Accounting Administrator

Arizona Department of Administration • Phoenix, AZ

1d • $65,968 - $120,532 • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and principal fiscal advisor to the Director of Administrative Services, while providing authoritative guidance to the Executive Director and Commissioners on fiscal policy, revenue forecasting, and resource allocation. The CFO directs agency accounting operations, statutory fund governance, legislative budget development, and financial reporting to ensure transparency, accountability, and strict compliance with the State of Arizona Accounting Manual (SAAM) and applicable Arizona Revised Statutes, including Titles 35 and 40. The position strengthens continuity and resilience in financial administration by establishing robust multi-source statutory fund accounting, defensible cash-flow modeling, routine division-level reporting, comprehensive internal controls, and continuous audit readiness across Commission funds.

Requirements

• State governmental accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and fiscal administration principles and practices.
• Specialized statutory fund accounting under Arizona law, including non-lapsing special line appropriations, dedicated revolving funds, and assessment revenue ceilings, including A.R.S. § 40-401.
• SAAM requirements and internal control frameworks, including COSO/SAAM Topic 05 concepts designed to prevent unsupported fund transfers, fiscal misstatements, and compliance findings.
• Legislative appropriations, revenue forecasting, cash-flow planning, grants, audit preparation, and public-sector financial governance.
• Translating complex statutory budgets into clear, defensible, plain-language reporting for division leaders, executive leadership, Commissioners, and legislative bodies.
• Forensic financial analysis; cash-basis and accrual reconciliation; variance analysis; and identifying structural revenue gaps versus timing differences.
• Advanced financial modeling, forecasting, reconciliation, data analytics, ERP reporting, and repeatable management dashboards.
• Executive communication, collaborative problem-solving, staff leadership, process improvement, and presentation of complex fiscal information.
• Foster an open, collaborative, customer-service-oriented partnership with agency divisions and treat Division Directors as stakeholders in fiscal planning.
• Maintain exceptional integrity, objective transparency, sound professional judgment, and appropriate independence in accounting and reporting practices.
• Interpret and apply statutes, appropriations, policies, and accounting standards to complex fiscal situations and document conclusions clearly.
• Build sustainable processes, strengthen separation of duties, reduce single points of failure, manage competing deadlines, and maintain continuous audit readiness.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a closely related field, plus progressively responsible professional experience in governmental accounting, budgeting, financial management, audit, or a related fiscal discipline.
• A combination of relevant education and experience that demonstrates the required knowledge and capabilities may be considered, consistent with applicable State requirements.

Nice To Haves

• CPA, CGFM, and/or CPFO certification
• Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Public Administration, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience in public-sector forensic auditing, state governmental fund accounting, or utility/securities regulatory accounting frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the principal financial advisor to the Director of Administrative Services and provides objective, data-driven fiscal analyses to the Executive Director and Commissioners.
• Develops transparent long-term forecasts accounting for legislative appropriations, statutory caps, cash-flow requirements, and calendar-year versus fiscal-year revenue cycles.
• Directs development, reconciliation, and execution of the Corporation Commission’s complex fund structure, including URRF, the Securities Investment Management Fund, Public Access Fund, and non-lapsing Audits and Studies appropriations.
• Enforces statutory restrictions so funds are used only for authorized purposes and establishes documented, system-supported processes for transfers and reallocations.
• Prepares and supports defense of legislative budget submissions to OSPB and JLBC.
• Directs daily accounting and fiscal operations in AZ360/AFIS, including payroll certifications such as Form GAO-60, warrant disbursements, accounts payable/receivable, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Partners with Division Directors through clear monthly budget reports, expenditure forecasts, and variance analysis.
• Establishes and enforces internal accounting controls, separation of duties, expenditure pre-audits, documentation standards, and reconciliations consistent with SAAM, including Topic 05.
• Maintains continuous audit readiness and leads fiscal coordination for internal or forensic reviews, the Arizona Auditor General, and other external reviews.
• Ensures accounting adjustments are documented, supported, approved, and traceable.
• Leads modernization of financial reporting by reducing reliance on ad-hoc spreadsheets and advancing centralized, automated dashboards and controls within AZ360 and other State ERP platforms.
• Streamlines grant accounting, including applicable PHMSA and FRA funding, and develops transparent fee- and assessment-modeling tools.
• Serves as the Corporation Commission’s primary fiscal liaison with ADOA General Accounting Office (GAO), the State Treasurer, OSPB, JLBC staff, and other State fiscal partners.
• Performs special administrative, confidential, and complex fiscal analyses or evaluations at the direction of the Director of Administrative Services.

Benefits

• Excellent comprehensive benefits, including a top-ranked retirement plan, low-cost health coverage, supplemental policies such as vision and short-term disability, and generous paid vacation and sick leave programs
• Career and personal development support; multiple training and education opportunities and resources; qualifying Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer
• Interesting, challenging work in a public sector environment with the chance to make a real difference in our state
• We are an Equal Employment Opportunity agency and a recognized Arizona Veteran Supportive Employer.
• Paid Parental Leave program
• Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive