Financial Analyst

Financial Analyst Position

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) is seeking an experienced Financial Analyst to fill a vacancy in our Finance & Budget unit. The ideal candidate will have significant experience with budget preparation, account analysis, compliance/financial audits, and grant management.

Working under the general direction of the Financial Services Manager, the Financial Analyst gathers data, analyzes issues and problems, develops and evaluates alternatives, and prepares recommendations in the course of performing a variety of special assignments. Assignments include administrative analyses, financial studies, and/or cost analyses of existing and proposed programs and projects; assisting divisions in financial analyses and budget preparation activities; preparing reports; and performing other related work as required. This job requires professional-level skill in research, analysis, statistics, and report writing, along with PC proficiency, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills. The ideal candidate will possess directly related professional experience, and will be highly motivated, self-directed, positive, and able to effectively organize and juggle multiple competing priorities and deadlines effectively.

The general example of duties for this classification are highlighted below, for full description of duties please refer to this link here.

• Conducts a variety of administrative, financial, and operational studies requiring the knowledge of financial management, work measurement and systems analysis; prepares recommendations and may assist in the development, installation and integration of new or improved systems which often cross divisional lines designed to increase management effectiveness and reduce operational costs.
• Prepares account analysis, makes expense and revenue projections, and coordinates the accumulation of financial and programmatic information for South Coast AQMD's budget; assists in the preparation of South Coast AQMD's work plan.
• Conducts special studies related to budgetary expenditure and revenue matters, including surveys of workload and the development and application of funding standards.
• Performs technical and administrative tasks and represents South Coast AQMD concerning financial and administrative aspects of grant programs and other specially funded programs.
• Contacts outside agencies to assess South Coast AQMD's eligibility for grant and subvention funds; gathers and prepares all related background information for funding authorities; and prepares grant or subvention proposals.
• Responds to work assignments and projects from South Coast AQMD administrators and directors.
• Prepares analysis related to South Coast AQMD rules, regulations and fee schedules; evaluates existing or proposed practices, policies and procedures; and prepares or researches and analyzes requests for contracts or agreements.
• Participates in and/or heads task forces and committees.
• Provides coordination and systems management of the Finance Office portion of the billing system.
• Responds to requests for public information regarding South Coast AQMD's financial status; prepares verbal and written reports covering surveys, investigations and studies; may prepare official correspondence and Board agenda material as directed.
• Represents South Coast AQMD in conferences with representatives of outside organizations.

In addition to the Minimum Qualifications, which follow, the most competitively qualified candidates will possess:

• A Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration
• Public-sector experience conducting a variety of administrative, financial, and operations studies requiring knowledge of financial management, work measurement, and systems analysis.
• Experience preparing agency/company-wide budgets, account analyses, operational audits, and making financial projections.
• Experience analyzing financial data, conducting studies, making recommendations, and developing financial reports.
• Experience communicating effectively with internal staff, outside agencies, and the public.
• Experience managing grants, including gathering and preparing grant information, as well as preparing subvention proposals.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Access, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint), automated budget and accounting systems, financial computer applications and related systems.
• Exceptional writing, analytical, and report preparation skills.
• A Certified Public Accounting (CPA) license and/or MBA.

Minimum qualifications:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a major in finance, accounting, business or public administration or a closely related field.

Experience: Either two years of professional experience in governmental budget preparation or accounting. Or three years of professional experience in administrative analysis, one year of which must have included contract and budget analysis.

Knowledge of: Principles of public administration and management including principles, practices and methods of administrative, organizational, financial and management analysis; public financing, budgeting and accounting; business organizational functions, operations and objectives; basic principles and practices of public personnel administration; statistical methods and techniques; principles of work scheduling and coordination; personal computers and computer applications; report writing methods and techniques.

Skill or ability to: Initiate research studies and reports including the collection, organization, analysis and development of administrative, financial, organizational, and management recommendations; prepare written analysis, recommendations and compile reports; evaluate and recommend improvements in operations, systems, procedures, policies and methods; coordinate the budget preparation process and perform technical budget, financial and account analysis work; identify, develop and implement new and improved budgeting, data processing, recordkeeping and operational procedures; understand, interpret and apply complex rules, regulations and guidelines; carry out assignments and projects without detailed instructions; analyze situations and adopt effective courses of action; establish and maintain cooperative relationships with South Coast AQMD staff and others contacted in the course of the work; communicate effectively, orally and in writing; and maintain required confidentiality in carrying out assignments, studies and projects.

Application packets must include:

1. A completed employment application covering at least the past 10 years of employment history (or longer if you have other relevant experience), and your entire South Coast AQMD employment history if you are a South Coast AQMD employee.
2. Responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire (SQ). The SQ is a form of written test, and will be evaluated as such. Your responses should be well written, clear, concise, and directly responsive to the question.
3. Up to four references which include the names and phone numbers of your present and past supervisors or managers, and/or college professors or persons for whom you have directly provided services, not peers.
4. An unofficial copy of your transcripts (or equivalency evaluation if your education was obtained outside the U.S.), documenting all qualifying education claimed, submitted as an attachment to your online application.

*You MUST submit acceptable documentation for all education claimed on your application. Acceptable documentation consists of an unofficial copy of your transcripts/equivalency evaluation attached to your application. At a later date, candidates under final consideration will be required to arrange for original, official transcripts (or equivalency evaluation, if applicable) to be mailed directly from their college/university to South Coast AQMD, documenting all education claimed on their application.

Job applications must be completely filled out. A resume cannot be substituted for the required information. Be sure to detail any education, training or other relevant coursework that would make you a particularly strong candidate.

The selection process

Application packages, including responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire, will first be screened, and the most competitively qualified candidates will be invited to the next step of the process, which may include a writing exercise, oral assessment and/or panel interview.

Following the assessment process, an unranked eligible list, in alphabetical order, is expected to be created, from which the current vacancy may be filled, during the 612-month life of the list. Only those who demonstrate they are among the most competitively qualified, at each successive step of the selection process, will be advanced to the next step. (Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee an invitation to the next step.)

Important note for potential candidates who do not have the continued and unrestricted right to work full time in the United States: If you currently, or will in the future, require sponsorship (i.e., H1-B Visa) in order to maintain your right to work in the United States, please be aware that this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

South Coast AQMD reserves the right to add, delete, and modify any elements of the selection process as deemed appropriate, based on the number and quality of applicants at each step.

Please call Human Resources at least one week in advance if you might need an accommodation at any step during the selection process.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Human Resources Department at (909) 396-2800.