Print

Close Window

Director, Financial Services Position Profile

The County Dakota County, Minnesota is one of seven counties in the growing Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Located across the Mississippi River to the south from Minneapolis and St. Paul, Dakota County is set in a rolling landscape of farms, lakes, forests and streams, including the Vermillion River, characterized as the only trophy trout stream within a major metropolitan area. Dakota County is bordered on the north and east by the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and the Cannon River in the south. Dakota County has a strong tradition of collaboration throughout the community that has produced a high quality lifestyle with an excellent system of schools, libraries and public services, and a vibrant business climate. Residents and visitors to Dakota County enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities available in abundant sports facilities, golf courses and beautiful county and regional parks.

Recreation Opportunities - Parks and Libraries Residents in Dakota County enjoy the availability of eight public libraries, with a ninth to be completed in 2008. The Dakota County Library System has the third largest circulation per capita in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area and consistently ranks among the best library systems in the United States. Dakota County maintains an extensive parks system encompassing a total of 4,698 acres that had 830,800 visitors in 2006. Included in the parks system are RV campgrounds, boat launches, lodge facilities, and a visitor center.
	Dakota County is also dedicated to natural resource preservation. In November 2002, residents voted to fund the Farmland and Natural Areas Program (FNAP) that protects farmland and natural areas through the voluntary sale of conservation easements from willing landowners. Dakota County is one of only two counties in Minnesota to operate such a program.
Transportation Dakota County provides and maintains approximately 440 miles of County highways. In addition, the County is developing a 16-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to serve commuters from Lakeville to Bloomington, with phase I scheduled to be completed in 2009. Three other corridor transitways are currently under development or consideration.

Municipalities

Dakota County has an area of 587 square miles, including 13 townships and 21 municipalities. The 11 largest cities within Dakota County range from 11,700 to 66,500 residents, with Eagan as the eighth largest city in Minnesota. A number of amenities are housed in these cities including the Minnesota Zoo, the 2000-acre Lebanon Hills Regional Park, a ski area, a 1.2 million square foot regional mall, extensive river bluff and wooded areas, numerous golf courses, and much more.



The Organization

The Dakota County government consists of four divisions, 27 departments and a workforce of nearly 1,800 full-time equivalent employees (2007) distributed among 20 locations (three primary service centers, eight public libraries, a major transportation maintenance facility, and other smaller buildings) throughout the county. An elected County Board consists of seven members representing seven districts. Other elected officials include the County Attorney and the County Sheriff. The County Administrator (Chief Executive) is an appointed position.

Developed as administrative agencies of the state as well as local governments, Minnesota counties provide numerous services on behalf of the state. Dakota County provides a full range of services including human services, community corrections, jail, parks, libraries, planning, transportation, and environmental programs. County services are funded with property taxes, state and federal funding, and other revenue resources (e.g. fines, forfeitures, investments, sales of public land, and others). The total annual 2007 adopted budget is $340 million. For further services provided by Dakota County, please visit the website www.dakotacounty.us

Financial Services Profile

Dakota County Financial Services provides a broad range of services to the diverse set of businesses that make up County government. These services incorporate both (1) budget and financial analysis and (2) traditional accounting services (e.g., accounts payable and receivable). The services are provided as a centralized service to Division/Departments.

Since 1989, Dakota County has established a target of limiting the change in taxes to the same rate as population growth plus inflation or less. Dakota County labeled this taxing practice “Maintaining the Same Price per Citizen” (SP/C). For 2007, Same Price per Citizen was estimated as 5.6%, based on an expected population growth of 1.3% and inflation of 4.3%. (The inflation index used is the Government Price Deflator, as calculated by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for the 1st quarter, 2007.) For 2007, the actual levy increase was 4.9%, or 0.7 percentage points lower than SP/C.

As a result of this practice, Dakota County property taxes remain low relative to the other six Twin Cities metropolitan counties. Dakota County maintains the lowest property tax capacity rate (second lowest when including a referendum levy for maintaining farmland and natural areas) and the lowest per capita property tax levy of the seven metropolitan counties

Dakota County is committed to maintaining a low per capita property tax levy, while providing cost efficient, highly effective and customer-friendly services.


2. Traditional Accounting Services

Traditional accounting services in Dakota County include:
• Payables of an estimated $475.0 million in 2007, through the issuance of 54,000 automated payments and checks.

• Annual salary payments of about $105.0 million to about 2,300 County employees (including temporary employees) through the issuance of nearly 50,000 automated payments and checks. (An estimated 99.9% of employees use automated direct deposit.)

• Processing purchase cards payments of an estimated $2.0 million.

• Handling Medical assistance receipts of an estimated $22.4 million in 2007, with an additional $460,000 in non-Medical Assistance receivables

General Ledger reports are prepared in an average of 5.3 days, with about 520,000 General Ledger entries made in 2007. Approximately 260 budget amendments are processed in an average year (average, 2003 through 2007).

Over 190 users of automated Financial Services databases are set-up in 29 Departments/Units throughout County government. Updated financial databases are available by Monday morning for users 100% of the time throughout the year.




The Financial Services Department

Located in the Operations, Management, and Budget Division, Financial Services is to serve its stakeholders by maintaining a strong financial condition for Dakota County government through sound financial policies, insightful fiscal analysis, and efficient accounting practices. The primary stakeholders of Financial Services include the Board of Commissioners, the County Administrator, Divisions/Departments and their staff, and County clients.
The main functions of the Financial Services Department are (1) budget and financial analysis and (2) the provision of traditional accounting services.


1. Budget and Financial Analysis

Financial and budget analysis includes providing fiscal advice, leading the budget development process, analyzing financial data, developing fiscal policies and plans, and producing the annual plan and budget document. Staff meets regularly with each County department to discuss their financial status, identify potential budget variances, provide fiscal advice, and identify and resolve any fiscal issues. The financial analysis staff supports the preparation of the County’s annual operating budget and the five-year capital improvement plan and budget, assists Divisions/
Departments in identifying budget needs, and implements budget-creation criteria in allocating funds. As part of the budget and analysis function, staff prepares monthly projections, monitors the interrelationship between monthly projections and approved budgets, evaluates budget compliance, and leads the budget preparation process. Involvement in multiple aspects of each Department’s finances allows the staff to assist departments in grant applications and reporting.

In addition, the financial analysis staff is responsible for preparing the County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), in cooperation with an external auditor.


2. Traditional Accounting Services

The traditional accounting services include: payroll, payables, receivables, grant and other reporting, transaction recording, and creation of the annual financial statement.

A payables section (accounts payable and vendor payments) is responsible for making payments for goods and services that have been purchased by the County. Departments provide the payables section with the vendor invoices, a transmittal form authorizing payment, and identify the budget account to be charged. The section audits the bills prior to payment and insures that they are properly coded prior to payment. Daily payments to vendors are made and reconciled.

A payroll section handles distribution of payroll funds, as well as payroll deductions. Timekeeping records are reviewed for accuracy to insure appropriate payment to County staff. Additionally, payroll personnel assist in setting up direct deposit and the payment of benefits to both existing and former staff who are eligible to receive them.

The receivables section works directly with the Community Services departments in monitoring state, federal, and other payors’ policies to assure the billing, collection, and the receipt of revenues are accurate and completed in a timely fashion. This section also assists in the collection process for NSF checks received by the County, as well as funds owed the County for property damage.


Financial Services Director Position/Position Priorities

The Director of Financial Services in Dakota County leads the Department charged with promoting and sustaining a strong fiscal position for Dakota County government through the establishment of sound financial policies and controls, insightful fiscal analysis, and effective accounting practices that produce “clean” audit results. The Director participates in County operations at the senior management level as a principal advisor to the County Administrator, the Senior Management Team, and the Board of Commissioners. The Director is expected to be a:

• Leader, with the ability to inspire, design, and manage the Financial Services organization. The Director will ensure that the organization has the right staff; work actively on developing staff to meet financial analysis, budgeting, and accounting needs of Dakota County government units; inspire staff to achieve the organization’s mission and their full potential; model the organization’s values; and produce desired results. The Director will create a culture that drives trusted financial performance.

• Strategist, helping to set a sustainable financial direction for the organization, assessing financial options for County government, and developing strategic and action plans for implementing a sustainable financial direction. The Director will be a catalyst for innovation, working with peers in the businesses of the organization to discover opportunities to leverage resources to meet business needs and seeking ways to make Financial Services as agile as possible in adjusting to meet changing financial projections and needs.

• Relationship Builder. The Director will be a person who builds and maintains relationships internally with the leaders within Dakota County government and externally with other governments, businesses, and service providers.

