CITY OF LYNDEN
is seeking an accomplished professional to serve as
FINANCE DIRECTOR
$83,284 - $96,549 Annual Salary
with Excellent Benefits
First consideration given to applications
received by April 14, 2017
(extended recruitment period)
Application materials may be obtained at
http://www.lyndenwa.org/employment/
Our Community
Known for its wealth of farms, berries, churches
and windmills, the Dutch-influenced Lynden is
the second largest city in Whatcom County,
Washington. Named and established in 1874 on
the site of the Nooksack Indian village
Squahalish, the town of Lynden began as a
pioneer settlement headed by Holden and
Phoebe Judson.
Home to the Northwest Washington Fair, Lynden
is approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) south of the
U.S.-Canadian border, with Lynden-Aldergrove
operation and port of entry. It is also located 15
miles (24 km) north of Bellingham, and about 95
miles (153 km) north of Seattle. Partnering
students, parents & the community, Lynden is
known for its high quality private and public
school systems. Known for its school spirit, the
town often gathers in Yakima each year during
state tournaments to cheer each other toward
victory. This close-knit community has 7 schools
(5 Public and 2 Private) and 6 City Parks.
Each year the City hosts the Farmer’s Day
Parade, an annual celebration of the local
agricultural community that typically draws
7,500-10,000
people.
Lynden
recently
celebrated its 125-year anniversary by creating
the world’s longest strawberry shortcake –
running four downtown blocks.
Grand prize winner of the America’s Main
Streets contest, Lynden’s downtown has
recently drawn nationwide attention. The City is
experiencing revitalization with many new
businesses opening shop, namely: The Inn at
Lynden, Overflow Taps, Avenue Bread, Village
Books, the Mill, Bellingham Baby Company and
more. Spending an afternoon in this city you
understand why the City motto is ~ Lynden is a
great place to live ~ work ~ play!
Our City/Our Values
The City of Lynden operates under a Strong
Mayor form of government with 7 City Council
Members serving 4-year terms. With 80 regular
employees providing services to the area, the
City of Lynden’s vision is “Cultivating
Exceptional Service for our Extraordinary
Community.”
This vision is accomplished through employees
demonstrating the following shared values:
➢ Communication
➢ Teamwork
➢ Community
➢ Excellence
➢ Integrity
The Finance Department
The Finance Department’s mission is to provide
quality financial services in a cost-effective
manner to the public and City departments.
ACCOUNTING & BUDGETING:
This Department works closely with Legislative,
Executive and Department Heads in the
preparation of a $54 million-dollar budget. After
Council adoption, the Department monitors the
budget and provides regular, monthly updates
to Council, Mayor and Department Heads. The
Finance Department oversees the General
Fund, Special Revenue (utility) funds and
Major Responsibilities
various
debt,
capital
facilities
and
miscellaneous funds. This department also
develops the annual budget, the annual
financial report and all required audits for the
State of Washington State Auditor’s office,
monthly financial reports, risk management and
debt issuance/management activities. The
Finance Department provides payroll services
for 75+ full-time equivalent employees, various
part-time or seasonal employees, and 8 elected
officials. The Department monitors fixed assets,
manages miscellaneous accounts receivable
for all departments, and processes all accounts
payable for the City of Lynden.
TREASURY & UTILITY BILLING:
The Finance Department is responsible for the
collection of assessments for utility local
improvement district (ULID) and approximately
5100 utility customers billed. This Department
monitors and collects all tax revenues from
various governmental entities. The Department
manages and monitors an average investment
portfolio of $10.7 million dollars.
The Position
Under the direction of the City Administrator, the
Finance Director manages the staff and
activities of the Finance Department. Plans,
organizes, directs and evaluates the major
programs and activities of the department.
Works with the Mayor and City Administrator in
the development, analysis, implementation, and
administration of the annual budget. This
position also works closely with the City Council
on various projects.
Leadership and Direction
• Participates as a member of the City's
Leadership Team.
• Embraces, promotes, and models the City’s
Vision and Values.
• Promotes a high level of professionalism
within the Finance Department and
throughout the entire City organization.
• Ensures all City Departments have current
budget information throughout the year.
• Develops and oversees implementation of
the department’s annual Work Plan.
Budget and Records Management
• Oversees preparation of the City’s annual
budget including all subsidiary reporting such
as payroll, auditing functions and internal
controls.
• Directs the preparation of financial reports as
required by law; prepares financial reports
and analyses requested by Council and
management staff.
