Job Posting - City Auditor

City Auditor

Organization: City of San Diego, CA
Salary: The salary for this position will be dependent upon the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. In addition, a competitive benefits package will be offered.
Close Date: It will remain open until filled. The first review of resumes is tentatively scheduled for March 25, 2019.

Job Description:

With more than 1.4 million people and a land area of 372 square miles, the City of San Diego is the eighth largest city in the United States and the second largest in California. The City's strong economy, diverse population, great educational institutions, unsurpassed quality of life, and world-renowned location make it the ideal place to work, live, and play.

Known for its idyllic climate, magnificent beaches, world famous sites/attractions, a dynamic downtown and a wide array of neighborhoods, it's no wonder San Diego was named one of America's Most Livable Cities. Located on the Pacific Ocean near the U.S. Mexican border, San Diego is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse locations in the nation. Recent demographic projections indicate that up to 1.7 million residents will call the City home by 2020.

San Diego is one of the safest large cities in the country. It offers participatory and spectator sports opportunities, beachfront resorts, luxurious spas, multi-cultural celebrations, and a wide variety of housing options. Consistently rated as one of the best tourist locations in the country, San Diego is home to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, and Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the U.S. The City also features 15 museums, numerous art galleries, gorgeous gardens and the Tony Award-winning Globe Theatres.
San Diego is also recognized for its outstanding schools, universities, research and medical facilities. It has five outstanding four-year universities and 10 local community colleges. San Diego also has the highest percentage of college graduates of any city in the country and tops all other U.S. cities in the number of PhDs per capita.

The City operates under and is governed by the laws of the State of California and its own Charter, as periodically amended since its adoption by the electorate in 1931. The City operates under a Strong-Mayor form of government. The Mayor is elected at-large to serve a four-year term and is limited to two consecutive terms. The City Council is composed of nine members who are elected to staggered four-year terms and who are limited to two terms. The City Council is presided over in open meetings by the Council President, who is selected by a majority vote of the City Council. The Mayor presides over closed session meetings of the City Council. The City Attorney, who is elected to a four-year term, serves as the chief legal advisor and attorney for the City and all departments. The City Attorney is limited to two consecutive terms in office. The Mayor is the Chief Executive Officer of the City and has direct oversight of all City functions and services except for the City Council, Personnel, City Clerk, Independent Budget Analyst (IBA), City Attorney, Ethics Commission and City Auditor departments.

The City's mission is "to Efficiently Serve and Support Our Communities," and core values include Integrity, Service, People and Excellence. The City's Vision is a World-Class City for All." As one of the region's largest employers, the City of San Diego has a combined Fiscal Year 2019 operating budget of $3.8 billion, with 11,545 budgeted full-time equivalent positions providing a full range of governmental services. The City has been able to restore and enhance services during the past several years, increasing budgeted staff from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2019 by 1,318. In the fiscal year 2019 Adopted Budget, the City added 126 positions. The increase in positions includes support for the "Clean SD" initiative and the City's multibillion dollar Capital Improvements Program, including progress on the critical Pure Water Program and Storm Water improvements.

The City provides safety services to its residents and visitors, including police and fire protection, emergency medical treatment and lifeguard services. Neighborhood services include parks and recreation, library, arts and culture, refuse collection, waste management, economic development, and planning. The City operates and maintains the water and sewer utilities, the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport and Brown Field general aviation airports, and the SDCCU Stadium. It also administers the Petco Park joint use and management agreement between the City and the Padres baseball team. The City's public works program improves and adds to the City's existing infrastructure including buildings, parks, roads, sidewalks, street lights, bridges, storm water, and distribution and collection systems for sewer and water.

The Office of the City Auditor is an independent office that reports and is accountable to the Audit Committee and City Council. The City Auditor conducts performance audits of City departments, offices, and agencies in accordance with government auditing standards. The audits may assess internal controls and evaluate how well the City complies with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; achieves stated goals and objectives; reports financial and performance information (reliability); efficiently and effectively uses resources; and safeguards and protects assets. The Office of the City Auditor also administers the City's Fraud Hotline program and performs investigations for all material complaints received related to fraud, waste, and abuse.

The San Diego City Charter provides for the City Auditor to be appointed by the Mayor in consultation with the Audit Committee, and confirmed by the City Council. The Charter further provides that the City Auditor must be a certified public accountant or certified internal auditor and that the City Auditor will serve for a ten-year term. The City Auditor reports to and is accountable to the Audit Committee. Upon the recommendation of the Audit Committee, the City Auditor may be removed for cause by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Council. The City Auditor is the appointing authority of all City personnel authorized in the Department through the normal annual budget and appropriation process of the City, and subject to the Civil Service provisions of the San Diego City Charter. Currently there are 22 authorized positions in Office of the City Auditor.

The Audit Committee is an independent body consisting of five members, two members of the City Council and three members of the public. The two Council members are appointed by the Council, one of whom serves as Chair of the Committee. The three public members are appointed by the City Council through a process defined in the City Charter. The Audit Committee has oversight responsibility regarding the City's auditing, internal controls and any other financial or business practices required of it by the Charter. The Audit Committee is responsible for directing and reviewing the work of the City Auditor and the City Auditor shall report directly to the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee recommends the annual compensation of the City Auditor and annual budget of the Office of City Auditor to the Council and shall be responsible for an annual performance review of the City Auditor. The Audit Committee also recommends to the Council the retention of the City's outside audit firm and, when appropriate, the removal of such firm.

The Association for Local Government Auditors (ALGA) has acknowledged the San Diego’s Office of the City Auditor with its prestigious Knighton Award for best performance audit reports seven times since 2010.

For more information about the City of San Diego and its departments and services and the City Auditor’s Office, visit the City's website at: www.sandiego.gov and the City Auditor’s Website at: www.sandiego.gov/auditor

Qualifications and Qualities

Requirements include a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Public Policy, Public Administration or a related field (a Master’s degree is preferred) and ten years of increasingly responsible operations or performance auditing, management systems analysis and/or financial management evaluation experience is preferred. Audit field work including work performed in accordance with Generally Accepted Governmental Auditing Standards (GAGAS) is required. And, audit field work in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is desired. Professional designation of Certified Internal Auditor or Certified Public Accountant is required.

Ideal candidates will possess the following competencies and characteristics:
• An experienced governmental auditor who is committed to encouraging the San Diego City government on it path to even higher performance levels.
• Committed to process improvement.
• Is innovative and inspires and encourages innovation in his or her staff.
• Is a strategic thinker.
• Collaborative and cooperative while maintaining independence and a high level of integrity.
• Proven ability to build and maintain trust.
• Highly objective – exercises impartial judgement on all issues associated with conducting an audit.
• Focused on outcomes.
• Apolitical but politically astute.
• Fair and impartial.
• Skilled at employee recruitment, selection and retention.
• A mature leader with team development experience.
• Ability to communicate effectively with all internal/external stakeholders.
• Local government experience in a large, complex environment.
• Abides by GAO's Yellow Book.

Compensation

The compensation package includes a competitive base salary and fringe benefits that will ultimately depend upon the qualifications of the best candidate. The beginning salary will be commensurate with experience. The successful candidate will be eligible for participation in the City's Flexible Benefits Plan that offers several optional benefit plans or a taxable cash option; $50,000 in City-paid life insurance; paid annual leave accruing at 22 days per year for the 1st through the 15th year of service. Retirement benefits differ for this position depending on the candidate's eligible status (new hire, rehire, etc.).

The salary for this position will be dependent upon the qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. In addition, a competitive benefits package will be offered.

To Apply
The City is anxious to fill this position. It will remain open until filled. The first review of resumes is tentatively scheduled for March 25, 2019. For consideration, please email your cover letter and resume to:

Robert E. Slavin, President
SLAVIN MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
3040 Holcomb Bridge Road #A1
Norcross, Georgia 30071
Phone: (770) 449-4656
Fax: (770) 416-0848
Email: slavin@bellsouth.net.

The City of San Diego is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access Employer