CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER II

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES : To oversee the financial administration for a medium-sized and moderately complex department's (as defined by the DOA Office of Management and Budget) fiscal and budgetary processes; to be responsible for all departmental fiscal functions including budget development, internal controls, and the fiscal administration of programs funded by state, federal, or other sources; to participate as a key member of the agency's executive leadership team in establishing and updating the agency's strategic planning documents and key performance metrics; and to do related work as required.

In order to make an application, simply read through the following job description and make sure to attach relevant documents.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED : Works under the administrative direction of the Department Director with wide latitude for the exercise of independent initiative and judgement; work is subject to review through conferences and submitted reports for conformance to laws, policies, rules, regulations and department objectives.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED : Directly plans, coordinates, supervises and reviews the work of a professional staff engaged in fiscal / financial tasks.

• To oversee the financial administration for a medium-sized and moderately complex department's fiscal and budgetary processes.
• To be responsible for all departmental fiscal functions including budget development, internal controls, and the fiscal administration of programs funded by state, federal, or other sources.
• To participate as a key member of the agency's executive leadership team in establishing and updating the agency's strategic planning documents and key performance metrics.
• To provide leadership and direction for a departmental financial management team.
• To oversee agency staff who perform procurement, accounting and budget tasks using the State's ERP software and other software tools.
• To lead the process to develop agency annual operating and capital budgets.
• To develop effective tools for comparing actual financial operating results with the budget and to research and determine the reasons for any variances.
• To develop and implement effective corrective action plans to address variances between budgeted and actual expenditures.
• To present the agency's budget, operating results, corrective action plans and other financial matters to staff at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Accounts & Control and legislative finance.
• To prepare all required reports and make presentations to explain budget variances and the associated corrective action plans that will be taken.
• To develop and monitor processes to ensure compliance with various Federal program provisions and Federal OMB Uniform Grants Guidance.
• To manage revenue and cash flow and ensure that funding from all non-general revenue sources, including Federal and restricted sources, is maximized to the extent allowable.
• To provide guidance to agency staff on compliance with generally accepted accounting principles as well as to ensure appropriate internal controls are implemented to protect agency assets and minimize risk.
• To oversee the maintenance, review and reconciliation of financial information to subsidiary records in order to ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and sound internal control principles.
• To make relevant recommendations to the Department Director and senior management team to improve financial processes and internal controls.
• To collaborate with the Department of Administration in financially managing the completion of contracts, grants, purchasing and lease arrangements, and related special projects.
• To interpret federal and state laws and accounting principles to ensure departmental accounting processes and procedures comply.
• To be responsible for conducting analyses of the costs of various departmental operations in order to provide recommendations for reducing costs and for ensuring that costs are allocated properly to the department's various accounts and funding sources.
• To be responsible and accountable for the proper receipt and disbursement of departmental funds including state, federal and other monies, and to ensure that these funds are used for the purposes for which they were intended.
• To be responsible for the evaluation of existing programs and to develop plans for their expansion, modification or elimination in view of changing needs and the availability of state and / or federal funds.
• To interface with federal and any other funding sources to ensure that all eligible funding resources are made available to the department, and to be responsible for developing and implementing corrective action plans, when necessary, in response to federal and state audit findings and recommendations.
• To make recommendations to the Department Director on financial planning and on developing systems for effective administrative and fiscal management, including fiscal and staffing requirements.
• To attend meetings and conferences as required. To do related work as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND CAPACITIES : A thorough knowledge of the principles, practices and procedures of governmental accounting, budget execution and control, and fiscal management; a thorough knowledge of applicable federal and state legislation; a thorough knowledge of management and business administration principles and techniques; a thorough knowledge of the principles, practices and techniques involved in operating a financial tracking and reporting system; advanced knowledge of financial and budget-related software; the ability to plan, develop, coordinate, and supervise the work of a staff engaged in performing departmental fiscal and administrative tasks; the ability to prepare and interpret financial reports, studies and analyses; advanced verbal and written communication skills; the ability to incorporate practices of business administration and fiscal management in developing complex programs for funding and budgeting; the ability to plan and direct the execution of fiscal management and methods studies and the composition of reports thereon; the ability to evaluate existing programs and to develop plans for their expansion, modification, or elimination; the ability to utilize automated financial management, budget preparation, contract administration and grant management systems; the ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with subordinates, superiors, vendors, members of the legislature, other governmental agencies and departments; and related capacities and abilities.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE :

Education : Possession of a bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field; and Experience : A minimum of seven (7) years of management-level experience in the administration and oversight of fiscal / administrative functions such as accounting, accounts examining, budget management or grants administration. Or , possession of a master's degree in public administration, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or related field and a minimum of five (5) years of management-level experience in the administration and oversight of fiscal / administrative functions such as accounting, accounts examining, budget management or grants administration.

Individual will functionally serve as the Director of Finance and Administration – CFO for the Department of Housing. Individual to develop, implement, oversee and be responsible and accountable for the Department’s financial planning, forecasting, and reporting systems.

Individual is responsible for successful development of the annual budget for the assigned department as well as tracking the budget throughout the budget development process. Rhode Island has a statutory requirement which mandates that each department submit their current and next year’s budget request to the Budget Office by October 1. The CFO is responsible for ensuring that the budget is developed in accordance with the statutory requirements and that the department’s submission is in balance. CFO is responsible for liaising with the Office of Management and Budget, House Fiscal, and Senate Fiscal on behalf of the agency.

Individual to collaborate with all senior management staff and community partners and be responsible for the evaluation of existing programs, to develop plans for program expansion, modification, or elimination in view of the changing needs and the availability of state and / or federal funds.

Individual to be responsible for the overall supervision of the central accounting system, expenditure control and budgetary reports; for conducting cost analysis surveys of various Departmental operations and make recommendations for reducing costs.

Individual to develop and monitor all federal cost allocation plans to ensure appropriate claiming of federal funds.

Individual to monitor variances to the Department(s) budgets, analyze the cause(s) and implement necessary adjustments; to exercise overall supervision and direction of billings and reimbursements; and to do related work as required. Individual will be responsible for providing leadership, training and technical assistance to the Department’s financial officers and program staff.

Individual to supervise a staff of full-time employees who perform professional and technical functions within the area of budget, preparing fiscal reports, purchasing, contract management, federal fund management, and processing client and vendor payments.

Responsible for providing financial oversight, leadership and management for a state agency. Key leadership qualities include analytical and critical thinking; problem solving; attention to detail; judgement; time management; communications (verbal, written, presentation, materials, unique approaches); developing and monitoring work and work processes; assessment and problem solving; analytical skills including reviewing data, what it means and what can be done to change the outcomes; integrity and ethics.

Previous experience with managing federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds is preferred.

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