Deputy Finance Director

City Of Eugene; Eugene (OR); On-site; USD 125,000 - 169,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Eugene is seeking a Deputy Finance Director to guide financial operations, partner with the CFO, and lead the Finance Division. You will serve as a trusted advisor to City leadership, manage debt portfolio, and oversee key finance functions including long-range planning and ERP system governance.

You will supervise a diverse team, lead cross-functional initiatives, and help modernize financial services while aligning with city-wide strategic goals and public accountability standards.

Qualifications

• Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in finance administration and management, public administration and research, including two years of supervisory or program management experience.
• Experience working for a government agency is preferred.
• Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance, Business or Public Administration is required.

Responsibilities

• Represent the Finance Division to other city departments, elected officials and outside agencies.
• Coordinate division activities with those of other departments and outside agencies and organizations; provide staff support to assigned boards and commissions.
• Research, mediate and resolve technical, sensitive and/or controversial inquiries, complaints and concerns.
• Communicate and coordinate with other program areas to ensure effectiveness of interdepartmental operations and activities.
• Select, supervise, and evaluate assigned staff; assign work and ensure appropriate training; investigate complaints; administer disciplinary actions; handle sensitive personnel matters.
• Support and guide employees through service changes and process improvements in functional areas.
• Ensure continuity of operations and plan for effective systems and staff training to support the service system.

Education

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

Master’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or Public Administration

Job description

General Statement of Duties

If you are a financial leader who values financial stewardship, collaboration, process improvement and strategic thinking, this is your opportunity to join a dynamic team to make a lasting impact. The City of Eugene is seeking a Deputy Finance Director prepared to guide financial operations and to provide strong strategic leadership. As the principal partner to the Chief Financial Officer, you will help lead the City's Finance Division and serve as a knowledgeable advisor to City leadership and departments across the organization. This is an opportunity to help shape the financial future of a dynamic city organization and to demonstrate what thoughtful, accountable, service-centered leadership looks like in public service. The successful candidate will build a cohesive partnership with the Chief Financial Officer, lead the Finance Division and help shape the future direction of the Finance function at the City.

Your leadership will champion our core values:

• Trust & Confidence - Build lasting trust through authentic partnerships, responsive service and a culture of mutual respect
• Strategic Partnership & Excellence – Thoughtful, knowledgeable strategic partners who deliver efficient, high-quality solutions that move the organization forward.
• Strong Financial Stewardship– Build on a strong financial legacy to modernize financial operations and provide strategic financial guidance to develop long term fiscal stability across the organization.

What We’re Looking For:

• A strategic thinker who can balance vision with operational excellence
• A leader who is curious about future service delivery options and has experience leading through changing environments and process improvement efforts
• Someone who thrives on new challenges and is skilled at finding collaborative solutions.

Deputy Finance Director Framework

The Deputy Finance Director will oversee operational aspects of the work of the Finance Division, work collaboratively with leadership across the organization, assist the CFO with Long Range Financial Planning and also serve as the City’s Debt Manager, managing a portfolio consisting of $66 million of outstanding debt. This position will serve as a trusted leader who can weigh competing priorities, anticipate downstream impacts, and offer clear, objective guidance. They will be a skilled public finance professional with strong communication skills (oral and written), excellent planning and organizational skills, and the ability to work as part of a team. They will have experience directing staff to manage multiple complex tasks under tight deadlines.

The Deputy Finance Director will ensure effective operations for various functions within the Finance Division, which could include Procure-to-Pay (P2P), Payroll, Financial Reporting, Accounts Payable, and the treasury function. The position will recognize trends early, plan for near- and long-term organizational growth, and connect financial strategy, systems, data, and business processes. They will frame choices impartially and strengthen the City’s readiness for growth, economic uncertainty, and evolving service needs.

Serving as the City’s Debt Manager, this position will manage all aspects of debt administration in collaboration with the CFO. In terms of planning, this position will work with City departments to advise on the feasibility of issuing debt for a variety of ideas that are generated by City Council, staff and the public. Acting as the Debt Manager, they will serve on policy teams that provide oversight for bond funds and act as the debt expert that advises the City Council on bond-related matters.

The Deputy Finance Director will work closely with the CFO on a range of policy and operational issues including Long Range Financial Planning, bargaining, and the evaluation of new initiatives such as modernization efforts or new revenue options. They will serve as the finance liaison on a cross functional leadership team guiding decisions related to the City’s ERP system, People Soft, to support financial needs throughout the organization.

