Utilities Finance & Grant Specialist

Position Summary: Under the guidance of the Director of Utilities, this is a highly skilled and responsible professional position ensuring adherence to standards of utilities finance, accounting, budgetary processes, grant reporting, and compliance measures. The incumbent must exercise reasonable initiatives and independent judgment in ensuring that established guidelines are met. Work is reviewed through oral and written reports, discussion, and results obtained.

• Experience working with government and/or private foundation grants is preferred.
• Certified Grant Management Specialist certification is a plus.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Performs regular financial reconciliations for grant accounts, ensuring alignment with actual spending and forecast.
• Collaborate with staff to provide financial support for asset management and capital projects.
• Assists in capitalizing projects for the Water and Sewer CIP program.
• Delivers essential financial and statistical analysis via comprehensive monthly reports.
• Offers project status insights to assist management in making informed decisions.
• Drafts monthly and quarterly business performance reports for review.
• Assists in reviewing and recommending technology tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Collaborates with the CFO and rate consultant on the five-year rate study and conducts the annual revenue sufficiency analysis.
• Responsible for ensuring program compliance with state and federal grants, including SRF (State Revolving Fund), SWFWMD, FDEP, Davis-Bacon certified payrolls, job reports, disbursements, and census reports.
• Collaborates with contractors, consultants, Procurement, and Finance to ensure compliance with all utilities grant-funded Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs).
• Collaborates with internal departments to ensure financial and grant-related processes are streamlined and efficient.
• Provide training and guidance to staff on the best financial practices and grant management processes.
• Develops and analyzes detailed short-term and long-term financial forecasts and strategic plans to support business objectives and drive informed decision-making.
• Assists in identifying and securing grant funding opportunities from government agencies, foundations, and other sources.
• Tracks and implementation of grant-funded projects ensuring compliance with budget constraints and reporting requirements.
• Manages grant budgets and monitors expenditures to ensure they stay within the amounts awarded.
• Prepares and submits financial and progress reports to funders in accordance with contract and grant stipulations.
• Remains informed about changes in funding regulations, policies, and industry’s best practices, and ensure the City adapts accordingly.
• Works closely with the CFO to manage the issuance of new water and sewer revenue bonds for the department, including preparing and providing critical financial information to bond rating agencies to support favorable ratings and ensure successful bond offerings.
• Assists in the development and preparation of the water and sewer annual budget, Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), and Asset Management strategy, while closely monitoring and tracking budget performance throughout the fiscal year to ensure alignment with financial goals and project timelines.
• Contributes to the coordination of all construction projects, purchases, and engineering contracts.
• Drafts recommended utilities department policies relating to accounting and budgeting

Prepares City Commission agenda items that involve financial details and impact.

• Reviews, monitors, and evaluates water and sewer revenues and expenditures on a regular basis to ensure adequacy of funding.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge in financial planning, financial analysis, cash flow analysis, revenue, and expense projection.
• Knowledge of federal and state law and rules regarding grant reporting and compliance.
• Knowledge of generally accepted governmental accounting principles and accounting procedures with an emphasis on enterprise fund accounting.
• Knowledge of policies and procedures relating to utilities.
• Ability to operate a personal computer and utilize modern business software application.
• Ability to assist the department director in developing, preparing, and managing the annual water and sewer operating budget and capital improvement budget, ensuring accurate financial planning, cost control, and alignment with departmental and organizational objective.
• Ability to prepare financial and statistical tabulations and report.
• Ability to manage multiple grants simultaneously and meet deadline.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and outside agencies.
• Ability to retrieve and organize data in a well-written financial reports.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skill.
• High attention to detail and organization skill with strong analytical and problem-solving. abilities to review and interpret grant agreements and financial reports.
• Understanding of grant regulations, financial reporting standards, and budgeting principle.
• Familiarity with accounting principles and regulations governing grants and contracts.

Education and Experience:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administrator, or related area.

Master’s degree or certification (e.g., Certified Grant Management Specialist) is a plus.

Minimum of three (3) years’ experience in financial management and grant administration. Experience working with government and/or private foundation grants is preferred.

Certificates and Licenses: Must possess and maintain a valid Florida driver’s license and be insurable by the City’s current insurance provider.

National Incident Management System (NIMS) training will be required according to the job duties and responsibilities within one (1) year of employment.