Director of Finance

The Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) serves the housing and community development needs of the twenty-six towns of Franklin County, Massachusetts. We work with residents to successfully access a wide variety of housing resources. We also work with the municipalities of Franklin County to apply for and administer grant funding for various infrastructure and community development projects.

Position Overview: Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Director of Finance is responsible for all facets of the financial and accounting functions of the HRA and its related entities. The Director of Finance performs a variety of professional accounting work; trains and supervises department staff; develops and initiates systems and procedures for transacting financial matters; ensures that the financial systems in place are accurate, efficient, and in compliance with all applicable funding sources; and compiles, prepares and maintains financial data and records, ensuring that all financial data are recorded in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and consistent with established policies and procedures.

Job Class: Full-time (37.5 hours per week), Exempt

Supervision Received: The Director of Finance works under the supervision of the Executive Director.

Supervision Given: The Director of Finance supervises all Finance staff, including but not limited to the Bookkeeper and Staff Accountants.

Principal Duties:

Financial Management:

• Oversee accounting policies and procedures and reporting for HRA and its affiliated organizations.
• Maintain all business and financial records in compliance with all state, local, and federal regulations and laws.
• Oversee the preparation, review, and reporting of financial statements and accompanying analysis for the Senior Management Team and Board of Commissioners in accordance with accounting, audit, and tax standards.
• Maintain effective and timely cash flow management.
• Coordinate banking and investment services.
• Work with the Department Directors and Executive Director to develop the annual operating and capital budgets.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance:

• Responsible for meeting tax requirements and filings.
• Responsible for financial and other third-party audits.
• Respond to recommendations contained in financial and other third-party audits.
• Maintain best practices according to accounting, audit, and tax standards for public agencies and non-profits.
• Provide for appropriate segregation of duties among staff and secure systems of processing payments and contractual agreements with appropriate signature authority.
• Maintain current knowledge of advanced purchasing methods, MCPPO (Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Officials), and applicable laws and regulations to be able to recommend revisions to existing practices to maximize efficiency, effectiveness, and statutory compliance.
• With other Procurement Officers, review contracts for compliance with all procurement and other regulations. Maintain records of organizational procurement activities.

Departmental Leadership:

• Participate as a member of the Senior Management Team.
• Conduct reviews, studies, and evaluations of management operations and standards and develop recommendations for the improvement of departmental performance.
• Recruit, manage, develop, and evaluate staff by providing timely mentoring, training, and performance management. Monitor staff performance to ensure professional conduct with tenants and other staff and consistency with HRA policy.
• Attend HRA Board meetings as needed and provide timely written reports to support Board committees when necessary.
• Perform other duties as required and as assigned by the Executive Director.

General Responsibilities:

• HRA is a public agency operating for the benefit of all citizens. Personnel shall conduct themselves in a manner respectful of all clients and shall adhere to HRA's mission and goals. Personnel shall act in such a way as to create a positive image of the Agency.
• Personnel will act in a professional manner while relating to HRA staff, clients, and business contacts seeking to resolve differences or complaints through appropriate agency procedures.
• All personnel are responsible for adherence to HRA personnel policies, including the prevention of conflict of interest, misuse of funds, or abuse of trust, and are responsible for reporting known misconduct to an Executive officer.
• All personnel shall respect the legal and moral rights and privacy of confidential information due to all clients and are responsible for upholding HRA's affirmative action policies.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting. Master’s degree in business administration or CPA is a plus.
• Minimum of seven (7) years’ work experience in accounting and/or business management with duties and responsibilities of a similar nature. Non-profit or government agency experience preferred.
• Knowledge of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts procurement regulations and practices, including statutory and legal requirements of public purchasing.
• Strong computer and technical skills, including the ability to effectively use Word, Excel, and database software.
• Possession of a valid driver’s license and/or access to reliable transportation.

Additional Qualifications:

• Demonstrated understanding of statutory reporting standards and procedures supported by strong operational accounting competence.
• Demonstrated knowledge of principles, practices, and methods of Generally Accepted Accounting Practices.
• Demonstrated knowledge of principles and practices of financial administration, including reporting requirements of state and federal agencies.
• Demonstrated ability to examine and verify financial documents and reports.
• Demonstrated ability to develop accounting procedures and forms.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret complex state and federal regulations and program requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
• Demonstrated ability to design clear, timely reports that will allow program directors to make informed financial decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to select, supervise, train, and evaluate assigned personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to oversee multiple processes for several different corporations and meet reporting deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage and function as a member of a team.
• Demonstrated leadership and decision-making abilities.