Financial Manager III (Budget) - Austin Energy

City of Austin; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 103,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Austin seeks a experienced Financial Manager III to lead a team of seven budget professionals and two managers, directing the City’s substantial operating and capital budgets. The role provides senior financial guidance to executive leadership, reviews estimates, variance reports, and forecasts to support decision-making.

Responsibilities include long-range financial planning, capital budgeting, and development of performance metrics, with a focus on accuracy, compliance, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Economics with six years in finance, including two in management.
• Master’s in Finance/Accounting or CPA may substitute for two years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting for operating and capital budgets.
• Manage staff including supervision of budget professionals and managers.
• Develop long-range financial plans, capital improvement program, and monthly performance-to-budget reports.
• Provide strategic financial insights to executive management and council.
• Ensure compliance with city policies, debt management, and rate setting processes.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

Financial reporting

Debt management

Cash management

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting/Economics

Master’s degree in Finance/Accounting or CPA

Job description

About This Position

The Financial Manager III serves as a strategic leader overseeing two managers and seven budget professionals within the Operating and Capital Budget workgroups. This role is responsible for the development and management of the City’s $2.06 billion annual operating budget and its $3.3 billion five‑year capital budget. The position provides critical guidance to executive management by offering expert financial insights, reviewing current‑year estimates and variance reports, and analyzing historical and forecasted budget information to support organizational decision‑making. In this role, the Financial Manager III evaluates organizational performance measures, goals, and objectives by compiling and analyzing financial, business, service, and operational data. The position identifies emerging trends, assesses their impact, and recommends appropriate corrective actions. The Financial Manager III also directs the development of the capital budget, the long‑range plan, and the five‑year capital improvement plan, ensuring alignment with departmental and citywide priorities. This position manages the full budget development cycle, including scheduling and coordinating internal planning meetings, producing all required submissions for the City of Austin Budget Office, and preparing monthly internal performance‑to‑budget reporting.

Job Description

Manager III, Financial Purpose: Under minimal direction, this position is responsible for management and operations of organization's financial activities and staff for a large enterprise or function, including either a broad span of control, supervision of other financial managers, or highly‑complex, specialized work.

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities

• Properly accounts for and safe‑guards the City's cash and other assets for large‑sized enterprises or functions within a department.
• Provides general oversight for department’s accounting, budgeting, purchasing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, revenue, CIP, grants, fixed assets, inventory, and payroll functions.
• May provide oversight for non‑financial areas.
• Guides financial decisions of the organization by preparing financial information for presentation and consideration by management.
• Oversees and directs the development of the budget and business plan for the organization, performs budget analysis, provides guidance and recommendations to management, monitors the budget by reviewing current year estimates and budget variance reports, and reviews historical and forecast budget information.
• Provides feedback and analysis of organization performance measures, goals, and objectives by compiling relevant financial, business, service and operational information, identifying and evaluating trends, and recommending corrective actions.
• Reviews financial and budget reports and performs financial analyses by managing compilation of appropriate information.
• Directs the development of organization's mid‑ and long‑range financial forecast; ensuring revenue, expenditure and debt service projections meet applicable financial policies, guidelines and benchmarks, such as requirements for debt service coverage and cash reserves.
• Oversees and directs development of service rates, cost of service studies, and customer class rate proposals for Council.
• Oversees and directs requirements of a regulatory environment including rate proceedings, rate filing documentation, expert testimony development and delivery, litigation support, and settlement negotiations.
• Oversees and directs debt program including revenue bond planning and issuance, development and update of Bond Official Statements, rating agency presentation development, management of commercial paper programs, reconciliations of debt service schedules, and analysis of bond refinancing or defeasance opportunities.
• Oversees and directs the development of the capital budget, long‑range plan and five‑year plan.
• Prepares, reviews and evaluates financial and accounting documents, reports and statements and ensures that financial transactions are recorded promptly and properly.
• Ensures financial staff are appropriately trained on the City’s systems of record and on citywide policies and procedures.

Responsibilities – Supervisor and/or Leadership Exercised

Responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of the processes and theories used for public budgetary and financial policies.
• Knowledge of accounting concepts, principles, and practices.
• Knowledge of financial reporting and internal control systems.
• Knowledge of utility ratemaking and cost of service study methodology.
• Knowledge of debt instruments, cash management and utility financing methods.
• Knowledge of forecasting models; econometric studies, analysis, and forecasting; and estimating methods and techniques.
• Knowledge of cost benefits analysis, feasibility studies and net present value analysis methods.
• Knowledge of enterprise budgeting, financial planning or accounting.
• Knowledge of preferred business practices.
• Knowledge of financial and budget systems and reporting.
• Knowledge of leadership, supervisory, and management best practices.

