The Position

The City Auditor is the City’s chief audit executive (CAE) and is the key audit role in managing the organization’s financial, performance, and operational audit activities. The CAE reports directly to the Chesapeake City Council and works with the Audit Committee. The CAE provides the leadership and direction to ensure the development of relevant audit reports of systems and a variety of operational and financial activities and ensures the involvement of key leadership in critical audit issues. The City Auditor is a business partner to the City Manager on all major audit issues and accountabilities and participates in the Strategy and Governance Team. The position is a Council appointee and is vacant following the retirement of the long-time City Auditor.

The CAE works closely with other City leaders where remedial, or accountability risks are raised. The CAE manages and controls the organization’s audit process, making the necessary changes to upgrade and improve the audit process, policies or procedures, and manages the resources both internal and external for adequate audit coverage.

As part of a senior leadership team, the CAE provides leadership for the organization's audit risks ensuring alignment with the mission, core values, and strategies of the Chesapeake City Council. The CAE will champion the financial and operational integrity of the City, serving as an effective leader of responsible change. The CAE will ensure accountability and compliance with applicable legal, governmental, and regulatory requirements pertaining to audit and evaluation.

Priorities

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with the City Council and the Audit Committee.
• Build strong and effective working relationships with the City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, Finance Director, and Department Heads. Learn the operations of the City, its key service areas, and opportunities to provide performance audits to help improve city operations.
• Review previous audits and identify areas that may need further action.
• Identify the most effective way to accomplish compliance and performance audits.
• Report audit findings and provide updates to the Audit Committee and City Council.

The Successful Candidate

The ideal candidate will be an experienced professional who demonstrates sound decision-making ability, strong business acumen, and solid leadership skills. The candidate must be politically astute and an effective communicator that will work to establish trust while also committing to the necessary mentorship and collaboration with junior staff to achieve effective and efficient service delivery.

This position requires a strong commitment to continuous improvement, customer service, and performance management. The City is seeking a proactive leader with a strong work ethic who will anticipate challenges, recommend innovative solutions, and deliver positive outcomes.

Competitive candidates will possess a thorough knowledge of the techniques of auditing and must be aware of new changes and developments in the principles and practices of auditing. The next City Auditor will have strong knowledge and background in business organization, financial administration, and local government.

This position requires the highest level of professional objectivity in gathering, evaluating, and communicating information about the activity or process being examined. The successful candidate will possess strong analytical and reasoning skills with the ability to recognize patterns of non-compliance and formulate recommendations for policy or procedural improvements.

Qualifications

Minimum requirements include any combination of education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree and ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience conducting and managing internal audits.

Preferred qualifications include any combination of education and experience equivalent to a master’s degree, CIA or CPA professional certification, experience conducting and/or managing compliance and performance audits in a local government setting and demonstrated ability to help organizations improve performance and reduce risk.

Residency within the Hampton Roads area after appointment is required, with Chesapeake preferred.

Inside The Organization

The City operates under the Council-Manager form of government. The Council-Manager form of local government combines the political leadership of elected officials with the managerial experience of a professional city manager. Chesapeake has eight council members and a mayor elected at large, which means that members represent the entire city rather than specific districts. This position is City Council appointee.

As Chesapeake's legislative body, the City Council establishes priorities, approves the budget, and sets the tax rate. Council members hire the City Manager, who, as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer, is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the City and serves as the Council's chief advisor. The City Manager recommends a budget, sets direction, and establishes policies to carry out the Council's priorities.

The City government employs approximately 3,500 people in more than 30 departments. The Approved Operating Budget for FY 2023 is $1.48 Billion and includes $728 Million for Schools. The Information Technology budget is $22.7 Million. 

The Capital Budget appropriated for FY 2023 is $255 Million with a five-year plan of just over $749 Million. The Information Technology projects represent $26.4 Million with $47.4 Million in the five-year plan.

Chesapeake is a full-service city. The community has a long history of stability and prides itself on an innovative, professional staff. The next City Auditor will be expected to be customer-focused and have strong personal relationships with all of the stakeholders in city government.

The City organization has a set of organizational values, known as the CARES standards, which the staff embodies as they carry out the work of the City. These organizational values stipulate that, as employees perform their work for and on behalf of the residents of and visitors to Chesapeake, they are:

Courteous – Making customers feel welcome, appreciated, and respected.

Attentive – Enhancing the ability to identify the needs and concerns of customers.

Responsive – Acting upon customers’ needs and providing follow-up in a timely manner.

Empowered – Possessing the knowledge, resourcefulness, creativity, and integrity to address customers’ needs.

Stewards – Demonstrating a commitment to public service, the safety of ourselves, our coworkers, and our community, and being good stewards of our financial & environmental resources.

The Community

Chesapeake is the second largest city in Virginia and one of America’s 100 largest cities. Situated near the world’s largest natural harbor and the world’s largest naval base, Chesapeake is located within 20 minutes of the Virginia Beach oceanfront, 15 minutes from downtown Norfolk, and one hour from Colonial Williamsburg and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Chesapeake offers an endless range of outdoor activities, terrific shopping, phenomenal food, and beautiful wildlife. Here you will find an impressively diverse collection of geography encompassing urban delights, rural masterpieces, and an endless menu of outdoor options and indoor fun. It’s a community of communities, each with a distinctive history.

Chesapeake has been ranked as one of the best places to live by Money magazine. It is a vibrant community that enjoys the best of two worlds: one of urban variety, culture, and excitement, and another of rural landscapes and relaxed country living. It is also consistently ranked by the FBI as one of the five safest U.S. cities with populations over 200,000, which lends to the safe, community atmosphere that residents enjoy.

Chesapeake has more miles of deepwater canals than any other city in the country and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway, stretching from Maine to Florida. Over the last decade, many national and international companies have taken advantage of the City’s port-related activities, atmosphere, and highly qualified labor market by relocating to Chesapeake. The City is home to the Dollar Tree corporate headquarters.

Chesapeake is considered a premier community in the Hampton Roads area. It has a high median annual household income and strong employment diversification. Single-family homes are the most common housing type in Chesapeake. Diverse neighborhoods offer a high quality of living with strong connections in the communities.

The Chesapeake Public Schools system serves over 39,000 students with almost 5,700 teachers, administrators, and various support personnel. With seven high schools, ten middle schools, twenty-eight elementary schools, Chesapeake Career Center, Chesapeake Center for Student Success, and Chesapeake Virtual Academy, the school district is dedicated to high levels of performance.

The school district has the highest on-time graduation rates and one of the lowest drop-out rates in the Commonwealth. Academics, athletics, and the arts are carefully balanced from the primary level through the comprehensive high school curriculum. A strong emphasis on basic skills in the four core subject areas and technology at all levels enhances instruction. A wide variety of course options provide a unique and diverse curriculum that challenges those students who enroll.

Based on the City’s pro-business climate, Chesapeake’s economy continues to generate multi-million-dollar business investments and high-demand jobs year after year. Five major business districts are concentrated in the northern half of the City, comprising one of the strongest business climates in the Mid-Atlantic region. Chesapeake’s economy is recognized as one of the strongest and most highly skilled workforces in

the U.S. The area has achieved great success in recruiting and retaining new and existing companies that have an impact and strong community presence. Known for its excellent telecommunications and transportation infrastructure, Chesapeake has become a desired location for businesses.

Quick Facts

• Population (2021): 251,269
• Median Household Income (2020): $81,261
• Median Home Value (2016-2020): $286,000
• Median Age: 36.9

All demographic information was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Compensation

The expected hiring range is $135,000 – $150,000, depending on qualifications, with an excellent benefits package. Residency within the Hampton Roads area after appointment is required, with Chesapeake preferred. The City will provide relocation assistance for out-of-area candidates as part of the overall compensation package.

Benefits offered include the following:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• Participation in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
• Optional Life Insurance
• Holiday, vacation, sick, and parental leave
• Flexible spending accounts (FSA/HSA)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Tuition and Skills Development Reimbursement
• Employee Wellness Program
• Pre-Paid Legal Services Plan
• Deferred Compensation

For more information go to www.cityofchesapeake.net.

How to Apply

Applicants complete a brief online form and are prompted to provide a cover letter and resume. The position will be open until filled with a first review of applications beginning June 23, 2023.

Questions

Please direct questions to Catherine Tuck Parrish at ctuckparrish@raftelis.com and Kelsey Batt at kbatt@raftelis.com.

Download Recruitment Brochure