Budget & Finance Manager

DEFINITION:
Under administrative direction, to provide financial and budget leadership working in collaboration with County departments, the County Executive Officer, and their staff; to prepare the single or multi-year budget models with budget assumptions, forecasts, estimates and narrative justifications, budget presentations/enactments, and implementation; to provide expert level authority and consultative services on budget and fiscal issues to elected officials, department heads, and departments’ managerial, budget, analytical, and accounting staffs; and to do related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The Budget & Finance Manager is a single position classification within the County Executive Office that operates under broad administrative and policy direction from the County Executive Officer. The role provides high-level technical oversight to professional and management staff involved in countywide budget development, budget administration, and financial forecasting, and may directly supervise analysts, technical personnel, and clerical support assigned to the County Executive Office. This position requires exceptional independence, judgment, and expert-level proficiency in interpreting and applying complex budget-related laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and analytical methods while leading the County’s most complex financial and budgetary functions. It is distinguished from the Deputy County Executive Officer, which assists with overall County policy, operations, and human resources activities, and from the Principal Administrative Analyst, which performs complex analytical work across a variety of functional areas for the County Executive Office.

EMPLOYMENT AT-WILL
This is an at-will position. The incumbent is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the County Executive Officer and may be removed at any time, with or without cause, and without any right of appeal.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES:
(The following is used as a partial description and is not restrictive as to duties required.)

• Establishes and directs the preparation implementation and evaluation of the County’s budget models in conjunction with proposed and final budgets.
• Develops budget assumptions, forecasts, detailed estimates, and narrative and statistical justifications.
• Develops and submits proposals and recommendations for appropriations, re-apportionments, deferrals, rescissions, and borrowing.
• Develops and implements County specific budget policy statements, regulations, instructions, financial reporting standards, analytical methods, regulatory procedures, and monitoring systems for mandatory use.
• Analyzes and consolidates budget estimates received from departments and other budget units into the final annual budget document to create the County’s balanced, single or multi-year budget with revenue sources and funding needs.
• Plans and conducts complex budgetary, financial, and operational analyses and studies; develops recommendations while dealing with uncertainty due to short and rapidly changing program and financial/budgetary deadlines and objectives, gaps and conflicts in program and financial/budgetary information, lack of predictive data, conflicting program and financial/budgetary objectives, and changing guidelines.
• Monitors and reviews operations of departments for fiscal, operational, and political implications.
• Adjusts and modifies long-range budget plans to reflect feedback from the budget execution process and in accordance with changes in the goals of County’s projects and programs.
• Provides technical authority expertise and services to line departmental staff to analyze, advise, and recommend specific solutions to budget formulation, justification, presentation, and execution issues related to multi-year appropriations and other budgetary processes.
• May represent the County in meetings with public officials, other public agencies, and civic groups in order to gather input, assess needs, develop priorities, and implement and maintain effective countywide projects and programs.
• Presents findings and recommendations to line management, labor organizations, media, community groups and the public in lay terms and responds to questions.
• Other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Any combination of training and experience which would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in public administration, business administration, accounting, finance, or a related field. Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis,

Experience: Five (5) years of broad responsible experience for the budgetary process of a California County or a complex public agency including independently performing budget analyses, preparation, and control and analyses and development of fiscal and budgetary policies and procedures which includes experience in organizational finance including principal involvement in the development and administration of an organization’s overall budget AND Five (5) years in a management and supervisory capacity.

Special Requirements:
1. Possession of, or the ability to obtain, an appropriate valid California Driver’s License.
2. All County employees can and will be called upon to act as Disaster Workers when needed.
3. Ability to qualify for security clearance through a background investigation, including a fingerprint check.
4. Possession of professional certifications, such as the Certified Government Finance Manager (CGFM), are desirable.

Knowledge of:
Applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and procedures affecting local governmental budget and fiscal activities and operations.
Principles and practices of auditing, investment, debt management, and issuance.
Principles and practices of contract and grant administration.
Principles and practices of financial analyses, budget planning, developing, implementing, record- keeping, reporting, and controlling within local government.
Principles and practices of long-range fiscal planning and management, revenue forecasting, and funding sources.
California state guidelines and standards in the County Budget Act and Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
Generally accepted accounting principles.
Philosophy, objectives, trends, techniques, and principles of public administration, organization, and management.
Practices and techniques of administrative analyses and procedures, statistical methodologies, and report preparation.
Relationship between local, state, and federal governments, public interest groups, and private enterprise as they affect local government.
Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications related to the work, including word processing, database, and spreadsheet software.

Ability to:
Plan, perform, and/or direct the performance of complex financial, budget, revenue, and strategic planning analysis, budget preparation, implementation, and monitoring.
Direct work consistent with goals and priorities.
Manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Analyze problems and data, identifying alternative solutions, projecting consequences of proposed actions, and implementing recommendations in support of goals.
Communicate information and ideas clearly and concisely orally and in written formats.
Prepare narrative, fiscal and statistical reports, records, correspondence, and proposals.
Develop timetables for obtaining needed funding for new or modified substantive government programs.
Work with financial authorities and commissions, bond issuers, underwriters, credit rating agencies, investors, and others.
Utilize spreadsheets and financial, budget, and statistical software packages to analyze financial data, spot trends, and develop forecasts.
Prepare logical, accurate, comprehensive, and legally sound narrative and statistical analyses, reports, correspondence, procedures, and other written materials.
Present complex financial and budget concepts and strategies in easy-to-understand language.
Select, supervise, train and evaluate assigned staff
Operate modern office equipment including computer equipment and specialized software applications programs.
Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment:
Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; normal manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination; lift and move objects weighing up to 25 lbs.; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment, including computer, telephone, calculator, copiers, and FAX. Work is performed in an office environment; continuous contact with other staff, other agencies, and the public.

Disaster Service Workers: All San Benito County employees are designated “Disaster Service Workers” through state and local laws (CA Government Code Sec. 3100-3109 and Emergency Services Chapter 6 via adoption of local Ordinance No. 361 § 1, 2-25-75). As Disaster Service Workers, all County employees are expected to remain at work, or to report for work as soon as practicable, following significant emergency or disaster.