Controller
Foothill Transit, the primary fixed-route transit provider in eastern Los Angeles County, California. Our mission statement is to help people get to the places that make their lives better. We are an award-winning bus system with a fleet of over 350 vehicles and ridership exceeding nine million annually.
This position reports to the Director of Finance and supports the objectives of the Finance Department in managing daily financial activities including cash flow management, daily reporting, investing, and grant reporting and compliance reporting procedures. This position provides oversight of accounting staff, financial oversight of revenue management and collections, ensuring financial completeness, accuracy, and proper financial reporting of fare and non-fare revenue.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Manage and maintain financial records in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and in compliance with state and federal laws
- Lead implementation and compliance with applicable Governmental Accounting Standards Board GASB pronouncements and accounting standards
- Review and identify internal controls deficiencies in all aspects of financial reporting, fare revenue collection, operations, procedural practices, and compliance
- Design, develop procedures; implement, and maintain a robust system of internal controls and follow up on corrective action; for accounting, and capital project activities
- Monitor capital project budget and expense and distribution of monthly reports
- Ensure accuracy and timeliness in providing financial reports to management and external stakeholders
- Prepare and present clear and concise reports, board staff reports, correspondence, and other written materials and supervise preparation of board and management reports
- Provide financial information for short-range transit plan tables and 15-year plan projections
- Oversee and manage month-end and year-end close including approval of general ledger journal entries
- Plan, review, evaluate, train, and supervise the work of accounting staff
- Provide oversight for accounts payable (A/P), accounts receivable (A/R), cash receipts, general ledger, and accounting of fixed assets
- Develop and maintain Foothill Transit fare policy in alignment with Foothill Transit’s overall mission
- Supervise staff to gather, compile and analyze ridership categories and fare collections using system data
- Oversee and manage transit funding agreements, Proposition A Fund trades, and monitor funding lapse dates to ensure timely use of funds
- Monitor cash flow activities and maximize returns on investment in accordance with Foothill Transit financial risk tolerance levels
- Oversee treasury functions including cash positioning, liquidity management, and banking relationships
- Maintain cooperative working relationships and liaison with bank representatives
- Prepare and submit National Transit Database (NTD) annual reports, and State Controller’s reports
- Liaison to auditors, and assist in development and preparation of Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), IRS and other government agency special audits
- Oversee financial systems and software including updates, upgrades, and configurations changes
- Communicate with the Transit Operations Contractors as the primary contact for farebox and revenue collection requirements
- Manage contractors/vendors as required for fare collection, smart card (TAP), and farebox procurement, and third-party hosting for credit card transactions at transit stores
- Manage third-party integrations to the fare revenue collection ecosystem
- Manage fare collection system software updates and fare table revisions
- Represent Foothill Transit on regional transit committees, including the regional coordination of fare collection systems and mobile ticketing solutions
- Other duties as assigned
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Skills Required:
- Understanding of theories, principles, and practices of accounting, business finance, and financial recordkeeping
- Knowledge of policies and processes as related to GAAP and governmental accounting standards as issued by GASB, in addition to meeting standards that meet the Government Finance Officers' Association's (GFOA's) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program
- Ability to prepare, interpret and apply financial policies, procedures, and regulations
- Knowledge of general office equipment and Microsoft Office, with advanced knowledge of Excel software
- Knowledge of general financial/accounting functions; i.e., journal entries, A/P, A/R, cash receipts
- Knowledge of enterprise resource planning systems, familiar with SAP and Navision
- Ability to perform complex analysis using Excel, Access and pivot tables to present meaningful analysis
- Experience working with data analytical/visualization tools to gain insight on large dataset
- Knowledge of bus/transit revenue equipment, smart card technology and payment industry best practices
- Knowledge of SQL to query databases consisting of various tables to harvest meaningful data for analysis (desirable)
- Ability to communicate clearly verbally and with written material
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with staff and representatives from outside firms
- Must have excellent demonstrated supervisory skills
- Ability to move freely about unassisted on buses, operations and maintenance facilities and other places as required
- Ability to stand, stoop and work on irregular surfaces
- May be required to wear appropriate apparel and safety equipment when applicable
- Must have a California driver’s license
- Must be bondable
Education and/or Experience:
- Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience
- Master’s Degree or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) License is desirable
- Five years of experience in financial management and reporting with direct staff supervision
- Five years of experience in systems performance monitoring and analysis
Must be a U.S. citizen or a legal resident and eligible to work in the U.S. as determined by U.S. Immigration Laws and the Department of Homeland Security.
The individual selected for this position must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
FSLA Exempt: Yes | This is a full-time on-site position
Salary Range: Grade 7 | $102,248 – $173,061
*Foothill Transit reserves the right to make a salary offer at any value within the range; however, most offers will be in the first 50% of the overall range.
This position is open until filled. Please submit your resume promptly for full consideration.
EOE: M/F/V/D
If you are interested in this challenging opportunity, please send the Foothill Transit application and your resume to applications@foothilltransit.org.