager and the Board themselves. You'll report directly to the General Manager, serve as District Treasurer, and lead a talented, multi-disciplinary team across accounting, budgeting, customer service, utility billing, and fleet operations.

You're stepping into a department with real momentum and a team recognized by GFOA and CMTA for excellence in financial reporting and investment policy, at the tale-end an ERP modernization, and final phases of completing a comprehensive rate study that will define the District's fiscal path forward. The foundation is strong. What this role offers is the chance to build on it and make it yours.

If you're energized by variety, want genuine ownership over strategy and execution, and are ready to be the financial voice for an organization the community depends on every single day, we want to hear from you.

The Ideal Candidate

We're looking for a proven finance executive who combines technical mastery of public-sector accounting and budgeting with the leadership skills to guide a large, multi-disciplinary team. The ideal candidate brings sound administrative and economic judgment, a track record of preparing and presenting clear financial statements and analysis, and the ability to build strong working relationships with the Board, District staff, and the public.

Experience with a water, wastewater, or other special district utility is a strong plus, as is a demonstrated ability to lead through change - from system modernization to long-range financial planning.

Experience: Eight years of supervisory or higher-level experience involving the administration of a comprehensive finance program, including three years in a management capacity.

Education: Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with major course work in accounting, finance, business, or public administration, or a related field.

Substitution: A Master's degree in one of the above fields may substitute for one year of the required supervisory (not management) experience.

License & Certificate: Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid California driver's license at the time of appointment. Licensure as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is desirable.

This exciting recruitment opportunity is open until filled. The first review of candidates will take place November 16, 2026 and/or as soon as a sufficient number of qualified candidates are received, whichever occurs sooner, so all are strongly encouraged to apply early. Interviews are anticipated the week of December 1-5, 2026.

Candidates interested in this exceptional opportunity must submit an application and responses to the supplemental questions.