Budget Director - Policy, Management, & Grants

City of New Haven•New Haven, CT

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a responsible cabinet-level, professional, and administrative position within the Office of the Mayor, directing, coordinating, planning, and preparing for the current and long-range budgetary requirements of the city and monitoring implementation. In addition to overseeing the development and execution of the City budget, the Director of Policy, Management, Grants (Budget Director) in a staff capacity advises the mayor on the budget’s adopted tax policies, collection rates, overall financial strategies, and direction of the City. The Director also advises on policies and procedures and any other difficult or complex fiscal problems encountered. Furthermore, the Director works on the overall management strategy in conjunction with appropriate City staff, including but not limited to oversight of city agencies’ performance, human capital management, labor strategies, and overall management strategies of the city. The work is performed under the general direction of the mayor, in accordance with policies established by the Mayor, Board of Alders, and City’s Charter/General Code of Ordinance requirements regarding budget development and implementation. The Director works in conjunction with the Controller on policies and operations of the Department of Finance, and overall budget and fiscal affairs of the City. There is considerable latitude for professional and administrative judgment and initiative in carrying out the activities of the budget operation.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university.
Possession of a master’s degree in municipal finance, public administration, or business administration.
At least five (5) years’ experience in governmental budgeting, public administration.
At least five (5) years’ experience in the supervision of budgetary, public administration, or municipal finance work.
Proficiency in using standard office equipment such as copiers, scanners, and fax machines.
Thorough knowledge of the theory, principles, and practices of modern municipal budget preparation and public administration.
Thorough knowledge of the organization and operations of municipal departments and agencies.
Considerable knowledge of municipal accounting/auditing principles and data processing practices related to financial accounting and reporting.
Knowledge of State and local laws as they pertain to municipalities.
Ability to analyze and evaluate budgetary and management problems and recommend solutions leading to improved service delivery.
Ability to organize and present oral and written reports of budgetary and management studies and recommendations.
Ability to establish and effective working relationships with department heads, staff associates, City officials, various boards and commissions, and the public.
Ability to work independently and follow instructions.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
Current authorization to work in the U.S. without employer-sponsored visa support.

Responsibilities

Providing leadership, direction, and guidance in financial strategies and priorities, including long-range financial software needs, evaluating City needs, and determining financial resource requirements and goals.
Establishes, plans, and directs the preparation, administration, and monitoring of the budget program of the Board of Alders under the general direction of the Mayor.
Estimates resources for budget purposes by analyzing and recommending anticipated operating revenue levels by analyzing State and Federal legislation and regulations involving the distribution of grant funds to the City.
Monitoring, analyzing, and responding to legislation and budgetary proposals and requests, particularly during the annual budget process.
Developing and executing a communications plan for messaging to multiple audiences around budgetary and policy issues.
Confers with departmental officials to resolve questions pertaining to budgetary requirements; attends intra-departmental conferences on budget requests; presents budget requests orally to management and fiscal officials.
Attend budget hearings to review departmental budget requests; provides information and assistance to the Board of Alders in their budget and financial responsibilities.
Coordinates financial functions between the Office of Policy, Management, and Grants, Department of Finance, other municipal departments, and external entities with respect to financial policy, budget analysis, and other financial affairs.
Conducts investigations of the functions, organizations, and accounting of operating departments and recommends improvements and reports results to the Mayor and Controller.
Advises department heads on the solution of day-to-day management and fiscal problems.
Performs a wide variety of responsible management or program duties that are not readily assigned to a given department.
Plans and directs the conduct of comparative analyses of the management and budgetary practices of other governmental jurisdictions and the city.
Assist the Office of Labor Relations in negotiations with various bargaining units or overall bargaining unit contract implementation, re-classes of job duties, or other budgetary/financial impact of labor.
Performs related duties as required.