Chief Financial Officer – Clerk’s Office

City of Indianapolis; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Indianapolis seeks a Chief Financial Officer to lead the Clerk’s Office financial operations, ensuring integrity, compliance, and strategic budgeting. The CFO directs budgeting, accounting, payroll oversight, and external-audit readiness while safeguarding internal controls and reporting for court revenue, trust accounts, and child-support funds.

This executive role requires strong expertise in government accounting, risk management, and cross-agency collaboration to support fiscal

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field and seven years of progressively responsible financial-management experience
• Experience with governmental or fund accounting, budget development, financial reporting, cash management, audit, and internal controls
• Experience overseeing high-volume financial transactions and complex reconciliations across multiple systems
• Knowledge of governmental accounting practices, public-fund controls, audit requirements, and applicable laws

Responsibilities

• Leads budgeting, accounting, financial planning, payroll oversight, purchasing, contract administration, banking, and financial reporting
• Develops and monitors the annual operating budget and fiscal projections
• Oversees court revenue, trust, child-support, and other custodial/pass-through activity
• Establishes and monitors internal controls across financial systems and reconciliations
• Directs financial reporting, year-end activities, and examinations/audits
• Advises senior leaders on financial condition, risk, and strategic resource allocation
• Leads personnel development within Finance and Accounting and liaison with external entities

Skills

Financial management

Budgeting

Audits

Internal controls

Leadership

Public finance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration

Master’s degree in Accounting/Finance/Business Administration

Tools

PeopleSoft

Odyssey

Excel

Job description

Overview Agency Summary

Established by the Indiana Constitution, the Marion County Clerk serves as the custodian of court records, issues marriage licenses, serves as fiscal agent for the courts, and performs financial responsibilities related to child-support payments. The Clerk’s Office provides services through multiple locations, including continuous operations at the Community Justice Campus, and administers high-volume court revenue, trust, custodial, and pass-through financial activity. The office is committed to accurate, secure, transparent, collaborative, and compliant public service for the residents of Indianapolis and Marion County.

Job Summary

The Chief Financial Officer is a member of the Clerk’s executive leadership team and is responsible for the strategic direction, integrity, and regulatory compliance of the office’s financial operations. The position directs budgeting, accounting, financial planning and analysis, payroll oversight, purchasing, contracts, banking, cash management, court revenue and trust accounting, child-support financial controls, audit response, and financial reporting. The CFO oversees the Clerk’s operating budget and provides financial oversight for the court revenue, trust, child-support, and other custodial or pass-through activity. The incumbent establishes and monitors internal controls across multiple financial and court case-management systems, advises the Clerk and executive leadership regarding financial condition and risk, and ensures that work performed by employees and contracted service providers meets applicable legal, accounting, audit, and program requirements. The position works under limited supervision and exercises substantial independent judgment in a high-volume environment in which errors may create significant financial, operational, audit, legal, or public-trust consequences.

Position Responsibilities

• Leads the Clerk’s budgeting, accounting, financial planning, payroll oversight, purchasing, contract administration, banking, cash-management, financial-reporting, and compliance functions.
• Develops, administers, monitors, and forecasts the annual operating budget, including revenue and expenditure projections, variance analysis, fund-balance projections, transfers, and fiscal adjustments.
• Provides executive oversight in the annual court revenue, trust, child-support, and other custodial or pass-through activity.
• Establishes and monitors internal controls governing collections, deposits, disbursements, electronic transfers, account access, segregation of duties, financial documentation, and reconciliation processes.
• Ensures accurate and timely reconciliation of bank accounts, general-ledger activity, court case-management systems, clearing accounts, and other financial systems; directs resolution of discrepancies and control deficiencies.
• Oversee the Clerk’s financial responsibilities within Indiana’s Title IV-D Child Support Program, including payment controls, system-access administration, time-study reporting, vendor compliance review, and adherence to applicable state and federal requirements.
• Directs financial reporting, statutory revenue distributions, year-end activities, unclaimed-property reporting, and other required submissions to courts, governmental agencies, auditors, and financial institutions.
• Leads preparation for and response to State Board of Accounts examinations, internal and external audits, and federal or state program reviews; develops and monitors corrective-action plans.
• Advises the Clerk and executive leadership regarding financial condition, resource allocation, emerging risks, proposed operational or policy changes, and long-term financial strategy.
• Directs and develops Finance and Accounting personnel and serves as the principal financial liaison with internal and external agencies, courts, banks, auditors, vendors, and other governmental entities

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field and at least seven years of progressively responsible financial-management experience, including at least three years in a supervisory or management role. In lieu of a bachelor’s degree, at least ten years of progressively responsible financial-management experience may be considered, including at least three years in a supervisory or management role.

Candidates must also demonstrate experience with governmental or fund accounting, budget development, financial reporting, cash management, audit, and internal controls. Experience overseeing high-volume financial transactions and complex reconciliations involving multiple banking, accounting, or case-management systems. Knowledge of governmental accounting practices, public-fund controls, audit requirements, and applicable financial laws and regulations. Ability to evaluate and improve internal controls and lead corrective action in response to audit findings, reconciliation discrepancies, or compliance deficiencies. Advanced analytical, spreadsheet, financial-system, written-communication, and oral-communication skills.

Preferred Job Requirements And Qualifications

Master’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field. Relevant professional certification, such as Certified Government Financial Manager, Certified Public Finance Officer, Certified Management Accountant, or a comparable financial-management credential. Experience with Indiana governmental finance, court accounting, trust or custodial funds, child-support financial operations, or Title IV-D compliance. Experience responding to State Board of Accounts examinations or comparable governmental audits and implementing corrective-action plans. Experience using PeopleSoft, Odyssey, or comparable enterprise financial and court case-management systems.

Working Conditions

Essential functions are regularly performed in an office setting without exposure to adverse environmental conditions. Occasional travel to other Clerk, court, banking, audit, or City-County locations, and conferences may be required. The position may occasionally attend meetings or respond to urgent financial, payroll, banking, system, or compliance matters outside regular business hours. The work involves extended periods at a computer and may require managing multiple deadlines and sensitive issues in a high-volume environment.

Physical Conditions

• Sitting at a desk the majority of the day
• Some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (5-10) pounds
• Tasks may involve extended periods of time at keyboard or workstation
• Tasks require the ability to perceive and hear sounds and see visual cues or signals
• Tasks require the ability to communicate orally

Equal Employment Opportunity

The City of Indianapolis Marion County is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. We value diversity in perspectives and experiences among colleagues and the residents of this city of whom we serve.