Utility Accounting SME

Sr. Enterprise Solution Architect – Utility Accounting SME

End Client:
City of Philadelphia

Duration: 12 Months

Location:

Philadelphia, PA 19102 – Hybrid

Scope of Project:
The City of Philadelphia's Department of Revenue and Philadelphia Water Department are undertaking a multi-year Customer Information System (CIS) modernization initiative to replace the legacy Basis2 system with a modern, integrated platform that will support customer service, billing, payments, collections, financial management, and operational efficiencies for more than 600,000 water customers. The implementation will transform business processes, technology, reporting, and customer experience across the organization.

SMEs will serve as dedicated functional leaders responsible for representing current business operations, validating future-state solutions, and ensuring the successful implementation of the new system.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary Accounting representative for the CIS implementation project
• Provide functional expertise regarding current Basis2 accounting processes and business rules
• Define and validate future-state accounting workflows and system functionality
• Review and validate functional requirements, design documents, configuration workbooks, and business process documentation
• Identify opportunities to standardize, streamline, and improve accounting processes while minimizing customizations
• Collaborate with Finance, Customer Service, Billing, Collections, Payment Operations, IT, and vendor implementation teams
• Participate in system configuration workshops and design sessions
• Validate accounting-related system configurations and ensure compliance with City accounting policies and governmental accounting standards
• Support data cleansing, data validation, and financial data conversion activities
• Validate financial interfaces, payment settlement processing, reconciliation processes, and General Ledger postings
• Assist in developing training materials, standard operating procedures, and end-user documentation
• Support cutover planning, production readiness, hyper care, and post-go-live issue resolution.

Required/Preferred

Skills:

• Extensive hands-on experience using the Basis2 Customer Information System within Water Revenue Bureau’s accounting operations
• Demonstrated expertise in water utility accounting processes
• Thorough understanding of customer billing and revenue accounting
• Strong knowledge of payment processing and settlement operations
• Experience with Accounts Receivable accounting
• Experience validating General Ledger postings and financial reconciliations
• Knowledge of governmental accounting principles and financial controls
• Experience interpreting accounting transactions and financial reporting
• Ability to analyze current business processes and identify improvement opportunities
• Ability to translate business requirements into functional system requirements
• Ability to evaluate proposed system functionality against operational needs
• Experience participating in cross-functional initiatives involving accounting, operations, and technology

Highly Desired/Preferred:

• Previous participation in a CIS, ERP, billing, or financial system implementation
• Experience supporting system testing, including User Acceptance Testing
• Experience validating financial data conversions
• Knowledge of utility billing and customer information systems
• Experience working with system integrators or software vendors
• Familiarity with system interfaces, data migration, and reporting validation
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field
• CPA or governmental accounting experience is a plus

Soft Skills & Other Requirements:

• Strong collaboration and teamwork across business and technical organizations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to explain complex accounting concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Ability to prioritize multiple deliverables in a fast-paced project environment
• Sound judgment and attention to detail
• Ability to influence decisions through subject matter expertise
• Adaptability and willingness to embrace organizational change
• Customer-focused mindset with a commitment to continuous improvement
• Ability to build productive working relationships with project leadership, stakeholders, vendors, and peers