Chief Financial Officer - Town of Clayton, NC

Developmental Associates • Clayton, NC

11h • Onsite

About The Position

The Town of Clayton, North Carolina, is seeking an accomplished and forward-thinking Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the Town’s financial operations during a significant period of growth, transition, and organizational modernization. This is a unique opportunity for a strategic and collaborative financial leader to play a central role in shaping the Town’s long-term financial direction. The next CFO will partner closely with the Executive Team to support continued growth, address increasing service and infrastructure demands, and strengthen the Town’s financial systems, processes, and reporting capabilities. Clayton’s CFO will provide executive leadership across a broad and integrated finance portfolio, including financial operations, accounting and reporting, cash and debt management, investment strategy, utility billing and customer service, procurement, financial systems/ERP, and asset management. Beyond functional oversight, the CFO will ensure effective coordination across these areas, improving transparency, consistency, and organizational performance. The Town is in a pivotal period of transition and modernization, creating a rare opportunity for the next CFO to shape the future of the finance function. This includes evaluating and strengthening internal operations, guiding ongoing system and process improvements, and building a scalable, high-performing organization that supports long-range financial planning and decision-making. The CFO will play a key role in advancing data-informed decision-making across the organization, helping departments better understand financial information, improving accessibility to meaningful data, and strengthening the Town’s overall financial governance and operational effectiveness. The Town is seeking a finance professional with a demonstrated ability to lead cohesive, accountable, and high-performing teams. The successful candidate will be an experienced and confident leader who delegates effectively, develops staff, and fosters a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field (required)
• Master’s degree in Public Administration, Finance, or a related field (preferred)
• Minimum of 8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in governmental financial leadership, including at least 5 years in a senior management role.
• Local government or municipal experience strongly preferred.
• NC Certified Local Government Finance Officer (or ability to obtain within a reasonable timeframe).
• CPA preferred.
• Residency within reasonable proximity is expected to support executive leadership responsibilities and community engagement.
• Demonstrated experience in public-sector finance functions, including debt issuance and Local Government Commission (LGC) interaction, audit management, internal controls, financial compliance, and oversight of public funds.
• Demonstrated experience leading ERP or major financial system implementations and managing cross-functional financial operations (finance, accounting, reporting, utility billing, customer service, and procurement).
• Demonstrated experience working effectively within complex, multi-fund organizations, including enterprise fund management, capital planning, and long-range financial strategy.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Public Administration, Finance, or a related field
• CPA
• Local government or municipal experience

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership over the Town’s financial operations, including financial reporting, long-range financial planning, capital financing, debt management, utility financial operations, grant compliance, audit coordination, and overall stewardship of public resources.
• Establish direction and accountability for financial policies, internal controls, operational procedures, reporting, and financial systems, while strengthening coordination, communication, and performance across the department and organization.
• Lead a 21-person team spanning Accounting and Payroll, Procurement, and Utility Billing.
• Assess and reshape the department’s structure, build bench strength, and position the organization for long-term success.
• Prioritize succession planning, knowledge transfer, recruitment, staff development, and cross-training to create a resilient, high-performing team.
• Advance the Finance Department’s reporting capabilities, internal coordination, and overall transparency, consistency, and accountability.
• Review and modernize financial policies and procedures; develop comprehensive SOPs and policy manuals; standardize financial and procurement practices; streamline workflows and approval processes; evaluate procurement, PCard, and reconciliation practices; strengthen grant compliance; and improve consistency across departments and enterprise functions.
• Safeguard the Town’s financial integrity by ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial operations, while proactively identifying and managing financial risks.
• Serve as a key advisor to the Town Manager and Executive Team, supporting operational and capital planning initiatives including water reclamation expansion, water supply capacity, public safety facilities, and future development impacts such as a potential stormwater utility.
• Evaluate utility rate structures, funding strategies, and enterprise fund sustainability while advancing long-range financial planning, capital financing strategies, debt management, and organizational forecasting to support the Town’s continued growth and evolving service demands.
• Lead the Town’s multi-year ERP and systems transformation, guiding implementation of modern, scalable financial operations.
• Evaluate and redesign workflows, improve reporting capabilities, and align financial systems to support organizational growth and more data-informed decision-making.
• Assess and optimize the Finance Department’s structure, staffing, and operations.
• Clarify roles and responsibilities, support documentation of institutional knowledge, promote effective delegation, and implement ongoing training and development strategies to build a confident, high-performing team.
• Strengthen the Finance Department’s role in organizational decision-making by enhancing communication, accessibility, and trust.
• Build effective working relationships with executive leadership, departments, elected officials, auditors, and external partners to improve collaboration and financial insight across the organization.
• Provide leadership and oversight for major capital programs and utility infrastructure initiatives, ensuring strong procurement, contract management, and financial controls.
• Enhance forecasting and establish scalable financial frameworks to support rapid growth and increasing service demands.
• Lead the Town’s audit process, including active engagement in the FY2026 audit and preparation of the ACFR.
• Strengthen internal processes, documentation, and data management to support audit readiness, continuity, and strong external partnerships going forward.

Benefits

• Participation in the North Carolina Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (LGERS), and a state-administered pension plan requiring a 6% employee contribution, with the Town contributing 14.38% on behalf of employees.
• Eligibility to participate in supplemental retirement savings plans through Empower, including NC 401k and NC 457b plans, with the Town contributing an additional 5% to the NC 401(k) plan with no employee contribution required.
• Cellphone
• Participation in a professional development program.

What This Job Offers

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