Finance Manager, Accounting and Payroll

The City of Milpitas seeks an experienced, hands on governmental accounting leader to serve as Finance Manager over the Accounting and Payroll group:
General Ledger, Payroll, and Grant Management. This is a working manager's seat at a moment that matters. The City is converting payroll to Tyler ERP, the annual audit and Single Audit run on a fixed calendar. The Finance Manager reports to the Finance Director, supervises professional and technical staff, and acts for the Director when needed.

The Milpitas Finance Department safeguards the City's fiscal resources and advances long term financial sustainability through sound stewardship, transparency, and responsive service to the City Council, City staff and the community. The Department plans, manages and directs budgeting, accounting, payroll, procurement, risk management, debt management, investment management, and utility billing, and oversees financial responsibilities exceeding one billion dollars across its combined operating budget, investment and debt portfolio.

Milpitas has received the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation award for 23 consecutive years and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 30, and its FY 2024-25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report and Federal Single Audit both received unqualified opinions with no material findings. The Department has 31 funded positions.

The Finance Manager plans, organizes and directs the Accounting and Payroll group and is one of two Finance Manager positions in the Department.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead General Ledger, Payroll and Grant Management: year-end close, the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the annual audit and Single Audit, grant reimbursement reporting, and the bi-weekly payroll cycle with its Federal and State payroll tax filings and CalPERS reporting.
• Own the Finance side of the Tyler ERP Phase 2 payroll migration: stabilization, business process redesign, and the written procedures that come out of it.
• Develop, implement and maintain accounting procedures and internal controls in accordance with GAAP, GASB pronouncements, the Government Code and City policy.
• Coordinate with internal and external auditors; oversee implementation of recommended changes to systems and controls.
• Supervise, train and evaluate professional and technical staff; set priorities and keep day to day accounting and payroll current through the system change.
• Train staff across City departments on financial transactions and serve as the Department's resident expert on accounting and payroll operations.
• Act for the Finance Director in the Director's absence.

The ideal candidate is a governmental accounting professional who has closed the books, run or overseen a public agency payroll, and lived through an ERP conversion. They bring a steady hand with staff during change, a working knowledge of CalPERS reporting and negotiated MOU provisions, and the judgment to recommend and put in place procedures that make the Department's work more accurate and easier to explain.

An active CPA license, Single Audit experience, and a role in a Tyler, Workday, Oracle or comparable implementation are highly desirable. Public sector experience in California local government is strongly preferred.

Works under the direction of the Finance Director. Supervises professional, technical and clerical staff.

• Plans, develops, directs, supervises and evaluates staff and performance of the assigned division in support of general accounting, payroll, accounts payable and receivable, revenue analysis, cash collections and billing functions.
• Provides technical expertise in financial data preparation, administration and analysis, and automated financial information systems.
• Assigns, schedules, prioritizes, coordinates and reviews work activities and determines schedules.
• Establishes, develops and maintains practices, procedures and policies for compliance and control in accordance with the Government Code and City policies and procedures.
• Integrates financial and statistical information into a comprehensive financial recording and reporting system.
• Supervises and conducts detailed analysis of existing accounting systems, makes recommendations for revision…