Finance Grants Manager

OPPORTUNITY

Closing Date: April 6, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.

Interviews will take place the week of April 14th.

The City of Santa Maria is recruiting for a Finance Grants Manager (Program Leader classification) for the Grants Division within the Finance Department.

WHO WE ARE

The City of Santa Maria is a full-service City with a City Council/City Manager form of government with over 700 employees and serves approximately 108,000 constituents. The City is committed to providing essential services that ensure public safety and quality of life. This includes comprehensive police and fire protection, vital utility services like water and waste management, and a wide range of public amenities - parks, libraries, transit, and more - that distinguish itself from smaller municipalities.

Under the general direction of an assigned supervisor, the Finance Grants Manager will provide complex technical accounting, budget, and other administrative support to Department Managers throughout the City. Responsibilities include monitoring, analyzing, and maintaining financial transactions for a wide variety of grant programs, tracking revenues and expenditures, and preparing required internal and external financial reports. This position may supervise other department staff.

The Finance Grants Manager position is a Middle Manager role that demonstrates fiscal responsibility and provides oversight and guidance on the day-to-day general grants reporting and accounting functions of the City. Their role enables both City employees and the public to be confident in the City’s financial practices, contributing to an overall level of increased trust in Santa Maria leadership.

The Program Leader classification is a journey-level, middle-management leadership classification. Incumbents in this classification possess and exhibit Middle Management Core competencies.

This is a journey-level leader with journey-level skills and abilities who is responsible for a unit, section, or specific function within a department OR a manager who is responsible for leading significant projects and project teams. This class may or may not supervise others, including Administrative Leaders. This mid-level manager or journey level skilled individual responsible for significant work in their department or division. This individual typically works independently, is strategic and is routinely expected to deliver solid results.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree in accounting or a similar field, and/or hold a Certified Public Accountant license. They will possess a minimum of four years of responsible professional experience in accounting and grants management, preferably within a local government or public account setting. The candidate should exhibit a comprehensive understanding of governmental accounting and auditing standards, grant reporting practices, and the intricacies of public transit operations and capital funding. A strong grasp of municipal budgeting principles, ordinances, resolutions, and laws governing municipal financial operations, is crucial. The ability to conduct financial analysis and research combined with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills is important to support diverse and evolving duties.

REQUIRED SUBMITTALS

• Online Application
• Up-to-date Resume
• Cover letter which explains how your experience and background align with this recruitment

DUTIES

The following describes the essential duties and responsibilities. The duties as shown below are not intended to show every job duty of the classification and instead are focused on the key concepts for the work at this level.

• Performs complex accounting, analysis, and other budget and administrative support for the day-to-day grants administration for the City, which includes oversight of: Federal and State grants, including those received by the Transit Division of the Public Works Department.
• Assists in the preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, specifically Single Audit, pursuant to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
• May assist and/or be responsible for the preparation of State and Federal reports.
• Oversees the maintenance grant records.
• Assists in the development and implementation of accounting policies, procedures, and internal control systems to safeguard municipal assets, prevent fraud, and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including accounting pronouncements, the City’s municipal code, state and federal laws, and various mandates.
• Prepares, monitors, and controls the division budget.
• Assists in the preparation of the department and Citywide budget.
• May represent the Finance Department and conduct presentations before elected bodies, committees, City Departments, outside agencies, and the general public.
• Deploys resources to manage team and/or project outcomes. May advise on policy decisions.

• Uphold the values of the organization and has strong customer service.
• Performs other related projects and duties as assigned.
• Scope of assigned area will depend on departmental structure and is at the discretion of the Department Director.

• Talent Development - Effective performers keep a continual eye on the talent pool to monitor skills and needs of team members. They expand staff skills through training, coaching, and development. They evaluate and articulate present performance and future potential.
• Organizing & Planning - Effective performers have strong organizing and planning skills that allow them to be highly productive and efficient, manage time wisely, and effectively prioritize multiple competing tasks.
• Organization Knowledge - Effective performers understand the workings of a municipal organization, formal and informal policies, and structures, and know "how the place works."
• Relationship Building - Effective performers understand that a primary factor in success is establishing and maintaining productive relationships. They interact with people and are good at it. They devote appropriate time and energy to establishing and maintaining networks.
• Results Orientation - Effective performers maintain appropriate focus on outcomes and accomplishments, are motivated by achievement, and persist until the goal is reached.
• Industry Knowledge - Effective performers understand the general workings of local government within which the organization functions and maintain a current knowledge base.
• Written Communication - Effective performers write clearly and concisely, composing informative and convincing documents. They use written language to convey substance and intent with simplicity, accuracy, and clarity.
• Financial Acumen - Effective performers understand the financial framework of the organization. They are cost conscious and fiscally responsible and use financial data to make informed business decisions.
• Change Agility - Effective performers are adaptable, are effective in the face of ambiguity, and support an orientation for change.
• Technology Savvy - Effective performers use technology to be successful in their organizational role. They value technology and leverage existing and new technology to achieve efficiency.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field is highly desired;
• And/or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.
• Ideally, four years of responsible professional experience in accounting, preferably in a local government or public accounting setting.
• Current technical/professional knowledge of the complex principles, methods, standards, and techniques associated with the scope of work, such as: municipal fiscal administration; methods and techniques of cost accounting, fund and governmental accounting; internal controls and auditing; principles and practices of municipal budgeting, research and analysis; and applicable Federal, State, and local regulations governing municipal finance operations.
• Experience with implementing financial applications with Enterprise Resource Planning software, such as Workday, is desired.
• Possession of license(s) and/or certifications associated with the assignment:
  • Certified Public Account license is highly desired.
• Mastery of some or all core competencies described, including those of Individual Contributor and Front-line Supervisor, depending on the assignment.
• Ability to provide management leadership; perform varied and complex analytical work; quickly acquire knowledge of specialized functions; think critically and neutrally; analyze issues to determine effective solutions; work under deadlines with constrained resources; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; implement appropriate courses of action.

SELECTION PROCESS

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Possession of a valid and appropriate Driver License. Must have and maintain a satisfactory driving record and meet City liability requirements to drive for City business.
• Requires completion of a background investigation to the satisfaction of the City.
• The incumbent must meet the physical requirements of the job class and have mobility, balance, coordination, vision, hearing, and dexterity levels appropriate to the duties to be performed.

• May require completion of a pre-employment physical to the satisfaction of the City.
• Reasonable accommodation(s) for an individual with a qualified disability will be considered on a case-by-case basis.