DEFINITION

Plans, organizes and supervises the City's revenue and collection activities; performs advanced professional accounting and auditing functions; designs and implements policies, programs, accounting and monitoring systems and performs special confidential projects as assigned; performs other work as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

The Finance Services Manager has responsibility for effectively overseeing the City's revenue collection activities including establishing and implementing policies, supervising staff and ensuring proper billing and accounting for revenue. The incumbent appears in court and must deal with the public in situations relating to delinquencies, disputed confidential claims, credit, and collections that require great diplomacy and resourcefulness to resolve. The Finance Services Manager has discretion to decide how to apply regulations to specific situations, to develop and implement collection strategies, and to impose or waive penalties. Using accepted accounting principles and procedures, the incumbent is expected to manage assigned financial functions and perform complex accounting, auditing and analysis work to accurately record and report the City's financial condition.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED/EXERCISED

General direction is provided by the Finance Director/City Treasurer. The incumbent directly supervises finance services staff engaged in utility billing, business licensing, animal licensing, accounts payable, and other assigned functions of the Finance Department. The incumbent is expected to provide direct assistance to the Finance Director and act in his/her absence.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Develops and directs the implementation of goals, objectives, policies and work standards for assigned areas of responsibility; plans, organizes, directs, supervises, and reviews the city's billing and revenue collection operations and other assigned areas of responsibility; trains, supervises, and evaluates work of assigned staff; participates in the selection of staff; schedules work and solves problems; prepares or directs the preparation of account reconciliation, annual reports, audit schedules, claims, and budget schedules; analyzes major accounts and prepares monthly reconciliation of subsidiary accounts to General Ledger; coordinates and performs the City's collections and bankruptcy activities; works with the Probation Department, Youth and Family Services, District Attorney, and City Attorney as necessary; develops collection strategies; manages the collection process; reviews small claims paperwork and represents the City in small claims court; reviews bankruptcy notifications; determines and prepares proof of City's claims; controls, updates and maintains fixed asset system; develops, coordinates, administers and reviews systems and programs to meet special needs or to enhance the City's revenue collection efforts, designs and performs internal and external audits, analyzes and evaluates operations, systems, and financial data; identifies inaccuracies, misclassification of funds or inefficiencies and suggests corrective measures; manages the administration and accounting for special programs, i.e. parking enforcement; researches costs of City services and compares with fees charged; updates fee schedule and notifies users; researches costs of projects and writes summaries; prepares year-end schedules and annual reports, State Controller's report and other annual financial reports; prepares resolutions and ordinances; prepares claims for reimbursements from State for costs of enforcing mandated programs; develops revenue forecasts and expenditure projections in conjunction with budget and financial issues; assists others in Finance Department in solving accounting problems and responds to inquiries from various sources; processes management medical claims, dependent care and tax-free medical reimbursement claims; assists in labor negotiation calculations and other confidential payroll calculations; processes payroll in the absence of the Payroll Specialist; acts in the absence of the Finance Director.

OTHER DUTIES

Works on special projects requiring financial analysis; performs a variety of studies, analyses, and special projects relating to organization, systems, procedures, cost-effectiveness, and financial legislation as assigned by the Finance Director.

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience/Education/Training

Sufficient experience, education, and training to perform professional finance, accounting and auditing work and to supervise accounting personnel engaged in the revenue collection and payable functions of a City finance department. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications is to possess the equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with at least twelve semesters or equivalent quarter units in accounting or business administration or possession of a Certified Public Accountant Certificate recognized by the California Board of Accountancy and two years of responsible professional accounting and auditing work supplemented by experience in supervising clerical finance services staff. Experience in a public sector agency is desirable.

Knowledge/Skill/Ability

Thorough knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting and Auditing Standards; principles and practices of general, fund and government accounting and reporting; of standard financial office procedures, practices, and equipment; computerized accounting and information systems; effective employee supervision, training, and evaluation; budget preparation and administration; IRS regulations, vehicle code, collection and bankruptcy laws, and other laws, codes, and regulations governing the financial operations of the City. Ability to apply accounting principles and practices to a wide variety of standard and non-standard transactions; perform complex mathematical calculations with speed and accuracy; use spreadsheets and other computer applications related to financial operations; learn and operate new technology as acquired by the City of Rohnert Park; set-up, maintain and reconcile financial transaction records; prepare a variety of financial statements, reports, and analyses with supporting statistics and data; analyze and evaluate operations, systems, and financial data; detect inaccuracies or inefficiencies and suggest corrective action; analyze needs and develop and implement systems or programs to meet them; deal diplomatically with the public, especially in difficult situations such as those dealing with collections and small claims; plan and coordinate the work of others; train and supervise others, and evaluate their work.

Working Conditions

Position requires prolonged sitting in the performance of daily duties and frequent repetitive keyboarding motion for inputting data and preparing reports and other documents. The position also requires walking, standing, stooping, some pushing, dragging, light and heavy lifting while obtaining and returning journals, printouts or boxes of paper and documents. The incumbent often juggles multiple tasks, works under pressure of deadlines and with frequent interruptions.