Career Opportunity

Deputy Chief Financial Officer - Financial Services - SFPUC (0941) - (131024)

Recruitment: RTF0131023-01105089

Published: March 07, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

Amended 3/7/2023 to extend the filing deadline. Candidates who have submitted an application do not need to re-apply.

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

•    Application Opening: February 16, 2023
•    Application Filing Deadline: March 10, 2023
•    Annual Salary: $175,864 - $224,484 (Salary Range A)
•    Recruitment ID: PBT-0941-131024, RTF0131023

WHO ARE WE? 
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)
Headquartered in San Francisco, we have 2,300 employees operating across eight counties serving more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area – 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.

Our Mission: To provide our customers with high quality, efficient, and reliable water, power, and wastewater services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.

Our Vision: We are an innovative utility leader, recognized for excellent results in service, safety, stewardship, and inclusiveness.

We are an award-winning and industry-leading utilities organization committed to our customers, community interests, and the environment. To learn more about our organization, please visit our website at https://www.sfpuc.org/.

We are proud of our infrastructure and programs, but most importantly, we value our highly qualified and dedicated workforce which ensures that this vision becomes a reality. 

To learn more about working at the SFPUC, visit our career site at https://www.sfpuc.org/about-us/careers-sfpuc

Role description

Under the general direction of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant General Manager for Business Services, the Deputy Chief Financial Officer (DCFO) leads a high-performance team of ~50 professionals (Accounting Services and Financial Reporting & Analysis) who deliver a range of complex financial services and operations supporting the SFPUC’s three enterprises (Water, Wastewater, Hetch Hetchy Water & Power & CleanPowerSF) and support bureaus (Business Services, Infrastructure, External Affairs, and Office of the General Manager).  The DCFO and their teams support administration and oversight of the SFPUC’s $1.7+ billion operating budget, and $1.0 billion capital budget (FY 2023), while ensuring a comprehensive framework that upholds excellence in financial stewardship and sustainability through accountability, internal control, high ethics and transparency.

The DCFO co-leads Financial Services through an aligned collaborative partnership with the other DCFO who directs/administers Financial Service’s Budget, Capital Finance, Financial Planning and Rates, and Fleet divisions.  Both DCFOs are key members of the Business Services leadership team and of SFPUC senior management and are often driven by objectives with short turnaround requirements and competing priorities in a high-pressure business environment. The DCFO In an essential leadership role critical to the agency, they will advise agency-wide staff daily on how best to meet changing business needs within established SFPUC, Controller and citywide financial and procurement policies and procedures.

Financial Services’ functional areas detailed below:

• Accounting Services – fund accounting for operations, capital and fixed assets, grants, and state/federal loans; cash disbursements (payables), cash management (receipts), and procurement (general services/commodities).
• Financial Reporting and Analysis – general ledger analysis, reconciliation, monitoring, financial reporting (Audited Financial Statements – 3, one for each enterprise; the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, and the Popular Annual Financial Report), and internal/external auditor facilitation.
• Budget – biennial agencywide operating and capital budget development, approval, and implementation, annual 10-Year Capital Plan update.
• Capital Finance – administration of existing $7 billion debt portfolio and executing new capital project financing for agency’s three enterprises.
• Financial Planning and Rates – agencywide long-range financial planning, annual revenue budget forecasting as well as rate and charges development, approval, and implementation for the three enterprises.
• Fleet Services – administration of agency vehicle pool fleet.

The ideal candidate will possess an exceptional financial acumen with demonstrated leadership and oversight of finance, budget, accounting, and financial auditing activities, including strong decision-making skills within a large, diverse, and dynamic agency or corporation.  The role requires technical proficiency, diplomacy, and a strong business acumen to be successful.

