Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers. CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life. In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans: academic progress, financial stability, and integrity. Six core values are embedded within these commitments – student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Finance develops and manages CPS’ annual operating and capital budgets and Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, prepares long-term financial projections, secures both short-term and long-term resources to provide adequate liquidity, and provide data, information, analysis, knowledge and methods for our leaders to anticipate and respond effectively to the challenges facing Chicago Public Schools. Within the Office of Finance, the Office of the Controller is responsible for the financial operations of Chicago Public Schools, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Internal Accounts, and Corporate Accounting.

Job Summary:

Reporting to the Assistant Deputy Controller, the Accounting Manager (Capital Fixed Asset & Revenue) assigns, supervises, and reviews the work of professional accountants engaged in the management of financial accounts. This position will design and implement computerized accounting systems and internal controls to ensure operational efficiency within the Office of Controller. This position will use current industry technology to ensure the integrity of all data process throughout the financial systems for the recording of property tax distributions, capital and fixed assets, payables and payroll accounts, cash and other bank accounts, as well as other revenue and expense transactions; as well as monitor payroll.

The Accounting Manager, Capital Fixed Asset & Revenue will be held accountable for the following responsibilities:

• Manage and supervise the Capital Fixed Asset and Revenue Team.
  • Ensure the staff follows established policies and procedures in the performance of their duties, application of accounting principles, and various system validations on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
  • Review and approve all journal entries prepared by staff.
  • Provide leadership, develop goals, objectives and performance standards for the Capital Fixed Asset and Revenue team and conduct performance evaluations.
  • Organize, develop, and schedule ongoing training and development for staff.
• Prepare complex financial calculations and audit-related work papers and schedules.
• Ensure the various Prepared by Client (PBC) work papers prepared by staff, as well as the fiscal data compiled for inclusion in the Annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (ACFR) are completed accurately and within the established deadlines.
• Oversee the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements e.g., Annual Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (ACFR), Annual Financial Report (AFR), and the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR); as well as, present the District’s position to auditors, external parties in regards to accounting issues and financial statement presentation.
• Enhance and strengthen internal controls and increase process efficiency and effectiveness.
• Manage special ad hoc projects and technology endeavors to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations as assigned.
• Review Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statements, Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Best Practices and Advisories, U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidance, and other Federal, State and Local regulatory directives.
• Review interpretations, concept statements and technical bulletins to ensure the timely and proper application of the standards, as well as implement the early adoption of new standards when necessary and beneficial to the Board.
• Maintain and update the Accounting Manual, as necessary, with approved changes in policies, procedures, and business processes related to the assigned area of responsibility for property tax, payroll, pensions, benefits, as well as, capital and fixed assets.
• Oversee the financial reporting system implementation, migration, testing, conversion, automation, and upgrades of the various financial modules; review and analyze the effectiveness of system controls at each process stage for the end user.
• Function as a liaison on accounting-related issues with various departments such as Grants Management, Payroll, Budget, Facilities, and Treasury.
• Understand and communicate the School Districts’ complex property tax, payroll, pension, capital and fixed assets business requirements, cycles, processes, activities, and controls.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Accounting Manager, Capital Fixed Asset & Revenue must possess the following qualifications:

Education Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting or Finance is required
• Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting or Finance and/or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is highly preferred.

Experience Required:

• Minimum of five (5) years of Accounting experience in accounting/financial reporting and auditing, including a minimum of two (2) years of Supervisory experience is required.
• Previous experience in Governmental Accounting and experience working with a Tier 1 ERP system and involvement in conversions/upgrades is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, websites, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public:
• Knowledge of financial practices at a large government organization
• General knowledge of state and federal laws and regulations related to financial operations
• General knowledge of financial internal controls
• Able to write basic procedures and policies
• Ability to read and understand various policies and procedures
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to identify problems and develop recommendations for resolution
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
• Ability to use spreadsheets to view data and perform analysis
• Ability to analyze data and document any issues or problems
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint; Oracle Financials, SQL programming language is a plus.
• Advanced Oracle experience in a large government organization (preferred), and Adept user of internet, E-mail, and other office automation systems

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to:

• Establish/Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district. The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary/part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.
• Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire. “Up-to-date” on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.