Controller

Salary: $116,917.00 - $140,000.00 Annually
Location : 2700 Town Center Blvd Sugar Land, TX
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 2400114
Department: Finance
Division: Accounting
Opening Date: 10/11/2024
Position Description
The City of Sugar Land is seeking a full-time Controller in the Finance Department.
Why Should You Join Our Team? Our trailblazing culture focuses on our employees, our citizens and the services we provide to our community. We are a data-driven and innovative full-service municipality located approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston that invests in our team and offers real opportunities for career growth. We pay our Controller a starting salary of $116,917 - $140,000 depending on your qualifications and experience. We also offer great benefits and perks available on your first day of employment, including: City-subsidized health benefits; life and disability insurance; a variety of voluntary benefits; a robust pension plan with TMRS to set you up for a fulfilling retirement; flexible schedules and work from home opportunities; a down-to-earth casual environment and dress code; and a positive team-oriented culture stemming from a long-term commitment to innovation and inclusion. You can even bring your dog and/or cat to work if they have a solid understanding of office decorum.
Benefits At-A-Glance:

• City-subsidized Medical and Dental Insurance with a variety of plan options;
• City-paid Basic Life Insurance @ 1x your annual salary and Long-term Disability;
• Voluntary Vision, Supplemental Life Coverage (for you and your family), Aflac indemnity plans such as Accident, Cancer, Hospitalization and Critical Illness, Short Term Disability and pre-paid legal benefits through Legal Shield;
• 9 paid holidays and up to 3 floating holidays to use at your discretion;
• A generous vacation package with accruals starting on day 1;
• Paid sick leave;
• Paid Parental Leave;
• A robust pension plan with TMRS includes your 7% contribution with 2:1 match by the City;
• You won't contribute to Social Security, but you can further your retirement income by contributing to a Deferred Compensation (457b) plan;
• Longevity pay for each month of service after your first 13 months of employment;
• On-site Wellness facilities and programming (mind, body spirit & financial preparedness); and
• Access to multiple mental health benefits and resources, including a robust EAP...

If we have your attention... Please. Continue. Reading!
Our City Mission : WE ARE TRAILBLAZERS! Relentless in Our Pursuit of Good so that Our Employees, Residents, and Businesses Can Enjoy a Life Better than They Can Even Imagine.
Our Employee Values : Our values ignite passion, drive, and a sense of purpose, fostering a thriving and successful organizational culture!
We follow the BLAZE Values:
Bold : We encourage each other to be bold in our ideas, decisions, and actions. We embrace innovation and take risks to drive progress.
Loyal : We are loyal to each other, the City and our Mission and Vision. We support each other to foster a cohesive and collaborative work environment. We celebrate our successes and address the challenges facing us, together.
Adaptable : We are resilient because we adapt to changing landscapes and market dynamics. We are flexible and understand the need for work-life balance. We embrace new technologies and evolving trends.
Zealous : We are committed to excellence in all endeavors. We encourage each other to strive for the highest standards of public service, quality, and performance. We hold ourselves, and each other, accountable for our words and actions.
Empowered : We are empowered with the necessary resources, opportunities, and responsibilities to excel in our roles. We seek out opportunities for development and growth, and help others do the same. We are inclusive, we embrace our differences and recognize the strength that comes from different perspectives and experiences.
We are TrailBLAZErs!
About the City of Sugar Land The City of Sugar Land, a municipality with a population of 111,026, provides the highest quality of affordable services to meet the needs of its residents. And our citizens agree-the most recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey told us that 95% of our residents love calling Sugar Land home and 10% say that nothing would make their lives better than it already is, but we look to the future and work hard to make our community and the world better than we can even imagine.
We have an informal work environment but are serious about what we do. We believe that happy, diverse and talented employees add value to the City. We do our best to hire friendly, professional people who work hard and play well with others. We also promote a healthy work-life balance and personal development.
Summary of Duties
Are we the right fit for YOU?
Ask yourself: Do you enjoy working with people? Are you organized and detail-oriented? Can you manage your time well and prioritize multiple tasks effectively? Do you embrace change? Do you enjoy working in a professional AND casual environment? Are you an advocate of team-work? If so, please consider applying for the Controller position today!
As a Controller, you will:

• Direct, oversee, and participate in the operations of the Accounting Division including general accounting, accounts payable, payroll, and auditing; efficient administration of all City funds.
• Assist in the development, planning and implementation of management and strategic projects by conducting research, performing statistical analysis, and preparing reports for the Director of Finance.
• Manage staff by participating in hiring process, establishing work schedule(s), performance coaching, providing training, evaluating performance, and making recommendations for promotion, discipline and/or termination.
• Oversee preparation of schedules during interim and year-end financial audit and with special payroll/accounting projects.
• Have knowledge and oversee payroll financial reporting with IRS, State, FEMA compliance, and Labor FLSA guidelines.
• Manage month end close and annual financial statement preparation and ensure compliance with GAAP and GASB.
• Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality customer service.
• Assist with plan for implementation of new GASB and applicable FASB pronouncements.
• Performs other duties or assignments as directed Director and/or their designee(s).
• Strong supervisory and management skills, with the ability to mentor, coach and develop staff. Able to delegate work, set clear direction and manage workflow. Ability to manage the administrative functions of the department; ability to interpret, apply and establish rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of municipal government structure and leadership.
• Must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills, the ability to present and speak in public, and the ability to communication effectively in writing with proper use of grammar and punctuation.
• Work Independently with a high level of accuracy, timeliness, dependability and attention to detail.
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and GASB statements and pronouncements.
• Knowledge of internal control best practices.
• Ability to assess customer needs and respond to them quickly and efficiently.
• Ability to apply principles of logical and scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to build effective teams committed to organizational goals and values.
• Ability to direct departmental programs. Must possess qualities of leadership, initiative, and the abilities to make decisions, inspire others.

Minimum Qualifications
Formal Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Accounting or Economics.
• Master's Degree in Accounting, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred.
• Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO) preferred or obtain within 18 months of employment.
• Certification as a Certified Public Account (CPA). Preferred

Relatable Work Experience:

• Seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience managing a municipal financial function required.
• At least three (3) years of Government Fund Accounting, audit (ACFR) and payroll management experience is required.
• At least three (3) years of experience supervising an accounting team and integrating departments within an organization is required.
• Professional level payroll/accounting experience with local government strongly preferred.

Training (License and/or Certification):

• Texas Class C driver's license
• CPA preferred but not required.
• CGFO certification preferred but not required; Ability to achieve certification following employment.

Additional Information
The citizens of Sugar Land depend on City employees before, during and after an emergency or disaster to provide or restore essential public services for the health, safety and quality of life for our community. In the event of a wide scale emergency that could impact our community, all employees must be ready to assist in managing the crisis and will be considered essential for the continuity of governmental operations.
Our success is achieved by the courage to do things differently and accept that failure will occur on the path to innovation.
The City of Sugar Land is an equal Opportunity employer.
CITY OF SUGAR LAND's OVERVIEW OF EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

• Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS)

Employee contribution: 7%
City matches 2:1 with 5-year vesting
Retirement Eligibility:
1) Age 60 + vested; or
2) 20 years of service, any age

• HOLIDAYS

The City recognizes 10 Holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating Holiday. In lieu of a floating holiday,
firefighters will receive September 11th, Patriot Day, as a fixed holiday.

• VACATION - Other than Public Safety

0 -2nd Year 10 days per year
3 -10 Years 15 days per year
11+ Years 20 days per year

• VACATION - Public Safety

First Year 10 days per year
2-10 Years 15 days per year
11+ Years 20 days per year

• SICK LEAVE - Other than Firefighters

8 hours per month, to a maximum of 1,040 hours

• SICK LEAVE - Shift Firefighters

12 hours per month, to a maximum of 1,456 hours

• SICK LEAVE INCENTIVE PROGRAM

Annual conversion of sick leave to vacation
Sick Days Used from 01/01 to 12/ 31 Eligible Sick Days for Conversion
1 day or less taken 3 days
Up to 2 ½ days 2 days
More than 2 ½ days and up to 4 days 1 day
More than 4 days 0 day

• LONGEVITY PAY

After one year of employment, employees will receive an annual payment of $4.00 per month of employment with the City for the first 25 years of continuous employment (maximum of $1,200 annually). Qualified employees receive longevity payments each December.

• 125 CAFETERIA PLAN

Premium contributions for the medical and dental plans as well as Flexible Spending Accounts and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts are available to all full-time employees through this arrangement.

• GROUP HEALTH & DENTAL

The City contributes to employee and dependent coverage in the HMO, HDHP and dental plans offered.
Medical HSA KelseyCare Gold KelseyCare Blue Employee Only $101.44 $19.56 $0.00 EE + Spouse $346.60 $144.55 $96.48 EE + Child(ren) $257.51 $106.09 $66.79 EE + Family $454.39 $202.24 $141.00 Dental DPPO DHMO Employee Only $7.35 $3.14 EE + Spouse $18.49 $5.89 EE + Child(ren) $17.90 $8.45 EE + Family $31.41 $10.33 Vision Plan Employee Only $7.35 EE + Spouse $18.49 EE + Child(ren) $17.90 EE + Family $31.41

• VISION CARE PLAN

Employees can voluntarily elect to purchase vision care insurance for themselves and their eligible dependents.

• AFLAC PLANS

Employees can voluntarily elect to purchase through payroll deduction: Accident, Cancer, Critical Illness, and Hospital policies for themselves and their eligible dependents. (Rates are age-banded. Employee must contact representative directly for rates and enrollment.)

• BASIC LIFE and AD&D

The City provides all employees annual salary of life insurance and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) coverage of one-time annual salary with a minimum of $50,000.

• LONG TERM DISABILITY

The City provides employees with Long Term Disability in the amount of 60% of your salary (depending on position category) to a maximum of $7,500 per month. Benefits begin after 90 days of disability and may continue to Social Security Normal Retirement Age (SSNRA) if you qualify. LTD is designed to replace a reasonable portion of your income in case of
serious injury or sickness whether on or off the job. Benefits will be offset by any payments from SS, Workers Comp and other income offsets.

• SUPPLEMENTAL LIFE and AD&D

Employees can elect supplemental life insurance and AD&D coverage up to $750,000 for themselves and up to $250,000 for their spouse; as well as $15,000 of life insurance for child(ren).

• SHORT TERM DISABILITY

This optional benefit allows employees to receive 70% of their weekly salary, to a maximum of $1,500 per week (tax free), following either Option A: a 30-calendar day elimination period; or Option B: a 7-calendar (injury) or 14-calendar (illness) elimination period, for a maximum of 90-calendar days from on-set per qualifying incident.

• PRE-PAID LEGAL PLAN

Employees can voluntarily elect to participate in a legal access/assistance plan at a base cost of $7.87 per pay period. Optional plans are also available. ( Employee must contact representative directly for rates and enrollment.)

• DEFERRED COMPENSATION

Employees are allowed to contribute to this optional program at a minimum set by the plan administrator and a maximum set annually by the IRS. Currently the City contracts with 2 administrators for this program: Dearborn & Creggs ($50 per month minimum contribution); and ICMA-RC ($1.00 per month min. contribution). The maximum contribution for 2023 is $19,500
and $6,500 for age 50 + catch-up.

• CREDIT UNIONS

Houston Federal Credit Union: (866) OUR-HFCU
Brazos Valley Schools Credit Union: (855) 391-2149

• EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE

The EAP is designed to provide employees and their dependents with professional, cost-effective assistance in resolving difficult personal problems. Individual, voluntary involvement in the EAP is confidential. The City's EAP administrator is Alliance Work Partners (AWP) at 1-800-343-3822. Registration code: AWP-COSL-3822
01
Do you have a degree in Finance, Business, Accounting or Economics?

• Yes
• No

Required Question