The person in this position will be an honest, ethical manager who ensures the development of relevant financial information required for decision-making by the County Administrator and the Board of Commissioners, works to align budgets and organizational goals and values, provides for the timely completion of the annual operating and capital budgets of the County, and effectively meets auditing requirements in accounting for the use of public funds. The Director will continuously evaluate the performance of County government against financial goals and standards.

The Director of Financial Services will have:

• A strong, demonstrated track record of bringing about positive change in an organization through leadership in building budgets, monitoring the use of budgeted funds and ensuring prompt action to address emerging issues, and accounting for the use funds.

• The demonstrated ability to make necessary changes to upgrade and improve policies, processes, and procedures regarding the allocation and use of financial resources.

• Comprehensive knowledge of principles, techniques, and laws related to finance, budgeting, and accounting.

• An understanding of the importance of building effective working relationships internally within the Department and externally throughout the organization and be able to work effectively with business partners to complete shared responsibilities. The Director will have a strong commitment to customer service to meet the expectations of the various department and divisions.

• Strong analytic skills, with the capability to analyze statistical, numerical, and financial data, apply tools for evaluating investment opportunities, and effectively convey to decision-makers the findings of the analysis.

• Excellent management skills, managing for vision and purpose and demonstrating strategic agility and a record of excellence in recruiting, selecting, motivating, and managing staff.

• The ability to communicate effectively to influence decisions (both orally and in writing) and the ability to establish credibility with senior executives and elected officials.

• The ability to relate well to all kinds of people at all levels, inside and outside the organization, and to build effective relationships.

The Director is responsible for the development of evaluation tools/metrics to ensure objectives of the Department are met (using a Balanced Scorecard as a primary tool).


Background and Experience

Candidates for the Director of Financial Services position will possess a:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting; Business Administration/Management; or Public Administration/Policy (with an emphasis on financial analysis and budgeting); or a closely related field; and

• At least seven years of progressively responsible management experience in the financial field.

Preference will be given to candidates with a Master’s Degree in the above fields, as well as for candidates who are Certified Public Accountants.


Qualified candidates will be expected to have specific knowledge, skills, and experience in the following areas:

• Providing leadership in establishing and achieving a vision for financial services and analysis in an organization of similar complexity to Dakota County.

• Directing the operations and activities of a staff similar to Financial Services in Dakota County.

• Directing the preparation and presentation of operational and capital budgets, financial analyses and reports, and accounting reports.

• Planning, implementing, and evaluating financial systems, policies and procedures.

• Understanding of the revenues and expenditures that support human services activities.

• Organizing, directing, and coordinating the activities of professional and administrative support personnel.

• Creating and supporting effective working relationships within and between divisions, departments, and external agencies.

• Representing Dakota County on special committees and before other governmental bodies or business organizations.


Announcement

Director, Financial Services, Dakota County, Minnesota. Salary Open DOQ.

Dakota County, Minnesota is one of the seven counties in the growing Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area. Dakota County has a strong tradition of efficient, effective, responsive government that has contributed to a high quality of life characterized by an excellent system of parks, libraries, schools, and public services, as well as a vibrant business climate. The Director will be a principal financial advisor to decision-makers in County government, charged with promoting and sustaining a strong fiscal position for Dakota County government and responsible for allocating a total annual budget of about $350 million. The Director will provide strategic direction and leadership for a 30-person staff of skilled financial analysts and accounting personnel and for managing an annual operating budget of about $2.7 million (2008). Candidates will possess a Bachelor’s Degree in an accounting or public finance-related field and at least seven years of progressively responsible management experience A complete Position Profile is available at www.brimgroup.com or on the Dakota County web site.(www.dakotacounty.us) A resume and supporting application materials are required by January 28, 2008. Resumes and supporting information may be submitted to (email preferred):

The Brimeyer Group Executive Search
50 S. 9th Avenue, #101, Hopkins, MN 55343
Phone: (952) 945-0246, Fax: (952) 945-0102
e-mail: brimgroup@aol.com, web: www.brimgroup.com.

An electronic application is available at http://agency.governmentjobs.com/dakota/default.cfm


Timetable

January 28, 2008 Deadline for applications

End of February Select candidates for interviews

March 10 to 14 Complete initial round of interviews

March 17 to 21 Complete second interviews

End of March Selection

Mid-April/early May Start Date
 

The Dakota County Government Mission: To provide efficient, effective, responsive government that achieves the Board of Commissioners' vision for Dakota County: A premier place in which to live and work. Dakota County, Minnesota Dakota County Administration Center 1590 Highway 55 Hastings, Minnesota 55033 www.dakotacounty.us