Principal Consultant

Willdan Financial Services (WFS) is a growing consulting firm that provides financial consulting services primarily to cities, counties and other local government jurisdictions including public sewer, water, natural gas, and electric utilities. Typical services provided by WFS include, but are not limited to, retail and wholesale utility rate and financial studies, other fee and rate studies for local public agencies, financial modeling and accounting studies, economic and fiscal impact/feasibility studies, economic and strategic planning, sales tax analysis, special district administration, and utility regulatory and litigation support.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The selected individual will primarily work independently and report to the Vice President in one or more of the following areas:

1. Financial Modeling for Water, