Finance Director – South Portland, ME

The City of South Portland, Maine’s fourth largest city with a population of 25,532, located on the southern Maine coast and rated “Best Place to Live in Maine” by Money Magazine in 2018, seeks candidates to be the next Finance Director.

Serving under the City Manager, the City of South Portland seeks a Finance professional to provide leadership and management of all financial operations of the City, including planning, organizing, and controlling financial resources as part of the senior leadership team. The Finance Director oversees the City’s financial affairs, including a FY 2020-21 total budget of $112 million, $95 million of which covers the City’s General Fund budget. This position is not involved with the budget for South Portland Public Schools, except to ensure City revenue is sufficient to cover school expenses.

As the chief financial officer of the City, the Finance Director will plan, direct, and coordinate the activities of the Finance Department relating to accounting (including payroll, purchasing, payables, and fiscal reporting), debt management, treasury functions, property assessing, and risk management. Responsible for the formulation and execution of financial management systems, policies, and procedures, immediate technical supervision of staff, and leadership of departmental activities.

The next Director will continue to build upon the recognized success of our department including maintaining a AAA/Aaa bond rating from both Standard and Poor’s Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service for many years and obtaining the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from GFOA consecutively for the past thirteen years. Work is performed in accordance with statutory procedures and broad policies as prescribed by State Law, grant requirements, City Charter, and the City Manager, who holds the Finance Director responsible for the effectiveness of the department. The Director supervises and/or oversees the divisions of Assessing (staff of 6), Treasury (staff of 5), and Accounting (staff of 6).

Applicants must have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a focus on Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Public Administration or a related field. A Master’s Degree is preferred. Must have five (5) – seven (7) years of experience in managing a public agency finance department, including three (3) years of experience as the head of a Finance Department, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. The City seeks a candidate with a proven background in fund accounting, debt management, and the technical aspects of leading and supervising a multi-division department. Experience in working with TIF Districts is desired. A Certified Public Accountant or a Certified Government Finance Officer is preferred. Must have a superior ability to analyze the ongoing effectiveness of departmental policy, procedures, and operations; the ability to develop and oversee the City and departmental budgets; the ability to prioritize and monitor department initiatives and the ability to establish effective working relationships with employees, other city departments, the School Department, and the ability to effectively communicate with the City Council and general public.

The City of South Portland offers a robust selection of employee benefits, including an excellent health plan with affordable family coverage, generous matched retirement options, dental, vision, life, income protection/short term disability, long-term disability insurance options, flexible spending accounts, a full complement of paid time off, and more. The City also offers “payment-in-lieu” of health insurance, an acclaimed wellness program, and professional development opportunities. The City of South Portland is proud of its talented and dedicated workforce and provides employees with strong leadership; stability; a positive, family friendly workplace; and the support, encouragement, and tools for successful careers.

Starting pay is $ 93,581 – $ 118,267 per year, dependent on experience, and this non-union position will be eligible for annual step increases as well as cost of living wage increases, as approved by the City Council.

Qualified and interested candidates should send via email a cover letter, copies of relevant certifications, a resume, and a list of three professional references to apply@southportland.org

Or, by mail to:
City of South Portland
Karla Giglio, Human Resources Specialist
25 Cottage Road
P. O. Box 9422
South Portland, ME 04116-9422

For a copy of the employment application, job description and this posting, or to complete the employment application as a fillable pdf, please go online to:
https://www.southportland.org/departments/human-resources/job-opportunities/

FMI, please contact Stephanie Weaver, Director of Human Resources at sweaver@southportland.org or (207) 767-7667.

Responses are due by 4pm on Wednesday, May 12, 2021.
EOE