Assistant Director of Finance for Revenue

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a vibrant waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City’s square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for the Assistant Director of Finance for Revenue position.

AN OVERVIEW

The Assistant Director of Finance for the Revenue Division plans, coordinates, and directs activities, functions and personnel of the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance. This class is responsible for formulating policy for and coordinating the work of units engaged in Car Tax, Business Tax and trustee taxes, tax audits, tax and parking ticket collection, and enforcement. This incumbent assists the Director of Finance in the dissemination of all tax-related information to the public. Functional areas supervised include the Discovery & collections, the Car Tax team, the Business Tax team, and Tax Relief for the Elderly and Disabled. The incumbent in this class is responsible for managing, directing, and coordinating the daily operations of the Division to ensure the integrated administration of the revenue-producing tax systems of the City. Responsibilities include developing and analyzing tax policies and tax procedures, forecasting tax revenues, developing new tax systems for tax programs, supervising first line supervisors of the work units, and preparing and monitoring the Division’s budget. The incumbent performs these responsibilities independently under the general direction of the Finance Director and Deputy Director, requesting guidance only on matters not covered by established policy and/or having policy or political ramifications. This person is part of the senior leadership team for Finance and must regularly interact with individual and business taxpayers. This person must also interact with senior City leadership.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING

Comprehensive knowledge of local and State tax laws and tax policy, and familiarity with Federal tax laws; comprehensive knowledge of State and local enforcement and tax collection laws; thorough knowledge of public or business administration, including theories, principles and practices; thorough knowledge of accounting theory, principles and practices; thorough knowledge of bankruptcy law; ability to design and install revenue administration and tax collection and enforcement procedures and systems; ability to analyze and interpret complex financial and tax records and reports; ability to prepare accurate and complete revenue and financial statements; ability to plan, organize, lead, motivate, assign and supervise the work of others; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with departmental staff at all levels, other City employees, state and municipal officials, and the general public and taxpayers, and the ability to communicate clearly, courteously, and effectively, both orally and in writing.

THE OPPORTUNITY – EXAMPLES OF WORK

• Supervises and oversees the daily operation of the Revenue Division of Finance and provides supervision and guidance to staff members in completing their assigned tasks and duties. Organizes and directs Division activities, communicates division policies and priorities to accounting staff.
• Formulates and analyzes tax policy and system procedures, develops new tax systems for various City taxes and tax related programs which include reviewing and testing system functionality, and training staff on system procedures.
• Revenue forecasting and economic analysis.
• Monitors State legislation for any impact on City assessment policies and procedures.
• Analyzes, reviews, and provides comments and recommendations on proposed legislation that impacts City taxes and revenues.
• Formulates the Division's annual budget with the Finance Director and Deputy Director.
• Handles and resolves tax assessment appeals and responds to taxpayer complaints regarding tax assessment and customer service issues.
• Oversees the annual/monthly assessment of all City taxes except real estate.
• Directs and manages the Division's operations to include personnel resources, staffing, handling operational and employee concerns and ensuring adequate training of personnel, approves employee leave, participates in decisions to hire, discipline, discharge and promote employees.
• Provides leadership and insight in the area of Delinquent Tax Collections for all City taxes, including real estate taxes, following the standards set forth by the Federal Fair Debt Collections Act and the Code of Virginia provision regarding delinquent collection laws and regulation.
• Works closely with the City Attorney's Office and with outside attorneys to settle pending or threatened litigation and/or complex bankruptcy issues.
• Develops, prepares and updates division practices and procedures as well as training manuals for staff.
• Oversees the administration of many of the City's Taxpayer Services Programs.
• Ensures that all taxes such as car tax, business tangible personal property, business license, meal sales tax, transient lodging and other miscellaneous taxes are accurately assessed, audited and billed in a timely manner.
• Oversees the amendment of tax assessments by adjusting tax liability based on legal proof and documentation provided by the business owner or his/her legal representative.
• Coordinates with the Real Estate Assessment Office on customer service initiatives for real estate assessments and tax information.
• Administers the City's real estate and personal property tax relief for the Elderly & Disabled and similar programs for qualified veterans.
• Leads & promotes quality customer service operations.
• Performs related work, as required.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The City of Alexandria's Finance Department is a fast-paced, diverse, and customer service focused operation that is responsible for: the assessment, collection, and enforcement of all City taxes; the management of cash flow and investments; accounting for and reporting the City’s financial position; processing payroll; executing a fair and competitive procurement environment; assessing all real and personal property in the City; managing the City’s risk and safety programs; and managing the City’s pension plans. The Finance Department has seven divisions and in fiscal year 2026 is operating with a total budget of $16.2 million and 109 FTE positions. The goal of the Finance Department is to treat all employees, citizens, and business owners professionally, with fairness and compassion.

MINIMUM & ADDITIONAL REQUIRMENTS

Four Year College Degree in finance, public administration, business administration or a related field with coursework in accounting and computer science, plus five years of increasingly professional financial or local/state tax administration experience, including three years of experience supervising professional and support staff.

PREFERRED

Master's degree; thorough knowledge of local, State, and Federal tax laws; knowledge of economics relative to revenue forecasting; thorough knowledge of US financial systems and money markets; thorough knowledge of public or business administration; thorough knowledge of accounting theory, principles and practices; ability to design and install automated accounts receivable and revenue collection procedures and systems; ability to analyze and interpret complex financial and tax data; ability to prepare accurate and complete revenue and financial statements; ability to plan, organize, assign and supervise the work of others; ability to communicate clearly, courteously and effectively, both orally and in writing; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities; 7+ years of revenue experience and 5+ years of supervisory experience in financial operations.

NOTES

This position requires successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to a criminal background check. The selection process for this position may include a phone or virtual interview and an in-person interview.

The starting salary range for this position is $115,562.20 to $161,307.77, based on qualifications and experience. The incumbent can eventually be awarded up to $207,053.34 with tenure and job performance.