Description

The Austin Energy Chief Financial Officer will have several exciting challenges to address and areas of opportunity to excel. Among these is the need to lead and manage Austin Energy’s financial strategy—such as guiding annual base-rate adjustments to keep pace with inflation, overseeing the utility’s bond programs, and ensuring the long-term reliability of its operations.

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities:

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Provides strategic financial leadership for all of AE's financial functions.
• Collaborates with the General Manager and executive team to develop and manage the annual budget, ensuring it aligns with AE’s operational and capital needs.
• Analyzes long-term economic trends, growth projections, and financial performance to prepare AE for future opportunities and challenges, including navigating regulatory shifts and ERCOT market changes.
• Leads the Finance and Accounting teams, including budgeting, forecasting, long-term financial planning, audits, and fiscal reporting, ensuring compliance with GAAP and public-sector standards.
• Develops and maintains AE’s enterprise risk management framework, identifying and mitigating business risk across the organization.
• Coordinates and implements financial strategies.
• Develops plans for maintaining financial health of AE, including maintaining high credit ratings.
• Identifies rate structures and needs, including overseeing cost of service studies and rate reviews.
• Analyzes financial needs and develops short- and long-range strategies, goals, and action plans to meet those needs.
• Develops and monitors O&M and Capital budgets and responds to any deviations.
• Develops and implements plans that promote completion of business and strategic plans and initiatives to promote the overall financial health of the City of Austin.
• Prepares and reviews financial reports as part of the process of monitoring and communicating performance results.
  Represent AE in public forums, providing insight and expertise on financial matters when needed.
• Regularly presents financial updates, rate proposals, and other strategic recommendations to City Council, Boards, commissions, and other key stakeholders.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• Graduation with a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with coursework in a field related to the job.
• Eight (8) years of relevant utility experience, including four (4) of which were in a high-level managerial capacity.
  Graduation with a Master’s degree from an accredited college or university may substitute for nonmanagerial experience up to a maximum of two (2) years.

The ideal candidate is a highly accomplished financial executive with deep expertise in municipally owned electric utility finance.
The Austin Energy Chief Financial will provide leadership and oversight for budgeting, accounting, financial planning and analysis, capital planning, cash and debt management, investments, procurement, financial reporting, and rate development. With a strong commitment to transparency and integrity, this leader ensures that all financial activities align with legal requirements, regulatory expectations, and industry best practices.