• Skill in designing and maintaining complex spreadsheet and database models.
• Skill in development of presentations.
• Skill in effective oral and written communications.
• Skill in analyzing and interpreting complex financial records.
• Skill in using computers and related software applications.
• Skill in determining need and compiling, analyzing and presenting financial information and data for management and Council use.
• Ability to resolve problems or situations that require the exercising of good judgement.
• Ability to prepare complex and accurate financial reports.
• Ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with other City employees and the public.

Minimum Qualifications

Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in a field related to Finance, Accounting, or Economics, plus six (6) years of experience in a finance related field, two (2) years of which include management experience. Experience must include one (1) year of accounting. Up to twelve (12) hours of accounting coursework may substitute for accounting experience. Graduation with a Master’s in Finance, Accounting, or Business‑related field or a CPA certification may substitute for two (2) years of experience requirement.

Licenses and Certifications Required: None.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of public‑sector budgeting principles, financial policies, and related analytical frameworks.
• Proven experience leading and developing a team of professional staff to achieve organizational goals.
• Strong understanding of forecasting methods, econometric trends, analytical modeling techniques, and financial estimation practices.
• Experience preparing legislative or executive approval documents—such as Requests for Council Action—within an electronic workflow or routing system.
• Ability to develop clear, concise, and visually effective presentations for diverse audiences.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information in an accessible manner.
• Skill in identifying information needs and compiling, analyzing, and presenting financial data to support decision‑making for management and City Council.
• Manages personnel actions including recruitment, hiring, training, recognition, staff development, performance management, coaching, and discipline for division employees.

Notes to Candidate

Pay Range: $102,910.00 (Entry) - $131,700.00 (Midpoint)

Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00AM - 5:00PM)

Location: 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin Texas 78723

Employment Application: The City of Austin employment application is an official document; incomplete applications will not be considered. The Employment Record should be complete with job titles, employment dates, job duties, functions, and responsibilities for each position held. Starting salary will be based on overall relevant experience from your application. Responses to supplemental questions regarding experience should also be clearly documented in the ‘Experience’ section of the main application. Please be sure to detail on the application all current and previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications. Résumés will not be accepted and statements such as “see résumé” will not be accepted. You may use “N/A” for fields that are not applicable. Please note that Austin Energy may close the job posting at any time after 7 days from the date of the initial advertisement. Once the job posting has closed, applications cannot be changed. To ensure a thorough evaluation of your qualifications, please answer all applicable questions in the questionnaire section completely. Incomplete, brief, or one‑line responses may not provide enough detail and could impact your eligibility to move forward in the selection process. Current City of Austin employees must submit their application through ‘Job Hubs’ in Workday to be considered. If you are selected as a top candidate: Verification of your education (which may include high school graduation or GED, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees) will be required. You must provide proof of education from an accredited organization/institution This position may require a criminal background investigation. Good Standing Employees: Employees, in Good Standing, who are candidates within the department/division that the position resides in and who meet the minimum and all of the preferred qualifications (if any) of the position will be included in the initial interview. Department/division employee must remain in Good Standing through the Top Candidate Selection phase at which time the Good Standing status will be re‑verified. Critical Employee: This position has been designated as a Critical Employee position. Critical Employees are considered necessary and vital and supports activities that impact City or department operations. This work can be done while at a designated work site or while working at an alternate work location. Critical employees who are able to work at an alternative work location are required to do so. Schedules may be modified, and employees may be reassigned to another area during extraordinary situations or emergency conditions to provide essential services. Fair Labor Standards Act: This position is considered FLSA Exempt. Exempt employees are salaried and, except as provided, are not eligible for overtime compensation. Important Note to Applicants: Please be aware that the Job Posting Close Date reflects the final day to apply, but the posting will close at 11:59 PM the day before the date listed. All application steps, including attachments and submission, must be fully completed before that time. We also recommend that you save or print a copy of the job posting for your records. Once a posting has closed, it will no longer be viewable in the system

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The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual's AIDS, AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk. City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974‑3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7‑1‑1.

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