Assistant Deputy - Finance

Montgomery County•Norristown, PA

15d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Deputy - Finance provides strategic leadership and hands-on execution across all fiscal operations and supporting information systems for the Register of Wills (ROW) office. This role oversees budgeting, cash management, receipting, revenue reconciliation, audit readiness, and financial compliance related to probate filings, office fees, and the office’s role as agent for the Commonwealth in the collection and transmission of Pennsylvania inheritance tax. Concurrently, the role serves as the office’s IT Analyst—administering cashiering and e-filing systems, ensuring data integrity and security, building dashboards, and coordinating with county IT on integrations, upgrades, and cyber/PCI controls that underpin reliable public services in probate, Orphans’ Court, and inheritance tax receipting.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Public Administration, or related field
5+ years of progressively responsible finance experience
3+ years in a supervisory role
Demonstrated expertise in budgeting, cash management, bank reconciliation, and audit support
Strong control design and testing skills
Knowledge of PA governmental accounting practices and court-related financial workflows (probate filings, fees, and inheritance tax receipting/transmittal)
Proficiency with ERP/finance systems, cashiering/POS, and spreadsheet/reporting tools
Data analysis and dashboarding skills
Familiarity with Pennsylvania inheritance tax processes and timelines (REV-1500, discount window, delinquency at nine months) and probate/Orphans’ Court financial workflows
Mastery of cash-handling controls, reconciliation, and variance analysis
Ability to diagnose root causes and implement corrective actions
Familiarity with inheritance tax timelines and procedural interfaces between county ROW offices and the PA Department of Revenue (e.g., REV-1500, 9-month due date, 3-month discount window)
Clear, diplomatic communication with the public, attorneys, fiduciaries, auditors, and county leadership
High ethical standards
Ability to manage sensitive fiscal records within a judicial/records environment

Nice To Haves

CPA or CGFM preferred
Government finance or court/row office experience strongly preferred
Experience in a Pennsylvania Register of Wills / Orphans’ Court office or similar judicial records setting
Prior work integrating e-filing payments, cashiering systems, and county ERP
Experience with change management and user training

Responsibilities

Lead annual budget planning, forecasting, and mid-year reforecast; align staffing and operational spend with service demand (probate, filings, receipting).
Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual fiscal reports and narratives for the Register of Wills, county finance, and auditors.
Monitor revenue/expense trends; recommend fee collection improvements, digital payment enhancements, and cash-handling efficiencies.
Oversee daily receipting of office fees and probate-related charges, ensuring accurate reconciliation to the general ledger and county treasury.
Manage inheritance tax receipts and transmissions: verify documentation completeness, deposit controls, issuance of receipts, batching, and timely remittance to the PA Department of Revenue per statutory timelines and Department guidance.
Maintain strict segregation of duties, dual controls, armored transport/bank deposits, and exception handling; oversee cash drawers, remote capture scanners, and safes.
Design, implement, and test internal controls covering receipting, refunds, voids, adjustments, check handling, ACH/credit card exceptions, and daily close.
Ensure compliance with county fiscal policies, GAAP/GASB, and recordkeeping standards applicable to probate and Orphans’ Court matters.
Coordinate external and internal audits; prepare schedules, reconciliations, and management responses; track remediation actions.
Maintain retention schedules for financial records consistent with court/office practice and county directives.
Produce daily cash reports, deposit summaries, variances, and exception logs; deliver monthly revenue statements and KPI dashboards to leadership.
Publish required fiscal statistics and assist with court-advertised Estate Notices listings in collaboration with Orphans’ Court administration.
Administer financial systems (cashiering/POS, credit card machines, e-filing payment integration, ERP), including role-based access and audit logging.
Partner with IT on cyber/PCI controls; document workflows/SOPs; train staff on receipting standards and fraud prevention.
Drive continuous improvement (e.g., e-payments expansion, e-filing alignment, customer receipts, refund timeliness).
Own finance-related systems (ERP/GL, cashiering/POS, e-filing payment integrations) including role-based access, audit logging, and SOX-lite control documentation.
Design data validation checks, reconcile system-of-records, and build ETL pipelines or scheduled jobs to standardize imports/exports between ROW systems and county finance/treasury.
Build and maintain reporting in BI tools (e.g., Power BI/Tableau); automate daily close, deposit, and variance dashboards; create ad-hoc analyses for leadership.
Coordinate with county IT on cyber/PCI compliance, MFA/SSO, network segmentation, vulnerability management, and incident response affecting payment and records systems.
Manage relationships with software vendors; lead upgrades, patch cycles, and feature rollouts; develop test scripts, pilot plans, and end-user training.
Author technical runbooks, SOPs, and continuity-of-operations plans for cashiering, inheritance tax remittance, and e-filing payment flows.
Liaise with the PA Department of Revenue on inheritance tax remittance, receipts, discount treatment, and policy updates; ensure transmissions meet schedule and format requirements.
Serve as the financial liaison between the Register of Wills and other county departments.
Present financial data and recommendations to department leadership and county officials.
Supervise finance/cashiering staff; set goals, coach performance, and provide training on statutes, policies, and customer service.
Foster a culture of accuracy, integrity, and empathy in a public-facing office that serves grieving families and the legal community.