Public Utilities Services Administrator – Finance

City of Virginia Beach; Virginia Beach (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Virginia Beach seeks a Public Utilities Services Administrator - Finance to lead financial oversight for the city's water and sewer operations. You will report to the Director of Public Utilities and engage with City Council and legal and finance teams on budgeting and policy implementation.

Responsibilities include managing the operating budget, CIP expenditures, and debt administration, plus supervising accounting, payroll, and billing teams to ensure accurate reporting and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or public administration; MBA/MPA preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive finance experience, preferably in utility/municipal environment.
• Proficient in advanced financial modeling in Excel and dashboarding in Power BI.
• Strong teamwork, problem-solving, and strategic planning skills.
• Experience managing financial aspects of a medium-to-large water utility.

Responsibilities

• Oversee financial oversight for billing and reconciliation of $210 million annually.
• Prepare detailed financial reports for water and sewer enterprise fund.
• Administer operating budget and CIP expenditures; ensure Master Bond Resolution compliance.
• Oversee general ledger interface to billing system for >135,000 utility accounts.
• Coordinate utility revenue bond sales and debt administration.
• Provide analytical and strategic planning support to the utility.
• Supervise two direct reports and support teams handling accounting, contracts, payables, payroll, and cashiering.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Strategic mindset

Team leadership

Stakeholder communication

Budget oversight

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or public administration

MBA or MPA preferred

Tools

Excel

Power BI

Job description

The Department of Public Utilities is seeking a Public Utilities Services Administrator - Finance.

This position reports to the Director of Public Utilities. The individual in this position may be required to attend meetings with City Council and city leaders to answer financial and budgetary questions on behalf of the department and will maintain a close working relationship with the City Attorney’s Office, Finance Department, Budget/Management Services Department, Human Services Department, as well as Public Works related to billing and revenue collection.

The Finance Administrator will be responsible for planning for the operations of a modern, forward-thinking utility by:

• Provides all aspects of financial oversight for the billing and reconciliation of $210 million annually in customer fees and charges
• Prepares detailed financial reports for all aspects of the water and sewer enterprise fund
• Administers the Public Utilities operating budget and capital improvement program expenditures; ensures compliance with all aspects of the Master Bond Resolution
• Provides oversight of the general ledger interface to the billing system for more than 135,000 utility accounts and the corresponding accounts receivables
• Coordinates utility revenue bond sales and debt administration
• Provides analytical and strategic planning support to the utility
• Provides managerial oversight of two direct reports and support teams who perform administrative functions including accounting, contracts, accounts payable, payroll, and cashiering

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or public administration.An MBA or MPA is highly preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in finance, preferably within a utility or municipal environment. Specific experience with strategic planning, process improvement, and data analysis.
• Proficiency with advanced financial modeling in Excel and creating financial reporting dashboards in Power BI.
• The “Consultant” Mindset: Ability to proactively engage within teams to understand the challenges and to actively problem-solve. This is not a “back-office” role. The Finance Administrator is expected to be at the table during the earliest stages of project planning
• Experience managing the financial aspects of a medium-to-large water utility
• Experience with municipal finance, capital planning, and utility operating budgets
• Experience in creating an environment of organizational consensus regarding fiscal strategy
• Experience with strategic planning, process improvement, financial reporting, and data analysis
• Experience with interpretation and implementation of municipal policy or code and corresponding monitoring for compliance
• Experience supervising professional and clerical staff
• Experience presenting to executive leadership
• Professional certifications, such as CPA, CMA, CIA

This position is at-will, and therefore, serves at the pleasure of City leadership and is not considered part of the merit service as defined in City Code, section 2-75.

Minimum Qualifications:

Requires any combination of education (above the high school level) and/or experience equivalent to nine years in business administration or accounting, utilizing the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

The City of Virginia Beach is an Equal Opportunity Employer.