Peoria County, IL – Chief Financial Officer

GovHRUSA; Illinois; On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Peoria County in Illinois seeks a knowledgeable and strategic Chief Financial Officer to lead the Finance Department, oversee budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting, and ensure responsible stewardship of public funds. This senior role reports to the County Administrator and engages with the County Board, auditors, and community stakeholders.

The ideal candidate will bring extensive governmental finance experience, strong budgeting and forecasting skills, and a collaborative leadership

Qualifications

• Progressively responsible experience in governmental or public-sector financial management.
• Strong knowledge of government accounting, budgeting, reporting, internal controls, and fiscal management.
• Experience preparing, administering, and monitoring complex budgets.
• Ability to analyze financial issues and translate into practical recommendations.
• Understanding of debt administration, capital planning, forecasting, and long-term sustainability.
• Collaborative leadership and ability to work across departments and elected officials.
• High ethical standards and commitment to transparency and accountability.
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, organizational and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, preparation, monitoring, and administration of the annual operating and capital budget.
• Advise the County Administrator and Board on financial conditions, risks, opportunities, and sustainability.
• Prepare and present clear, timely financial information to leadership and elected officials.
• Ensure compliance with government accounting standards, laws, and internal controls.
• Manage debt portfolio and provide analysis for debt financing and capital needs.
• Monitor revenues, expenditures, cash flow, reserves, investments, and other indicators.
• Provide financial analysis and decision support for programs, projects, contracts, and grants.
• Strengthen financial policies, procedures, and reporting systems.
• Support responsible purchasing practices and procurement strategies.
• Collaborate with departments to improve planning and resource utilization.
• Promote financial transparency and public understanding of County finances.
• Oversee preparation of the Annual Comprehensive Finance Report and external audits.
• Lead, mentor, and develop Finance staff with a culture of professionalism and accountability.

Skills

Public finance leadership

Budgeting

Financial analysis

Internal controls

Debt management

Collaboration

Communication skills

Ethical standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance

Master's degree or CPA/CGFM desirable

Job description

Peoria County, Illinois

(population 181,830) Peoria County seeks a knowledgeable, strategic, and collaborative financial executive to serve as its next Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

The Chief Financial Officer

The Chief Financial Officer serves as the County's senior financial advisor and provides leadership for the County's Finance Department, with a staff of nine. Reporting to the County Administrator, the CFO works closely with the County Board, elected officeholders, department heads, team members, external auditors, financial institutions, and community stakeholders to ensure the County's financial resources are managed responsibly, transparently, and in alignment with organizational priorities. This is an exceptional opportunity for a seasoned finance professional to help shape the financial future of a diverse and dynamic county while supporting high-quality services for over 180,000 residents.

About Peoria County

Located in the heart of Central Illinois, Peoria County combines the advantages of a dynamic regional metropolitan region with a friendly Midwestern culture. The County provides a broad range of services, including public safety, justice and courts, health and human services, infrastructure, elections, emergency management, veterans' services, and other essential governmental functions. In 2026, the County budgeted total annual expenditures of $176.2 million. It has a total of 687.5 employees.

The Greater Peoria region has a diverse and vibrant business base and is home to a variety of firms that focus on innovation, research, and development. While agriculture and manufacturing giants such as Caterpillar and Komatsu maintain an important presence, the region’s industries over the last 20 years have noticeably expanded and grown to encompass healthcare, education, financial services, and technology.

Peoria County boasts an impressive array of urban amenities. The vibrant arts scene ranges from a symphony orchestra and ballet company to local workshops and galleries. The City of Peoria, which is the County’s population and commercial center, offers a range of leisure time amenities, including a minor league baseball team, NCAA Division One athletics, and a professional hockey team.

The area is also characterized as one with small-town friendliness and charm. Multiple communities are nestled along the Illinois River, which flows along the entire eastern border of the County. The landscape lends itself to a plethora of outdoor activities. Abundant golf courses, substantial trail systems, fishing and hunting opportunities, boating, a lively running scene, and mountain biking can all be experienced in the County.

The CFO Position

The CFO provides executive leadership and oversight of the County's financial operations, including accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, purchasing, payroll administration, debt administration, financial analysis, and related fiscal compliance activities.

Key responsibilities of the position include:

• Leading the development, preparation, monitoring, and administration of the County's annual operating and capital budget.
• Advising the County Administrator and County Board on financial conditions, trends, risks, opportunities, and long-term fiscal sustainability.
• Preparing and presenting clear, timely, and understandable financial information to County leadership and elected officials.
• Ensuring compliance with applicable governmental accounting standards, laws, regulations, County policies, and internal controls.
• Managing the County's debt portfolio and providing analysis and recommendations regarding debt financing and capital needs.
• Monitoring revenues, expenditures, cash flow, reserves, investments, and other key financial indicators.
• Providing financial analysis and decision support for County programs, capital projects, contracts, grants, and other initiatives.
• Strengthening financial policies, procedures, internal controls, reporting systems, and business processes.
• Supporting responsible purchasing practices and effective procurement strategies.
• Working collaboratively with County departments and elected officeholders to improve financial planning, accountability, and resource utilization.
• Promoting financial transparency and public understanding of County finances.
• Overseeing the preparation of the County’s Annual Comprehensive Finance Report and coordinating all external audit activities.
• Leading, mentoring, and developing Finance Department staff while fostering a culture of professionalism, accountability, service, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, economics, or a related field, and substantial progressively responsible professional experience in governmental or public-sector financial management. A master's degree and/or CPA, CGFM, or other relevant professional certifications are highly desirable but not required.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Significant progressively responsible experience in governmental finance, public administration, accounting, budgeting, or a closely related field.
• Strong knowledge of governmental accounting principles, budgeting, financial reporting, internal controls, and fiscal management.
• Experience preparing, administering, and monitoring complex organizational budgets.
• Ability to analyze complex financial issues and translate technical information into practical recommendations.
• Strong understanding of debt administration, capital planning, financial forecasting, and long-term fiscal sustainability.
• A collaborative leadership style and the ability to build effective working relationships across departments and with independently elected officials.
• High ethical standards and a demonstrated commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of public funds.
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, organizational, and presentation skills.

Compensation

The starting annual salary range for the position is $140,000 to $160,000 DOQ/E. Peoria County provides all employees with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Peoria County is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Application Deadline

October 16, 2026