Controller, Management, Financial Manager

Controller

Location:
Houston, TX 77092

Salary: $195,000

Position Type:
Full-Time/40hrs per week

Department:
Finance & Administrative Services

Job Summary:

The Harris County Flood Control District is seeking exceptional, detail-oriented, and qualified candidates for the role of Controller. The District's core mission is to mitigate the risk of flooding in Harris County which boasts a population of over 4.7 million and includes the City of Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States. The District's responsibilities extend to approximately 1,500 channels spanning nearly 2,500 miles, over 60 regional stormwater detention basins covering more than 10,000 acres and several wetlands mitigation banks, such as Greens Bayou.

The Controller will serve as a key financial executive, leading the District's day-to-day finance operations and overseeing a budget totaling $241 million and a bond program that comprises more than $5 billion in projects and construction. This role demands a dynamic leader with a strong command of public sector finance, operational excellence, and strategic execution.
Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Controller will manage and mentor a team of up to 53 staff members across core financial functions, including general accounting, accounts payable and receivable, inventory management, and the financial administration of complex state and federal grants programs. The Controller will establish and maintain robust financial systems, internal controls, and compliance frameworks that support transparency, accountability, and long-term fiscal sustainability.

This role is pivotal in maintaining the fiscal integrity of the District and supporting its ambitious infrastructure and service delivery objectives. The Controller will be both a strategic partner and a hands-on operational leader, driving excellence across all facets of financial management.
Essential Functions & Duties:

Financial Management & Reporting

• Manage all accounting and financial reporting activities while establishing and enforcing policies, strategies, controls, and reporting systems that ensure the District's financial stability and the predictability of expenditures, especially regarding federal and grant funding strategies.
• Provides status of financial condition by collecting, interpreting, and reporting financial data.
• Manage organizational cash flow forecasting; continuously collaborating with the Chief and Division Directors to assess the financial efficacy of program operations and establish finance and administrative systems to support District operations.

Budgeting, Planning & Operations

• Oversee the District's annual budgeting as well as operations & maintenance, capital improvement planning processes, as approved by Commissioners Court.
• Manages the development and implementation of goals, objectives, and priorities for each assigned area to ensure alignment with the County's strategic plan.

Compliance & Audits

• Ensures compliance with all applicable local, State, and Federal requirements and supports any internal or external audits.
• Ensure that a system of internal project controls and a District-wide risk management framework is maintained, and that best practices for cost control, scheduling, process improvement, and risk management are implemented.

Organizational & Personnel Management

• Assesses and monitors workload, administrative and support systems, and internal reporting relationships for assigned areas of responsibility; identifies opportunities for improvement and directs and implements changes.
• Interviews, hires, directs, and evaluates personnel performance; if required, discipline and/or terminate personnel.

Additional Responsibilities and Support

• Carries out other general responsibilities as may be delegated by the executive management team.
• Attend seminars, conference workshops, and other training programs.
• Assist with division or District projects, as needed.
• Assume additional responsibilities as required, adapting to the District's evolving demands, responsibilities, needs, and objectives.

Education and Experience:

• Requires a Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
• Requires a minimum of five years of verifiable experience in a senior-level accounting or finance role with proven experience working with government agencies.

Required Licenses:

• Requires a Valid Class "C" Texas Driver's License

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expert knowledge of accounting principles, financial management, controls, and regulations
• Expert knowledge in budget formulation and spending plan development, including monitoring and reporting.
• Expert knowledge of effective managerial practices and methods.
• Must excel in strategic thinking, be open to new perspectives and better ways to do things, be creative, and manage innovation.
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to motivate and guide others; build effective, collaborative, and cohesive teams toward accomplishing District and division…