Director of Finance

City of Hartford, CT

$108K — $167K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's degree in business or public administration, accounting or finance.
  • Ten years of administrative experience in municipal financial management.
  • Thorough knowledge of public management, budgeting, accounting, and financial control.
  • Understanding of federal, state and local laws regarding governmental financial operations.
  • Ability to establish effective working relationships with city officials and the community.

Responsibilities

  • Direct the operations of the Department of Finance and oversee its divisions.
  • Manage budgeting, accounting, and control of City funds.
  • Conduct internal audits and oversee financial policy administration.
  • Collaborate on budget preparation, revenue/expenditure management, and legislative support.
  • Engage with the Mayor and City Council on financial policy matters.
  • Make recommendations for financial management and administrative procedures.
  • Attend City Council meetings and serve on special task forces.

Benefits

  • Potential for professional growth in a pivotal city leadership role.
  • Opportunities to collaborate with various city departments and officials.
  • Engagement in high-level financial decision-making for the community.
  • Influence on policy and procedural standards in municipal finance.
Full Job Description
Salary: $108,192.08 - $167,205.22 Annually
Location : 550 Main St Hartford, CT 06103, CT
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 01887 (Reissued 4/16/2026)
Department: Chief Operating Officer
Opening Date: 03/31/2026
Closing Date: Continuous

Description
Applications will be accepted until a sufficient number of candidates are received. This is highly responsible and professional financial management work involving direction of the operations of the Department of Finance and administration of the financial affairs of the City. Work involves responsibility for budgeting, accounting and control of all City funds, internal audits, purchasing and contract procurement, insurance and employee benefits, collection of taxes, financial policies and systems, debt administration and the preparation of financial analyses, reports and studies for the City. Plans, directs, implements and evaluates the activities of the Department of Finance; supervises its various division heads and responds to questions and requests from the Mayor or City Council. Conducts budget preparation and appropriate control which involves revenue and expenditure estimating and management as well as development and support of the City's legislative program. Oversees capital budgeting, project financing, debt administration and financial reporting. Works with the Mayor or designee and the City Council on policy matters and with other department heads and City officials as well as with officials of federal, state and other governmental jurisdictions in financial matters. Makes recommendations and establishes procedures in most areas of financial management, administrative policy and legislation and serves as final authority in department operations. May serve on special task forces and attend City Council and committee meetings. Performs related work as required.

This position is in the unclassified service. The incumbent is appointed and reports to the Mayor in accordance with Chapters IV and V of the City Charter.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
The City of Hartford seeks a candidate who has an ability to commit to the mission, vision, and values of the City and the community it serves. The ideal candidate would possess the following:
Knowledge of:
  • Public management, budgeting, accounting, financial control and the several other functional areas of municipal finance and related activities.
  • Federal, state and local laws regarding governmental financial operations a well as the best professional practices in the field of municipal finance.

Ability to:
  • Plan, direct, implement and evaluate departmental activities and to supervise the various division heads.
  • Coordinate program activities with other departments and agencies.
  • Establish and maintain effective and courteous communications and working relationships with other officials.
  • Formulate long range goals and develop organizational and operational plans for their accomplishment.

Qualifications
Open to all applicants who meet the following qualifications:
Possession of a master's degree in business or public administration, accounting or finance and ten years of increasingly responsible administrative experience in all phases of financial management for a municipal or public body.

A COPY OF YOUR DEGREE OR TRANSCRIPT MUST BE ATTACHED TO YOUR APPLICATION. A DEGREE OR TRANSCRIPT SUBMITTED WILL BE VERIFIED BY THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT.

Other Information

  • Application must be completed in its entirety, including required documentation. Applications without proper documentation shall result in your disqualification.
  • All Correspondence and information concerning the application and testing process will occur via email, unless otherwise requested at the time of application.
  • Please be sure to check your junk and spam email for all recruitment communication.
  • Applications via facsimile or email are not accepted.

01

Describe your experience in a lead or supervisory role. What type of organization? How many years? How many staff members did you lead/supervise? What were the job titles of those you lead/supervised?
02

Please describe your experience in recognizing training needs and performance improvement of employees you have supervised.
03

Please describe your experience in financial management, including preparing departmental budgets.
04

Describe your experience analyzing departmental procedures. Have you successfully implemented new procedures in a department?
05

Please describe your experience analyzing and preparing budget documents and financial reports.
06

Has your supervision style changed over time? How?
Required Question

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at City of Hartford, CT

More Education, Government & Non-Profit Jobs

Find similar Director of Finance jobs: