Controller

Controller
City of Gainesville Financial Services Administration Department
 Gainesville, Florida
Job Description

SUMMARY:

This is highly responsible managerial and professional work directing the operation and personnel of a multi-functional department in control of all accounting records, financial reports, accounting systems, procedures and internal controls for General Government. This position is also responsible for performing highly complex professional-level accounting analysis and is involved with the planning, development, implementation, operation and coordination of the City’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system with integration with Financial and Human Resource modules; data interfaces from various City Department information systems; and personal computer (PC) applications.

The single position allocated to this classification reports to the Finance Director and works under general supervision. Work in this class is distinguished from other classifications by its emphasis in management of the City’s accounting, treasury and other financial responsibilities.

EXAMPLES OF WORK:

  • This section of the job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of duties and responsibilities of the position. The omission of a specific job function does not absolve an employee from being required to perform additional tasks incidental to or inherent in the job. Performance of lower-level duties may be required.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

  • Plans, directs and supervises the financial reporting, accounting, accounts payable, payroll, and billing & collections divisions of the General Government’s financial operations.
  • Provides instructions, guidance and enforcement of financial policies and procedures to staff in performing essential job duties.
  • Ensures financial information is recorded in compliance with the Governmental Finance Officers Association and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
  • Directs the fiscal year-end external financial statement audit. Ensures the City audit is completed timely, efficiently and accurately.
  • Directs preparation of the City’s interim and annual audited financial statements and ensures compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), including Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) and financial statement note disclosures in compliance with accounting standards.
  • Ensures compliance with established policies and procedures, Governmental Finance Officers Association, Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAPP); develops and modifies detailed accounting procedures, policies and systems in order to meet changing requirements of the organization.
  • Assists in formulating standard operating policies and procedures, reviews present accounting policies and procedures and recommends changes or modifications to maintain up to date compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulatory laws and rules for financial and tax reporting.
  • Prepares special financial statements and other reports for information and guidance of City officials, departments and agencies.
  • Ensures the preparation and issuance of various other financial reports required by Federal and State Agencies including Schedule of Federal and State Financial Assistance report, Indirect Cost Allocation reports, etc.
  • Makes presentations of financial statements and other related reports to management, the City Commission, and other internal and external stakeholders.
  • Oversees the preparation of monthly, annual and other periodic financial statements and general ledger reports. Ensures the external document submissions and filings are accurate and timely.
  • Responsible for establishing and maintaining the City’s Chart of Accounts in compliance with the State of Florida Uniform Accounting System Manual and assists other divisions and departments with account set up to ensure it adheres to the State requirements and roll ups properly to the City financial reporting structure.
  • Responsible for planning and coordinating the annual general ledger closing, including coordination with citywide accounting and programming staff, establishing multiple cutoffs, including payable, receipts, grant, adjusting entry and numerous subsystem interfaces cut off dates to general ledger and subsystems.
  • Manages the financial statement reviews by external accounting firms for inclusion in debt issuances and other financing documents.
  • Directs the appropriate treatment of capital assets for a General Government investments, including asset capitalization, asset retirements, removal costs, contributions, overhead allocations, depreciation rates and regulatory accounting, as applicable.
  • Directs the appropriate treatment of reporting of leases, capital and operating.
  • Reviews and approves accounting transactions and reports including journal entries, wire transfer requests, bank reconciliation and grant reports.
  • Reviews financing documents to ensure consistency with financial statements and other documents as applicable.
  • Ensures that overhead and allocation rates are recorded in the accounting records.
  • Directs payroll processing and appropriate recording in accounting records.
  • Manages banking functions and controls over bank and cash transaction access.
  • Monitors, calculates, reconciles and verifies bank activity.
  • Manages production of all payrolls for the City of Gainesville and related tax filings.
  • Directs cash, investment, and debt accounting reconciliations and recording across five systems with varying allocations of principal, interest, income, and expenses.
  • Participates in the General Government debt administration program.
  • Calculates arbitrage on pertinent bond issues and interfaces with arbitrage consultants as needed.
  • Ensures the appropriate recording of derivative, hedging activities, including interest rate swaps and fuel hedges in compliance with GAAP utilizing regulatory treatment, as applicable.
  • Supervises the remittance of taxes and fees and other related information to the appropriate governmental agencies, including the Florida Department of Revenue, various cities and counties, the IRS and others.
  • Directs the review and/or audit of tax procedures. Facilitates audits from taxing authorities.
  • Provides guidance for proposed financial transactions to ensure appropriate accounting treatment.
  • Mentors and trains staff. Instructs and/or trains Department Directors, managers and other staff, in a classroom setting or on an individual basis regarding new and current procedures, or on program procedures and assignments.
  • Performs timely, fair and non-discriminatory evaluations of performance of employees under his/her supervision.
  • Responsible for hiring, promotions, discharges, and other appropriate personnel actions for all staff.
  • Ensures continuing professional education is obtained, as applicable.
  • Attends work on a continuous and regular basis.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Bachelor degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in accounting, finance or related field; and eight (8) years of progressively responsible management and supervisory experience in accounting and/or financial management.
  • Master’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in business administration is preferred.

CERTIFICATIONS OR LICENSES:

Licenses

  • Valid driver license required upon appointment. Valid Florida Driver License required within 30 days of appointment and at all time while employed in this classification.
  • Currently licensed Certified Public Accountant is required.

Certifications

  • Certified Public Finance Officer from the Government Finance Officers Association is preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

  • Thorough knowledge of accounting principles as they apply to public accounting.
  • Thorough knowledge of the principles, methods and practices of general accounting.
  • Thorough knowledge of laws, ordinances, regulations and statutes governing the financial operations of a State of Florida municipality.
  • Considerable knowledge of modern business management practices.
  • Considerable knowledge of financial and accounting software.
  • Strong working knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft Office products. Personal computer skills within a Windows environment is essential.
  • Knowledge of governmental budget procedures.
  • Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously, to determine priorities as projects arise and to ensure that all projects get completed in a timely manner.
  • Possesses high level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
  • Ability to develop and apply accounting procedures.
  • Ability to supervise the work of a large staff of professional and non-professional accounting personnel.
  • Ability to plan, assign, delegate and direct work of administrative, professional and supervisory personnel.
  • Strong interpersonal skills as demonstrated by the ability to interact collaboratively and productively and to establish and maintain effective working relationships with individuals of diverse backgrounds including elected and appointed government officials, Charter Officers, City employees, representatives of other agencies, and the general public.
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills as demonstrated by the ability to articulate complex information and issues clearly and concisely.
  • Ability to analyze and interpret fiscal and accounting data and to prepare appropriate statements.
  • Strong problem-solving skills.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • To perform this job successfully, an individual must possess certain physical abilities and be able to withstand work related environmental conditions.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

  • While performing the duties of this job, the employee is often required to sit for prolonged periods of time.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

  • May be required to work and attend meetings outside regular business hours, including weekends and holidays.
  • Requires local travel to other general governments or GRU locations within the Gainesville area.

NOTE:

  • May Require Assessment(s).
  • May fill multiple positions.
  • May establish an eligibility list.

Come join our team! The City of Gainesville offers a competitive benefits package and opportunities to grow both professionally and personally.

All ‘regular’ employees are eligible for traditional benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, paid leave, 11 paid a holidays a year, a pension plan and a deferred compensation plan, but we also offer great things like on-site fitness centers, tuition reimbursement, on-site medical staff and a wellness program to keep you healthy and happy. Please note; benefits are not available for temporary employees.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY:

  • The City of Gainesville is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate in hiring. Minorities, women and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Individuals with a disability, who require special accommodations during the selection process, should notify the Human Resources Department at 352-334-5077 or TDD/TTY at 352-334-2292.

VETERAN' PREFERENCE:

  • Veterans are encouraged to apply. Veterans’ Preference ensures that veterans and eligible persons are given consideration at each step of the selection process. However, preference does not guarantee that a veteran or other eligible person will be the candidate selected to fill the position. Section 295.07, Florida Statutes (F.S.) specifies who is eligible for Veterans’ Preference. State of Florida residency is not required for Veterans’ Preference.

If you are unable to apply online due to a disability, contact recruiting at HR@cityofgainesville.org or by calling 352-334-5077.

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