Finance Manager / CFO

The Role

As Finance Manager at Rainbow Municipal Water District, you’ll serve as both a strategic financial leader and a hands-on accounting manager, acting as the District’s CFO while directly handling critical day-to-day finance operations. Reporting to the General Manager, you’ll oversee essential areas like cash flow, investments, debt, financial reporting, and grants. In our small agency, your work will range from high-level strategy to managing payroll, accounts payable, purchasing, ERP systems, and budget preparation.

Rainbow Municipal Water District provides essential water and wastewater services across a diverse 82-square-mile area in North San Diego County. Your strategic insights and financial expertise will be key to our mission to deliver safe, reliable services to our community.

If this sounds like you, keep reading:

• You combine strategic thinking with hands-on public agency finance experience, managing investments, debt, and budgets.
• You excel in collecting and analyzing complex financial data and making informed recommendations to executive leaders and the Board.
• You are skilled in creating and presenting financial reports, including year-end entries and grant compliance.
• You lead and motivate finance teams, providing feedback and guiding the professional development of key team members.
• You’re proactive, detail-oriented, and skilled at optimizing processes, including ERP implementations.
• You thrive in a mission-driven environment and are eager to make a positive impact on the community we serve and the team you lead.

What’s in it for you?

We offer competitive pay and benefits, including five health plans (one free for families), CalPERS pension, retirement matching, six weeks of PTO to start, a 9/80 schedule, family-building benefits, and generous education assistance. This position may qualify for a hybrid/partially remote schedule after onboarding. Apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/rainbowmwd/jobs/4722695/finance-manager

Day to Day Life

The Finance Manager will have an immediate and lasting impact. While no two days will be the same, you will primarily spend your time on the following areas:

Leadership

• Provide strategic financial insights to the General Manager and Board, contributing to long-term goals and capital project funding.
• Attend Board meetings, Senior Management meetings, and other key forums to present financial updates and analyses.
• Mentor and develop the finance team, setting goals, conducting performance evaluations, and ensuring continuous improvement.
• Serve as project manager for ERP system improvements, addressing communication gaps and streamlining operations.

Finance

• Oversee cash flow management, fund movement, and investment performance to ensure maximum financial return and liquidity.
• Manage debt, including existing debt obligations and new issuances, working closely with the Municipal Financial Advisor.
• Coordinate budget preparation with the management analyst, guiding revenue projections and expenditure forecasting.
• Direct the District’s grant administration, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and support for new grant applications.

“In-the-Weeds” Accounting

• Review and perform complex accounting entries, particularly year-end entries related to capital assets, pensions, OPEB, and debt.
• Supervise the accounting team’s day-to-day work, including payroll and accounts payable, to maintain accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Prepare and present financial reports to the Board and executive team, highlighting trends and insights relevant to District performance.
• Ensure readiness for the annual audit, preparing documentation and managing the audit process from start to finish.

Oversight of Purchasing, Facilities, and Customer Service

• Provide leadership for purchasing operations, ensuring adherence to policies and efficient procurement practices.
• Support customer service functions, including billing, collections, and customer inquiries, collaborating with the billing specialist to enhance collections processes.
• Review and update financial and operational policies, working closely with analysts to refine procedures and improve department compliance.

The Ideal Candidate

You’re a skilled financial leader who thrives in a dynamic role that spans high-level financial strategy and in-the-weeds accounting. As part of a small, close-knit team, you’re comfortable managing everything from complex financial reports to hands-on accounting entries, and you value the variety and impact of working in a smaller agency.

What We’re Looking For:

A Bachelor’s degree in business is required, with Accounting or Finance highly preferred. A Master’s in Accounting, Finance, or Public Administration (MPA), CPA , or Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) designation is a strong plus.

Experience:

• To gain the hands-on knowledge, skills, and abilities required, you would likely need 5+ years of senior-level accounting and leadership experience. 
• Public sector experience is preferred, especially when managing enterprise funds, rates, ensuring GASB reporting compliance, and similar responsibilities.
• Strong budget creation, management, and data analysis skills are essential.
• Experience with utility billing and financial software is required, and familiarity with electronic asset management systems is strongly preferred.

This role is perfect for someone proactive, resourceful, and eager to make a difference in both the strategic and operational aspects of finance within our community-focused agency.

The District

Water is essential to public health, and for the past 70 years, Rainbow Municipal Water District has delivered on our promise to provide safe drinking water and wastewater services to the people who live and work within our 82-square-mile service area in Northern San Diego County. Our team members succeed by demonstrating our values of innovation, teamwork, responsibility, integrity, and professionalism. We’ve received recognition as a San Diego Union-Tribune Top Workplace for three years running, and in a recent employee survey, 100% of respondents said they “feel inspired to do their best at work every day.”  

Apply today!