Performs difficult, professional work assisting in planning, organizing and directing the financial activities of the County. Distinguishing Features of the Class An employee in the class supervises the day-to-day fiscal operations involved in revenue collections, accounting, payroll, accounts payable, utility billing and customer service, and related activities for the County. In addition, the employee provides professional financial support for departments and management in budget preparation and analysis year end audit, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), investments and cash management; and other financial and accounting issues. Employee must exercise considerable judgment and discretion in recommending financial methods and procedures. Quality control must be exercised over functions supervised to assure compliance with standards and applicable general statues. Work is performed under the general supervision of the Deputy County Manager/ Finance Director and is reviewed through conferences, review of financial reports and annual audits. Duties and Responsibilities Essential Duties and Tasks Facilitates education and understanding of financial policies and procedures with the department and across the organization to build skills and improve efficiency while navigating federal, state and private funding requirements, and ensuring compliance and adherence to deadlines across the department. Coordinates the preparation of and preparing and reviewing of complex technical, financial and other reports, plans, and documents, coordinating operating data collection and analysis; developing, making and or approving recommendations; and reviewing the work of others to ensure accuracy and completeness. Works collaboratively with the Countys departments to build an understanding and awareness of constraints and responsibilities of the Finance department and ensure commitment and compliance to quality service delivery for the County, its management team, and the community. Establishes work methods, procedures and researches and recommends policies related to daily operations of the department revenue collections, accounts payable, payroll, occupancy, delinquent billing and other activities; provides trouble-shooting for unusual financial issues and utility customer service issues. Assists the Deputy County Manager/ Finance Director with the overall supervision of assigned activities of the Department; assists with the recruitment, hiring, evaluation, salary administration, training and supervision of professional and administrative staff. Oversees cash management, including projecting and monitoring cash flow; investing of idle funds, determine dollar amounts and maturity dates of investments to make based on analysis of cash flow; transfers cash into and from accounts as necessary; assists with making debt payments. Assists with the annual external audit process; prepares required schedules, reports and work papers; reviews audit related work of subordinates; works directly with auditors to provide them any financial data needed; composes sections of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR); reviews final documents in coordination with the Deputy County Manager/ Finance Director. Authorizes and pre-audits county contracts, approves bank transactions/wires and investments in the absence of Deputy County Manager/ Finance Director. Assists management, department heads and others on matters pertaining to finance and budget administration. Participates in the maintenance, design and installation of the accounting control, records and filling systems. Maintains the chart of accounts compliance with the State Controllers Office and the Governmental Accounting Standards Boards standards and guidelines. Gives direction to staff engaged in the monitoring and updating of accounting information in the general ledger, from payroll, purchasing and centralized collections including occupancy tax. Reviews and approves purchase orders. Provides oversight to purchasing as well as conferring with departments on their capital needs, review federal and state grants available for funding and their impact on the Countys financial status. Administers the Countys banking portal, web access system; setting-up access for new users and establishing parameters for each user based upon their individual duties and functions within the department. Administers access credentials for the Countys financial system county-wide; works closely with IT with access management for risk reduction for the entity. Supervises daily operations of payroll processing including reporting to federal, state and local entities. Works closely with key staff throughout the County to identify restructuring opportunities and implements strategic plans. Assists with the preparation and implementation of the Countys annual budget. Responsible for special projects as assigned with departments to include developing action plans to ensure completion of assignments and projects. Assists the Deputy County Manager/ Finance Director with strategic long-term financial plans and capital improvement plans. Assists with preparation of debt issuance documents; participates in the issuance of debt and related activities; maintains detailed debt service records; analyzes and forecasts debt repayments. Works closely with departments in planning and directing the installation, maintenance, and use of a variety of accounting subsystems; specifies needs and works with systems analysts, contractors and programmers to implement Countys needs. Prepares a wide variety of financial records and reports that are submitted to local, state and federal agencies including preparation and submittal of the AFIR (Annual Financial Information Report) to the state. Works with Deputy County Manager/ Finance Director to develop policies and procedures for use by County departments to guide financial operations. Oversees the implantation of computer software applications and upgrades; provides instruction to staff and assigns security levels. Additional Job Duties Performs related duties as required. Recruitment and Selection Guidelines Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Extensive knowledge of the operations of county government including taxation, utility billing and collections, and other sources of revenue. Extensive knowledge of the application of information technology to financial accounting, reporting and presentation of financial records and information. Extensive knowledge of the Countys personnel, purchasing and budgeting policies and procedures. Extensive knowledge of governmental accounting and budgeting principles, rules and regulations. Extensive knowledge of the principles, underlying general laws and administrative policies governing municipal financial practices and procedures. Extensive knowledge of and ability to operate personal computers, associated hardware, software including word processing and spreadsheets and peripheral equipment Thorough knowledge of office practices and office and accounting equipment. Thorough knowledge of audit practices. Ability to post accounts and to perform mathematical computations with speed and accuracy. Ability to plan, organize and direct the work of subordinate employees. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with department heads and officials. Ability to prepare complex financial reports. Ability to analyze and evaluate complex financial systems. Ability to develop and conduct technical training programs. Ability to conduct detailed research and prepare reports and findings. Ability to communicate technical ideas effectively, both orally and in writing.