Finance Director/Town Accountant

TOWN OF LANCASTER, MA

FINANCE DEPARTMENT-FINANCE DIRECTOR/TOWN ACCOUNTANT

Full-Time

The Town of Lancaster seeks a full-time (40 hours/week) Finance Director/Town Accountant.

The position is benefitted and subject to a contract to be negotiated with the Select Board, through the Town Administrator.

The anticipated starting salary range is $118,000 to $130,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

Interested candidates MUST email (in PDF format) to Jobs@lancasterma.gov the following 3 documents:

* Resume,

* Cover Letter and

* A complete/signed Town of Lancaster Employment Application (application available at https://www.ci.lancaster.ma.us/602/Employment-Opportunities) .

Position open until it is filled.

The Town of Lancaster, MA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

***** JOB DESCRIPTION - Rev 5/21/2026 *****

FINANCE DIRECTOR/TOWN ACCOUNTANT

DEFINITION

This position is responsible for strategic planning, management, and accounting of the Town’s finances, and for performing supervisory, administrative, technical, and professional management work in directing financial operations and activities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Oversees and manages all aspects of the Town's finance systems. Ensures timely and accurate accounting and reporting. Assures funds availability to meet obligations. Coordinates accounting, treasury, collections, assessing, and information technology activities. Assists municipal officers in developing policies and practices for the effective management and administration of financial resources.
• Coordinates annual and long-range budget development, implementation, and oversight for all town departments. Performs budget management and analysis functions including revenue and expenditure analysis. Provides periodic reports showing appropriation expenditures and balances. Forecasts and monitors financial conditions. Makes recommendations for corrective actions.
• Maintains, in compliance with MGL, GASB, UMAS, and GAAP, a complete set of financial records for all municipal accounts, appropriations, debts, and contracts. Prepares monthly and annual financial statements.
• Maintains a general ledger, subsidiary ledgers, and journals for the recording of all transactions and has full audit responsibility for all municipal departments’ receipts and expenditures in addition to auditing Treasurer’s cash and assisting in outside audits.
• Develops long-term debt position for the Town, including oversight of debt issuance and bond sale matters.
• Develops cash flows for bonded projects.
• Ensures proper and timely filing of all state and federal reports and granting agency requirements, and fiscal year-end closing of the Town's financial reports and documents, including the Town’s tax rate, balance sheet, Schedule A, EOY 147, tax recap, and free cash documents.
• Through the Town Administrator, provides support to the Finance Committee. Tracks, evaluates, and presents financial information and trends to the Committee as needed to develop and present information for budget hearings, Town Meetings, and other meetings requiring Finance Committee vote or recommendation.
• Oversees the Town's audit, prepares the formal response to the audit and is charged with implementing approved recommendations.
• Consults with and performs special projects for the Town Administrator related to the financial and administrative management of the Town.
• Performs other related job duties as required.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

The employee works from policies, goals, and objectives; establishes short-range plans and objectives and departmental performance standards and assumes direct accountability for department results; consults with the supervisor only where clarification, interpretation, or exception to policy may be required or as requested by the supervisor; exercises control in the development of departmental policies, goals, objectives, and budgets; and is expected to exercise whatever means are necessary to resolve conflict that cannot be addressed at the department level.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

As a manager, the employee is accountable for the direction and success of programs accomplished through others; is responsible for analyzing program objectives, determining the various departmental work operations needed to achieve them, estimating the financial and staff resources required, allocating the available funds and staff, reporting periodically on the achievement and status of the program objective, and recommending new goals; typically formulates or recommends program goals and develops plans for achieving short and long-range objectives; and determines organizational structure, operating guidelines, and work operations.

JUDGMENT AND COMPLEXITY

Guidelines only provide limited guidance for performing the work, which may be in the form of administrative or organizational policies, general principles, legislation, or directives that pertain to a specific department or functional area. Extensive judgment and ingenuity are required to develop new, or adapt existing, methods and approaches for accomplishing objectives or to deal with new or unusual requirements within the limits of the guidelines or policies. The employee is recognized as the authority in interpreting the guidelines, in determining how they should be applied, and in developing operating policies for a major functional section of the organization. The employee accepts responsibility while exercising authority for planning, operating, and oversight.

NATURE AND PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

Relationships are with co-workers, the public, and with groups and/or individuals who have conflicting opinions or objectives, diverse points of view, or differences where skillful negotiating and achieving compromise is required to secure support, concurrence and acceptance, or compliance. The employee may represent to the public a functional area of the organization on matters of procedures or policy where perceptiveness is required to analyze circumstances to act appropriately.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The employee has regular access at the departmental level to a wide variety of confidential information, including personnel records, medical records, collective bargaining strategies, lawsuits, and client records.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, public administration, or related field plus 7 to 10 years of progressively-responsible municipal finance and accounting experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training, certification, and experience.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

Required

Massachusetts Certified Public Procurement Official, or ability to obtain within one (1) year of hire date

Preferred

Massachusetts Certified Governmental Accountant

Certified Public Accountant

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITY, AND SKILLS

Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of government finance and accounting; laws and requirements relevant to essential functions, including those related to municipal finance, accounting, procurement, records, and ethics; and town government operations. Knowledge of office administrative practices, technology, and equipment, including office software (email, word processing, spreadsheets, social media, and web applications) and electronic and physical records management. Knowledge of VADAR accounting system and ClearGov budgeting software.

Abilities: Ability to be bonded. Ability to recognize town-wide priorities and work cooperatively to support their accomplishment; analyze complex issues and develop relevant and realistic plans, programs, and recommendations; prepare and analyze detailed financial reports; and perform detailed work accurately. Ability to exercise initiative and independent judgment; think analytically; develop new or revised systems; plan and prioritize work; multi-task; meet deadlines; work independently; and be self-motivated. Ability to manage conflict; communicate effectively with tact and discretion; fairly and tactfully enforce policies; maintain confidentiality; present ideas clearly and concisely; maintain good public relations and effective collaborative working relationships; respond in a courteous and professional manner; and work with diverse groups.

Skills: Strong financial, communication, problem-solving, decision-making, planning, organizing, writing, budgeting, recordkeeping, and supervisory skills. Proficient personal computer and financial accounting software skills; advanced skill using financial spreadsheets.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The majority of work is performed in an office setting.

PHYSICAL, MOTOR, AND VISUAL SKILLS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Skills: Minimal physical demands are required to perform most of the work. The work principally involves sitting, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. May be required to lift objects such as files, boxes of papers, office supplies, and office equipment weighing up to 30 pounds.

Motor Skills: Duties require motor skills for activities such as moving objects and using office equipment, including but not limited to telephones, personal computers, handheld technology, and other office equipment.

Visual Skills: Visual demands require routinely reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes, including handwriting, spreadsheets, graphs, and charts, and reviewing detailed information displayed on a computer screen.

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Pay: $118,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $118,000 - $130,000