Chief Financial Officer - Department of Social Services

Chief Financial Officer - Department of Social Services

Salary: $138,322 - $176,542 Annually

DOE/DOQ: Benefits: Explore the Benefits Summary

The County of Santa Barbara is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Department of Social Services in Santa Barbara, California. We are seeking a finance and accounting professional who has strong organizational leadership skills, financial acumen, strategic business thinking, and experience with complex financial systems and programs in a governmental agency, preferably a California health and human services organization. This position is categorized as a Financial Services Manager III classification within the County's leadership series.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Has strong analytical skills and uses data and financial strategy to manage complex and changing environments.
• Understands complex, interconnected budgets and funding sources.
• Has experience overseeing the budgeting and finances of a large government agency.
• Is a visionary and approachable leader who builds trust, cooperation, and collaboration.
• Is highly organized, able to plan ahead, multitask, and manage time effectively.
• Stays calm under pressure and meets deadlines with a steady leadership style.
• Has experience working in a diverse team, both leading and supporting others to deliver strong results.
• Has experience implementing a large-scale financial or other IT system in a public agency. Experience implementing or using the Workday system is highly desirable.
• Has experience forecasting financial outcomes, developing recommendations, and clearly communicating them to leadership, both verbally and in writing.
• Works effectively with the Auditor-Controller, County finance staff, and the County Executive Office.
• Makes recommendations to executive leadership that balance the upholding of financial best practices with Department goals, culture, and available resources.
• Is committed to continuous improvement, including process redesign, technology upgrades, and organizational change.

The Department:

Joining the Social Services Department is an opportunity to positively affect the lives and futures of children, families, and seniors in our community. The Department of Social Services has over 800 employees and provides a broad range of services and programs critical to delivering a countywide safety net for children, the elderly, and dependent adults. The department also provides eligibility determination to access healthcare benefits and supports individuals and families in achieving economic self-sufficiency through various services including CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, General Relief, and employment training and placement assistance.

The Position:

This is a key leadership position within the Department of Social Services overseeing the Fiscal Division. This position is part of a leadership team of 35 managers and executives and supports over 750 positions in 7 locations. This is a civil service leadership position that reports to the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer and oversees a department budget of $238 million. The CFO oversees four direct reports, including an Assistant Chief Financial Officer, and 28 indirect staff located primarily in three locations across the County (Santa Barbara/Goleta, Lompoc, and Santa Maria). This position is a fully in-office position without the possibility of a regular hybrid schedule.

Responsibilities:

• Serves as a member of the County's management team by planning, organizing, coordinating, and directing the activities in areas such as accounting, budget, accounts receivable/payable, employee benefits, payroll, debt management, public funds and property tax collections, financial analysis, and auditing.
• Establishes annual or mid-term priorities, goals and operational plans for the division or programs.
• Recommends, establishes, and provides direction for new or revised services, programs, processes, policies, standards, or operational plans, based upon the department's longer-term strategies.
• Recommends division's strategic plans within department strategic direction to next level manager or director.
• Troubleshoots and resolves program or work unit issues and keeps higher-level management informed of issues/resolution.
• Develops, administers and evaluates fiscal services and programs to ensure compliance with strategies and performance goals; manages work systems and processes; maintains and updates procedures, and ensures compliance; researches trends and best practices; and recommends and implements changes.
• Develops and administers work unit budget; reviews and approves budget requests and transactions; negotiates and manages contracts; researches and analyzes financial information; makes resource allocation recommendations; and implements resource allocation decisions.
• Researches, analyzes, develops, and reviews original fiscal, compliance, and related reports, contracts, plans, grant proposals, materials, presentations, and other documents; and develops and makes recommendations to higher-level staff.
• Develops, implements, and evaluates services and programs to ensure adherence to strategic and performance goals; manages work systems and processes; maintains and updates procedures; researches trends and best practices in area of assignment; and recommends and implements operational and/or program changes.

Education and Experience:

Equivalent of a bachelors degree from an accredited four-year college or university in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field and, seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in accounting or finance, including at least three (3) years as a supervisor or manager.

Additional Requirements:

• Possession and maintenance of a valid California driver's license and the ability to meet automobile insurability requirements of the County or the ability to provide suitable transportation needs as a condition of continued employment.
• Desirable Qualifications: Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM), Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO), Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Knowledge and Abilities:

• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
• Principles and practices of accounting, tax, auditing, and collections.
• Principles and practices of budget development and management.
• Principles and practices of financial planning and analysis, investment portfolio management, cost and revenue management, and cash management.
• Principles and practices of payroll and benefits.
• Principles and practices of public administration and program management, including strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation.
• Management principles, practices, and techniques.
• Principles and practices of governmental accounting, fiscal management, budgeting, and auditing.
• Principles and practices of program planning and administration.
• Personnel management principles and practices, including employee supervision, training, and evaluation.
• Principles and practices of group facilitation, conflict resolution, and consensus building.
• Principles and techniques of effective oral presentations.
• Applicable federal, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and standards.
• Business systems, equipment, and applications relevant to the area of assignment.

Ability to:

• Manage large operations related to accounting, tax, auditing, and collections programs and services.
• Manage budget development and management programs and projects.
• Manage programs and projects related to financial planning and analysis, investment portfolio management, cost and revenue management, and cash management.
• Manage assigned operations/programs; ensure ongoing compliance with strategic objectives and performance measures.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures.
• Manage and evaluate assigned staff, including training, coaching, participating in the development of goals and strategic objectives, coordinating deadlines, prioritizing work demands, and assigning/monitoring work.
• Analyze and evaluate operational programs, projects, and procedures.
• Plan, organize, coordinate, and supervise changes and improvements in public agency projects and studies.
• Manage budgets, contracts, grants, and resource allocation.
• Interpret, monitor, and report financial information and statistics.
• Oversee the implementation of, and adherence to, quality assurance activities and standards.
• Research, recommend, and implement industry trends, solutions, and best practices.
• Resolve complex problems within the area of assignment.
• Prepare and oversee the preparation of reports, grant proposals, documents, and presentations.
• Make presentations to stakeholders, elected officials, County leadership, and the public.
• Collaborate with program stakeholders, elected and appointed boards, the public, and internal leadership.
• Interpret and apply applicable laws, codes, regulations, and standards.
• Communicate effectively, clearly, and concisely.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse range of individuals, including but not limited to coworkers, subordinate staff, supervisors, other managers, professional agencies, and the general public.

Selection Process:

• Review applications and supplemental questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.
• Application Ranking: Applications that meet the employment standards will be evaluated and scored.
• Candidates final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by the information provided on their application based on the Ideal Candidate section on the job bulletin.
• This process may be eliminated if there are fewer than 11 qualified candidates.
• Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Application Ranking to be placed on an employment list.
• An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI.
• Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months.
• At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s) and exact duration of the employment list.
• The appointee must satisfactorily complete a one-year probationary period.

Reasonable Accommodations:

• The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants.
• Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting.
• We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Conditional Job Offer:

• Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, the selected candidates appointment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks.
• Appointee may be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination.
• Recruiters will communicate with applicants by email during each step in the recruitment process.
• Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.

Benefits:

• The County of Santa Barbara offers generous benefits.
• For information on benefits, click here.
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