2F34
PAY RANGE: N24
UTILITY FINANCIAL SERVICES SUPERVISOR
GENERAL DEFINITION
This is financial administrative work at the supervisory level, directing a specialized function of the Water Department’s fiscal management program. Work involves supervising subordinate analysts and staff engaged in compiling, analyzing, evaluating and interpreting financial, statistical and engineering data relating to water and sewer service systems and developing recommendations to revise utility operating procedures, programs or rate structures. Employees in this class perform fiscal management work in one of the following assignments; Financial Planning and Analysis, Fixed Assets, Wholesale Billing Management, Accounts Payable, and Rates Analysis or Financial Compliance and Oversight. Conducting contract negotiations and administering and coordinating the activities of firms contracted to perform studies or services concerned with water utility operations or revenue requirements and contact with departmental managers, administrators, elected officials, government representatives, and consultants to confer on utility revenue requirements and financing mechanisms, operating and service issues, and project proposals and results are significant aspects of the work. Work is performed under the general direction of a Utility Financial Services Manager or administrative superior.
ALLOCATING FACTORS: (The following conditions must be met for a position to be allocated to this class.)
1. Positions in this class perform financial administrative work in one of the following assignments; Financial Planning and Analysis, Fixed Assets, Wholesale Billing Management, Accounts Payable, and Rates Analysis or Financial Compliance and Oversight.
2. Only one position will be allocated to each assignment
3. Positions must be located in the Water Department.
TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF WORK (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)
All Assignments
Develops Request For Proposal (RFP) for projects utilizing consultants or contractors; evaluates responses and corrects and adjusts proposals; participates in contract negotiations; directs and coordinates the activities of consultants or contractors performing management and operational reviews or services; compiles and reviews data and expenses on contracted operations and services; reviews reports and invoices prepared and submitted by consultants; analyzes legislation to determine impact on department operations or revenue; prepares position papers and responses to legislation.
Plans, assigns and reviews the work of a group of subordinates engaged in gathering data relating to the cost of providing utility services and customer usage of the utility; evaluates existing rate structure to determine if required revenues will be produced; prepares revisions to rate structure; coordinates development of water and sewer charges with operating personnel and arranges for their implementation.
Determines adequacy of information gathered by subordinates to support conclusions; reviews and evaluates results of studies and makes appropriate recommendations to departmental management.
Plans, assigns and reviews specialized accounting analyses related to financial report publications; supervises and assists in the compilation of extensive footnote disclosures to financial reports; reviews Governmental Accounting Standards Board, Financial Accounting Standards Board and Governmental Finance Officers Association pronouncements; confers with superiors and subordinates to determine the impact and applicability of such pronouncements.
Participates in the preparation of Water Fund financial statements as part of the City’s Annual Financial Report; ensures adherence to generally accepted accounting principles in the preparation of these reports and statements.
Performs related work as required.
Financial Planning and Analysis Assignment
Assigns, directs and coordinates projects, programs and assignments of a staff engaged in analyzing departmental operations, facilities, services, or financial requirements; assigns priorities and defines scope of projects and methodologies to be followed; reviews recommendations of subordinates for compliance with policies and sound management principles; studies, analyzes, evaluates and interprets data compiled on the costs and other factors incurred in operating, maintaining and improving a water and sewer utility; reviews budget and service allocations for appropriateness; analyzes customer usage of utility products and services and estimates future usage trends; analyzes projections of revenues to be generated from customer usage and the sale of bonds and other financial instruments.
Fixed Assets Assignment
Assigns, directs and coordinates the monitoring and recording the cost of newly acquired and completed tangible and intangible fixed assets, tracks existing fixed assets, calculates depreciation and accounts for the disposition and decommissioning of fixed assets; supervises the assignment of tag numbers to fixed assets and property, plant, and equipment, projects and analyzes the compilation of project costs into fixed assets, and the close out once the related projects have been completed; supervises the periodic physical counts of fixed assets; directs the mailing and tracking of fines levied.
Wholesale Billing Management, Accounts Payable, and Rates Analysis Assignment
Assigns, coordinates, and directs the development of long range projections for rates and federally mandated water and sewer operating program costs for wholesale customers; directs the monthly, quarterly and annual billing processes; performs month-end closing of the wholesale billing group information; plans and implements quality assurance for processes; directs the development and implementations of special program/billing planning and analysis including long-range projects for wholesale customers; coordinates field operations’ problem escalation and all wholesale communication in regards to wholesale rates and contracts; prepares documentation of changes in rate structure and justifications for changes; prepares regulations to enact changes in rate structure; develops rate structures of water and sewer products and services; negotiates contracts.
Confers with management regarding departmental accounting operations and serves as an expert in providing information on payment processing and financial statement reporting; plans, assigns, and directs the activities of staff responsible for invoice processing for professional services and public works teams; directs the analysis on the departments Capital Program invoice processing and the departments professional service vendors; direct and assigns the preparation of reports and statements on the status of accounts, funds receivables, and revenues.
Financial Compliance and Oversight Assignment
Ensures departmental financial processes and practices are compliant with applicable laws and regulations; reviews and interprets federal and state laws and regulations that impact financial practices; asses risk and educates managers about risk and applicable methods for financial compliance; confers with management to identify and correct potential areas of non-compliance; serves as a point-of-contact for the City’s Controller’s Office; works with consultants to ensure internal controls and fiscal compliance; institutes and maintains information management systems to support financial policies and procedures and accurate record keeping; develops management procedures to ensure accurate account of departmental assets; initiates remedial or legal action to address discrepancies; anticipates future compliance requirements.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
KNOWLEDGE OF:
• the principles and practices of public administration
• economic, financial and statistical analysis principles and practices as applied to the management of a public utility
• practices and techniques of administrative and operational analysis
• the principles and practices of public utility financing and development of rate structures if required by work assignment
• principles and policies of rate setting if required by work assignment
• principles and techniques used in developing projections of revenues for a utility if required by work assignment
• principles, practices and techniques of project planning and management
• the principles and practices of accounting and auditing if required by assignment
• financial legislation and regulations if required by assignment
ABILITY TO:
• direct and participate in analytical studies
• assemble, analyze, interpret and evaluate statistical data
• prepare, edit and interpret technical, statistical reports
• negotiate and interpret contract terms
• formulate new or alternative strategies to achieve organizational goals
• plan, direct and evaluate the work of subordinates engaged in performing operational, financial and management analyses
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, managers, other utility or governmental officials, and wholesale customers
• communicate effectively, both orally and in writing
• supervise the work of a group of employees
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE (The following statement represents the minimum training and experience standards which will be used to admit or reject applicants for tests. Applications submitted by candidates for this class will be reviewed based on training and experience requirements as approved on 2/19.)
EDUCATION:
Completion of a bachelor’s degree program at an accredited college or university, with major course work in public administration, business administration, statistics, finance, accounting, economics, engineering or a related field.
GENERAL EXPERIENCE
Three years of experience conducting financial or operational analysis for a utility, commercial, industrial, service or government organization.
AND
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE
Option 1
Two years of experience at the full performance level analyzing, evaluating and interpreting financial or statistical data for a utility, commercial, industrial, service, or government organization in one of the following areas:
1. Financial analysis
2. Operational analysis, OR
3. Auditing
Option 2
Two years of accounting experience at the advanced performance level for a utility, commercial, industrial, service or government organization.
Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Human Resources, which has included the completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university and the specific experience.
NOTE: Completion of a master's degree program at an accredited college or university may be substituted for one year of the general experience requirement.
City of Philadelphia classes which typically meet the specific experience:
Administrative Specialist 2 (2L17/2L32)
Accounting classes at or above the EP19/N19 level
Auditor 2 (2A42)
Budget Officers 1 & 2 (2C05/2C06)
Contracts Auditor 2 (2A66)
Executive Assistant (2L18)
Fiscal Analyst 2 (2F26)
Utility Financial Analyst (2F33)
PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.
Class Established 3/53
Spec. Revision: 9/10
Ad. Board – 3/13
Spec. Revision:
CSC – 12/14
Ad. Board – 1/15
Spec. Revision:
CSC – 1/19
Ad. Board – 2/19
Latest Spec Revision:
CSC - 2/21
Ad. Board – 3/21
SA