GENERAL PURPOSE:
Provides day-to-day guidance and supervision to finance division accounting staff pertaining to and including accounts payable, general ledger, treasury and cash management, budget monitoring, and account reconciliations. Prepares and analyzes monthly and annual City financial information including the Renewal Wheat Ridge (RWR) urban renewal authority and the Wheat Ridge Housing Authority (WHRA). Prepares the annual financial reports for the City of Wheat Ridge and facilitates the audit with the City’s contract audit firm.
Wheat Ridge was founded during the 1859 Gold Rush as a rest stop for miners and later named for its golden wheat fields. As unsuccessful miners turned to farming, the area thrived with orchards, vegetable fields, and later, greenhouses, earning the title “Carnation City.” Incorporated in 1969, Wheat Ridge now offers a central location with easy access to Denver and the Rocky Mountains. It operates as a home-rule city with a council-manager government, where the elected council sets policy, and the manager oversees daily operations and budgeting.
CORE VALUES: The City of Wheat Ridge is committed to excellence and ACTION!:
Accountability: Employees take responsibility for their actions, decisions, and recommendations and are accountable to each other and the community
Change: Adapts to changing organizational needs, conditions, and work responsibilities.
Teamwork: Employees value teamwork as a collaborative effort, with each person contributing unique skills, knowledge, and training to achieve common goals.
Integrity: Employees uphold the highest ethical standards, recognize the importance of public and customer trust and adhere to the values of the organization.
Opportunity: Employees are empowered to grow professionally, develop best practices, and seek challenges to advance the City.
NOW!: Employees are proactive, timely, and efficient in responding to the needs of the organization and the community – NOW!
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Supervises the Accounting staff.
- Stands in for and acts as the Finance Manager when they are unavailable.
- Prepares and manages the preparation of accounting reports and financial information including the annual report and other internal and external reports. Ensures compliance with applicable laws and accepted practices and guidelines.
- Facilitates the year-end process involving procurement efforts to close or re-encumber purchase orders and to generate reports for the City’s annual audit. Works directly with the City’s contract audit firm throughout the year.
- Monitors the design and proper functioning of internal control policies and procedures, and compliance with the City’s procurement and payment policies. Responds to questions, provides training, determines needs, and prioritizes responses for City staff and citizens regarding various accounting issues.
- Compiles and analyzes financial information to prepare journal entries for general ledger accounts and to document business transactions. Reviews and posts journal entries, adjustments (budgetary and non- budgetary) and reconciliations of accounts.
- Analyzes financial information detailing assets, liabilities, and capital outlays; prepares balance sheet, budget-to-actual expenditure and revenue reports, and other reports to summarize current and projected organization financial position.
- Provides information to financial users for the preparation of special one-time reports or other ongoing custom reports as needed. Provides accounting supervision and analysis for capital improvement and bond proceeds expenditure projects for both the City and RWR.
- Provides support to other parts of the organization as it relates to grant applications, requests for grant award reimbursements and ensuring that grants with Federal funding are identified on a timely basis.
- Works with staff and customers to maximize revenue and reduce expenses through efficient processes.
- Maintains the City’s cash balances. Meets all necessary cash flow needs and maintains investment accounting records.
- Documents expected revenues and expenditures and submits to management as necessary or requested. Advises management on matters such as effective use of resources and underlying budget forecasts.
- Responds to inquiries from citizens, City Council, management and other city employees. Serves as a significant go-to and provides training on the City’s financial accounting software to City employees.
- Debt management duties include monitoring the City’s required Bond payments and annual continuing disclosure compliance and maintaining the accounting records.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS: Education Requirement – Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, business or related field.
Experience Requirement – Minimum of five (5) years of professional finance/accounting experience with three (3) years of proven supervisory experience. Understanding of governmental accounting standards preferred. Governmental accounting experience strongly preferred. A CPA or the ability to obtain one in two (2) years strongly preferred.
Education and Experience Equivalency - Additional appropriate experience may be substituted for the minimum education requirement.
HOURS OF WORK, LOCATION, AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:
Full-Time, M-F: 8am-5pm, In office
The City of Wheat Ridge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and inclusivity and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, marital status or any other applicable characteristics protected by law, unless related to a bona fide occupational qualification. The City of Wheat Ridge will consider reasonable accommodations for employment to qualified applicants upon request to the Human Resources Office.
This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities, or working conditions associated with the position.