• Oversees and evaluates the major programs
and activities of the department, including
general accounting, budget development
and
administration,
investment
management, bond administration, utility
accounting and purchasing.
• Oversees the dissemination of information
related to the City’s finance, utility billing,
payroll and purchasing matters.
• Ensures financial and audit compliance with
all local, state, and federal laws.
• Conducts
or
coordinates
mandatory
reporting to outside agencies including the
Internal Revenue Service.
• Serves as point of contact with auditors
during financial and accountability audits.
• Seeks
opportunities
to
streamline,
modernize and professionalize all program
areas.
Policy and Program Planning and
Development
• Reviews, evaluates and recommends
improvements to the City’s administrative
and financial internal control systems and
procedures.
• Prepares and monitors long-range revenue
and
expenditure
projections
when
developing the annual budget and other
activities.
• Works closely with the Mayor, City
Administrator, City Council, and staff on all
matters of City finance.
Other Duties
• Advises the Mayor, City Administrator and
City Council on financial issues, including
risk management.
• Provides staff assistance to the Mayor, City
Administrator, and City Council.
• Performs other related duties as needed and
assigned.
Education & Experience
Qualified candidates will have a bachelor’s
degree in Accounting, Finance, Business
Administration, Public Administration, or a
closely related field and minimum of five (5)
years progressively responsible experience
working in public sector accounting or financial
management.
Demonstrated experience in
supervision, organization budget preparation
and administration, governmental accounting
software, financial management and forecasting
is required. For full qualifications, please refer to
the job description.
Ideal Candidate
The Finance Director is a member of the City’s
Leadership Team. As such, the successful
candidate is expected to embrace and model
organizational Vision and Values. Further, the
successful candidate must be willing to take a
broad leadership role on issues that affect not
only the Finance Department but the entire
organization. As a leader in this organization,
this individual must hold him/herself to the
highest standards of public service.
The successful candidate will have a
demonstrated record of accomplishments and
experience in developing and managing
budgets, finances and accounting systems
within public sector organizations. He or she will
be an effective communicator, especially when
presenting information to elected officials and
the
general
public.
Experience
with
governmental accounting software systems is
required and experience with accounting
software acquisition and implementation is a
plus.
Challenges & Opportunities
➢ The new Finance Director will be expected to
embrace and model the organization’s Vision
and Values, and to provide leadership to the
entire organization. The importance of this
cannot be overstated.
➢ The City will acquire new financial software
in the next 12-18 months, and the successful
candidate will play a key role in selecting it.
This is a critical project that will require
significant time. It is important that the new
software include and integrate various
Human Resource functions, so the
successful
candidate
will
effectively
collaborate with the City’s HR Manager.
➢ The City’s annual budget is adequate but
outdated in both form and content. It is
anticipated that the new Director will
overhaul the City’s annual budget, possibly
moving to a biennial spending plan.
➢ The City recently moved to semi-monthly
payroll payments. The process, while
accurate, is very labor intensive. The City
wishes to move to a more efficient system.
The City is open to outsourcing this and other
activities.
➢ There are numerous financial functions that
needed to be modernized. For example, the
City does not have the ability to affix
electronic signatures to checks and
vouchers, so they are signed “by hand.” The
new Finance Director will identify these
functions then propose and implement new,
modernized processes.
Compensation & Benefits
Selection Process
Salary Range: $83,284 - $96,549 (DOE)
Benefits Include:
➢ Medical/Prescription, Dental & Vision
Insurance
➢ Washington State Department of
Retirement Systems (PERS)
➢ Voluntary Flexible Benefits/Cafeteria
Plan
➢ Voluntary Nationwide or Washington
State Deferred Compensation Plans
(DCP)
➢ Vacation
➢ Sick Leave
➢ Holidays
➢ Social Security & Industrial Insurance
➢ Relocation Assistance if needed
Skype Screening interviews with semifinalists are scheduled for April 27, 2017.
Applicants may be asked to submit budget
work samples as part of the screening
process. Final candidates will be invited to
attend the final selection process in Lynden,
Washington on May 11, 2017.
Please direct all questions to Kara Turner,
Turner HR Services, Inc. at (360) 739-5531
or email [email protected].
To Apply
Qualified candidates are encouraged to
apply at
http://www.lyndenwa.org/employment/.
First consideration given to applications
received by April 14, 2017 (open until
filled).
The City of Lynden is an Equal Opportunity Employer
& Drug Free Workplace