The Deputy Finance Director will have strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial topics in a meaningful way to a wide range of stakeholders and work effectively with a diverse customer base.

Receives supervision from the Chief Financial Officer and operates with a high degree of independence, exercises sound judgement, and strategic initiative with minimal guidance. Exercises direct and indirect leadership to a diverse team of management, administrative, professional, technical, and clerical staff with the goal of fostering a collaborative, high-performing environment that advances the City’s financial functions and goals. The Finance Division employes a staff of 30 full-time equivalent employees with a budget of 8.5 million.

Position Information:

Classification: Finance Director, Deputy

Salary Range: $125,174.40 - $169,000.00 Annually

The City of Eugene determines starting pay within the range based on relevant education and experience as provided by the applicant in their application materials. This process is consistent with the Oregon Equal Pay Act (OEPA).

Department/Division: Central Services/Finance

Union Representation: Non-Represented, Non-exempt

Work Location: 500 E 4th Ave Eugene, OR 97401

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM with flexibility per business need

Benefits: The City of Eugene offers robust and competitive benefits. For more information, select the Benefits Tab, or view benefits summaries as well as see information about all employee benefits.

Bilingual Pay Benefit: This position qualifies for up to an additional 5% of base salary for bilingual pay. Please see "Supplemental Information" at the end of the posting for more information.

Living & Working in Eugene: Information about living in Eugene, how the City of Eugene operates, and more can be found on our website.

Organizational Leadership & Staffing Management

• Represent the Finance Division to other city departments, elected officials and outside agencies;
• Coordinate division activities with those of other departments and outside agencies and organizations; provide staff support to assigned boards and commissions.
• Research, mediate and resolve technical, sensitive and/or controversial inquiries, complaints and concerns;
• Communicate and coordinate with other program areas to ensure effectiveness of interdepartmental operations and activities;
• Select, supervise, and evaluate assigned staff; assign work and ensure appropriate training is provided; investigate complaints; recommend and administer disciplinary actions; handle sensitive personnel matters and recommend grievance responses; exercise full supervision over employees.
• Support and guide employees through service changes and process improvements in functional areas.
• Ensure continuity of operations and plan for effective systems and staff training to support the service system

Division Operations & Executive Oversight

• Provide leadership for day-to-day operations, cross-divisional coordination, and execution of division priorities.
• Partner with the Chief Financial Officer in the review, development and implementation of the Long-Range Financial Plan, and policies and procedures, both for the Division and city-wide, that guide sound fiscal management and efficient and effective financial services.
• Serve as a member of the Finance Leadership Team; create the division budget; participate in development of goals, objectives, policies, and procedures; act in the capacity of the Chief Financial Officer in their absence.
• Act as consultant on a wide range of complex financial issues for departments, Executive Managers, and elected officials; provide an analysis of the financial impact and risk to the organization from undertaking new approaches or initiatives.
• Performs related and other duties as assigned.

Debt Management & Capital Financing

• Serve as Debt Manager for the City of Eugene and the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency to conduct reviews and analyses of the debt financing needs; construct the appropriate financing strategy to be presented to the City Council for approval, including type of instrument, magnitude of issuance and market timing; leading issuance of new debt issues with bond counsel, financial advisors, rating agencies, and underwriters; and managing all existing debt obligations of the City including post-issuance compliance requirements of the Internal Revenue Service, Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and other regulatory bodies.
• Working with stakeholders to develop a potential revenue bond issue.
• To view detailed information on the duties, knowledge, and abilities that may be expected for this position, please see the classification: Finance Director, Deputy

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience:

Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in finance administration and management, public administration and research, including two years of supervisory or program management experience.

Experience working for a government agency is preferred. Experience in government accounting or working as a municipal auditor may also be preferred.

Education:

Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance, Business or Public Administration, or a closely related field.

Master’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or Public Administration is preferred.

Background:

Must pass a background check.

The City of Eugene encourages individuals of all communities and backgrounds to apply for job opportunities as we strive to provide the best service to the public. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one who comes with relevant transferable knowledge, skills, and abilities from a variety of sources and experiences. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

Bilingual Pay Benefit

This benefit compensates non-represented employees up to 5% of their base salary. To qualify for bilingual pay, the employee must