Director of Finance And Accounting

Butler County Regional Transit Authority; Hamilton (OH); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Life insurance & short-term disability

Generous paid time off

OPERS retirement match

Job summary

Butler County Regional Transit Authority in Hamilton, Ohio, seeks a Director of Finance to own the agency's financial picture, including accounting, budgeting, payroll, procurement oversight, grants, and insurance. You will translate complex data into plain‑English recommendations for the Executive Director and Board of Trustees.

You will lead a small finance team, oversee internal controls, and ensure GASB compliance while pursuing federal, state, and local funding opportunities to strengthen

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field required.
• Significant experience in senior financial management in government or public-sector finance.
• Working knowledge of accrual accounting, compliance, and reporting.
• Familiarity with GASB standards and state/federal reporting requirements.
• Experience with federal, state, and local funding sources preferred.

Responsibilities

• Strategize as part of the executive leadership team and shape financial initiatives.
• Deliver forward-looking financial analysis to inform business plans and forecasts.
• Translate financial results into strategic recommendations for the Board and leadership.
• Develop agency procedures to improve quality and efficiency and manage audits.
• Oversee accounting functions, budgeting, cash management, and payroll.
• Manage grants, compliance, and external audits and reporting.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Strategic planning

GASB standards

Audits & compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field

Job description

Run the numbers that move a county.

Every weekday, BCRTA gets people to work, to class, to the doctor, to the grocery store. Behind every one of those rides is a budget that has to balance, a federal grant that has to be won, and an audit that has to come back clean.

That’s this job.

We’re hiring a Director of Finance to own the financial picture of a public transit agency: accounting, budgeting, payroll, procurement oversight, grants, and insurance. Then you’ll turn all of it into plain-English recommendations the Executive Director and Board of Trustees can actually act on.

What makes this role different

You’re a strategist, not just a scorekeeper. You sit on the executive leadership team and help shape policy, strategic initiatives, and operating models. You don’t just report on them after the fact.

Your work reaches the Board directly. You present the financial picture to our trustees yourself, including trends, investments, and risk exposure. No filter, no middle layer.

You chase real money. Federal, state, and local grants from FTA, ODOT, and beyond. You write the applications, you manage the awards, you make sure BCRTA leaves nothing on the table.

You lead a team. Three direct reports: Senior Accountant, Manager of Procurement & Compliance, and Accounting Clerk.

Your work is public. Public funds, GASB-compliant reporting, public audits, public accountability. Get it right and the whole community benefits.

What you’ll actually do

Strategy & Leadership

• Serve on the BCRTA executive leadership team and participate in key decisions on strategic initiatives, operating models, and operational execution
• Deliver forward-looking financial analysis that informs business plans and forecasts
• Analyze financial results and translate them into strategic and tactical recommendations
• Help set annual objectives and engage outside auditors and advisors
• Develop agency procedures that improve quality and efficiency
• Represent the Executive Director at meetings as needed

Accounting & Financial Management

• Manage all accounting functions: accounts payable, general ledger, monthly financial reporting, and payroll
• Develop, administer, and maintain operating and capital financial plans and budgets
• Prepare and maintain regular financial planning reports
• Oversee weekly cash management, approve weekly payables, and execute check signing
• Ensure all agency funds are properly received, deposited, and disbursed
• Maintain appropriate internal controls and financial procedures
• Oversee investment and asset management
• Manage BCRTA’s insurance program
• Maintain an internal accounting system that meets Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements

Grants, Audits & Compliance

• Prepare all federal, state, and local grant applications and manage awards after they land
• Serve as the key point of contact for external auditors and manage all external audit preparation and support
• Oversee state, federal, and special audits
• File all required federal, state, and local reports and information requests, including the annual National Transit Database (NTD) report
• Work with FTA, ODOT, and other agencies to secure available funding and meet every reporting requirement
• Maintain current, working knowledge of GASB standards and apply new pronouncements as they take effect
• Stay current on public audit best practices and state and federal law governing RTA operations
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance across all financial functions
• Serve as BCRTA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Liaison

Board Reporting

• Serve as Treasurer to the BCRTA Board of Trustees and any subsidiaries, fulfilling the related responsibilities outlined in the BCRTA Bylaws and Subsidiary Code of Regulations
• Report to the Board of Trustees on financial matters, including issues, trends, and changes affecting BCRTA’s finances, investments, and risk exposure

Procurement & Administration

• Oversee agency procurements through the Manager of Procurement & Compliance, in consultation with the appropriate departments
• Supervise the Senior Accountant, Manager of Procurement & Compliance, and Accounting Clerk
• Supervise and coordinate financial and statistical data collection and processing
• Maintain organizational records consistent with adopted retention guidelines
• Prepare statistical data and reports for internal and external needs

What you bring

Required

• College degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
• 3 to 6 years in a senior financial-management role in government or public-sector finance (transit authority, municipality, county, township, school district, or similar public entity)
• Significant experience with or knowledge of accrual accounting, compliance, and reporting
• Working knowledge of GASB (Governmental Accounting Standards Board) standards, and a commitment to staying current as new pronouncements are issued
• Prior experience working with federal, state, and local funding sources

Strongly preferred

• CPA
• Transit industry experience

How you work

• You handle complex financial data independently and accurately
• You read and interpret dense documents and legal instruments without flinching
• You bring sharp analytical and abstract reasoning skills, plus real organizational discipline
• You lead, supervise, coordinate, and motivate a team
• You retain detail, and a lot of it
• You communicate clearly in writing and out loud, to accountants and non-accountants alike
• You juggle multiple concurrent projects through frequent interruptions
• You stay steady under pressure and during high-stress periods
• You maintain strict confidentiality, always

Compensation

BCRTA benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance and short-term disability coverage in addition to generous paid time off, and14% retirement match in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). Additional options for participation on Ohio Deferred Compensation plans.

Why BCRTA

Butler County RTA keeps our community connected, getting people to work, school, medical care, and everywhere life takes them. Behind every safe, on-time trip is a budget that was built right, a grant that was won, and a set of books that will stand up to any auditor who opens them. Bring your expertise here and you won’t just close the month; you’ll shape how this agency plans, invests, and grows.