 Essential duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Directs and manages two large divisions providing enterprise accounting services for operations, capital projects, grants and low-interest federal loans, fixed assets, debt service, cash management, cash disbursements, and interdepartmental services. 
• Manage general ledger accounts analysis, reconciliations, and audits. Prepare financial management reports based on data extracts, research, and compilation of results.
• Prepare and issue the Audited Financial Statements, Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, and the Popular Annual Financial report with no material misstatements or internal control findings.
• Manage the quarterly, half-yearly and fiscal year end close process; and ensure timely, accurate and transparent transactions.
• Lead and collaborate with stakeholders for system enhancements and optimization of PeopleSoft Financials & Supply Chain Management.
• Develop, implement, and enforce financial and accounting policies, priorities, and internal controls. Promote accountability, integrity, and transparency in financial activities.
• Monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of department structure, staff assignments, and service levels. Identify and analyze opportunities for efficiency improvements and lead implementation of solutions.
• Advise stakeholders and serve as a technical resource for financial systems, accounting principles, City rules and regulations, and SFPUC policies and procedures.
• Lead staff through performance management and mentoring, cross-training, career-development and ensure workforce succession planning.
• Communicates regularly with CFO/AGM Business Services and senior/executive-level management regarding financial activities and emerging risks; represents SFPUC before stakeholders, the Commission, Controller’s Office, Mayor’s Office, Board of Supervisors, and other legislative boards/agencies.
• Perform other related duties, as required, and assigned.

How to qualify

Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, finance, accounting, public policy, public administration, economics, or a closely related field

Experience: Six (6) years of professional experience in the management of a large and/or complex financial organization, all of which must be supervisory. This work experience should include extensive experience in leading and directing large complex financial operations.

Substitution: Additional qualifying work experience as described above may be substituted for up to two years of the required education on a year-for-year basis. (One year of work experience is equal to 30 semesters or 45 quarter units)

One year of full-time employment is equivalent to 2000 hours. (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40-hour work week.) Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Desirable Qualifications: The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Master’s degree in business administration, public administration, public policy, finance, or a closely related field
• Experience in the management of large and/or complex governmental agencies in financial management and capital projects
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) from the Institute of Internal Auditors
• Experience leading a large complex finance function for a municipal utility
• Knowledge of City and County of San Francisco contracting and procurement policies and procedures

Verification: Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum qualifications. 

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. 

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

Selection Procedures: After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following: 

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (Weight: Qualifying): Candidates will be required to complete a Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Supplemental Questionnaire Examination (Weight: 100%): Candidates who meet minimum qualifications will be invited via a separate link to complete the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination. The purpose of the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination is to evaluate the experience, knowledge, skills and abilities that candidates possess in job-related areas, which have been identified as critical for this position and include, but are not limited to: 

• Technical knowledge of accounting operations, financial reporting and analysis, internal controls
• Leadership Skills - ability to set vision, motivation, performance management, and discipline.
• Professional Judgement - data acquisition, analysis, problem solving, decision-making
• Knowledge and experience administering financial systems, business process and change management
• Ability to develop, communicate and enforce policies and procedures to support internal control and governance.
• Project Management Skills - ability to manage projects, allocate resources to deliver scope timely, efficiently, and effectively.
• Ability to make effective decisions and garner buy-in while negotiating competing priorities and conflict between internal and external stakeholders.
• Advanced technical skills using Microsoft suite of desktop applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and in a well-organized and effective manner, both orally and in writing

A passing score must be achieved on the Supplemental Questionnaire Examination in order to continue in the selection process and be placed on the eligible list.

Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score. Candidate scores on this examination may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.

The department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures to make final hiring decisions.

What else should I know?

Eligible List/Score Report: A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of 6 months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2021-22.pdf. 

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights: Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.smartrecruiters.com/CityAndCountyOfSanFrancisco1/ .

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov and begin the application process. 

•    Select the “Apply Now” button and follow instructions on the screen 

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com). 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Stefanie Lim, at SMLim@sfwater.org or 415-916-6632.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.