Assistant Finance Director

SCOPE OF WORK 

The Assistant Finance Director heads the Accounting and Control Division. This role carries significant accounting and financial management responsibilities, as delegated by the Finance or Deputy Finance Director.

• Serve as a senior leader within the finance administration, overseeing complex finance and accounting deliverables.
• Supervise and complete accounting functions, including the monthly analysis and reconciliation of various financial statements.
• Perform account reconciliation, cash management, accounting for various funds, and preparation of monthly and year-end financial reports.
• Conduct bank reconciliation, financial analysis, and internal audits.
• Make critical technical accounting decisions.

The ideal candidate will possess considerable knowledge, skill, and ability in all phases of municipal accounting and control functions. This position demands hands-on professional accounting, administrative, and supervisory work involving a variety of professional accounting and financial control functions.

Supervises employees involved in accounting and control, including:

• Accounting
• Accounts payable/receivable
• Payroll
• Other related accounting functions

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Works under the general direction of the Director of Finance or Deputy Finance Director.

In the Town of East Hartford, we don't just accept difference — we celebrate it, support it, and thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, residents, and community partners. The Town of East Hartford is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace.

• Assigns, oversees and monitors work of accounting staff involved in the processing of payrolls, payment of invoices and the maintenance of general ledger accounts including general and special funds.
• Serves as a back-up for payroll and accounts payable processing. 
• Oversees maintenance of the Town’s general ledger and accounting system for all funds.
• Performs detailed and complex monthly bank reconciliation of the Town’s General Fund and Payroll bank accounts to the General Ledger, including tax reconciliation. Prepares monthly bank reconciliation of the Board of Education accounts payable and payroll bank accounts and general fund transactions in the Town’s general ledger.
• Prepares annual financial statements and makes detailed fund analysis for the various Town funds including balance sheet accounts, revenues, expenditures, encumbrances and necessary supporting documentation.  Prepares adjustments and provides the Town’s external auditors with a complete financial package.
• Conducts analysis/accounting review for special projects including bond arbitrage calculations, grant analysis, interest allocation to Bond accounts for pooled investments and payroll projections.
• Performs analysis and assists Town staff with grant funds and preparation of required reports.
• Prepares and reviews journal entries on total funds expended and transfers.  Monitors Health Insurance Fund claim withdrawal activity and advise Finance Director of any unusual changes.
• Reconciles bank statements for various Town checking accounts and investments.
• Maintains financial system software including assigning and setting up user access, security and general funds, departments, codes and accounts.  Trains staff on financial system software application uses.
• Participates in the annual budget preparation process by updating programming in the financial system report writer module, including setting up annual projections, and reviewing accuracy of Town employee’s grades, steps and salaries for the forthcoming year.
• Reviews budget transfer requests submitted for Finance Director’s approval and posts approved transfers to the financial system.
• Reviews Personnel Action Forms as related to compensation.  Monitors payroll and tax withholdings, researching and resolving discrepancies. Reviews the quarterly 941 tax return prior to the Director’s approval.
• Reviews and balances year-end gross and taxable wages and tax withholdings to prepare files for W-2 printing. Reviews, analyzes, balances and prints 1099 forms as required by the IRS.
• Interfaces with Board of Education to resolve and reconcile accounting matters and required journal entries.
• Develops finance staff to ensure accuracy in transactions, professional growth and retention. Acts on behalf of the Finance Director or Deputy Finance Director in his or her absence and performs other duties delegated by the Director or Deputy Finance Director.

• Considerable knowledge of governmental accounting principles and procedures, including auditing, payroll, cash management and budgeting. 
• Considerable knowledge and experience in municipal transactional accounting.
• Considerable knowledge of the municipality’s financial and accounting system, including policies and financial reporting requirements.
• Considerable knowledge of the operations of municipal departments from an accounting perspective.
• Intermediate to expert Microsoft Excel skills required.
• Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting, and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Extremely detailed and analytical.
• Considerable knowledge of financial statements, interfund relationships and intuitive knowledge of balance sheets.
• Considerable skill in business mathematics.
• Considerable ability in oral and written communications.
• Considerable ability to administer an accounting unit and to supervise the work of others.
• Considerable ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with superiors, associates, subordinates, banks, officials of other agencies, auditors and the general public.
• Maintain aptitude and willingness to seek continuing education for self and staff under his or her supervision to promote work mastery, accurate assignments delivery, and industry level process improvement to benefit the Town.

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in business, accounting, public administration, or a related field, supplemented by courses in public accounting. Additionally, five years of responsible accounting experience are required, including at least two years in a government setting and two years in a supervisory role, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

A master’s degree from a recognized college or university in accounting or CPA with 7 years of direct transactional accounting experience is preferred.

Experience with audit firm with exposure to transactional accounting, audit and review.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed.  The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.

Salary : $105,700 - $124,353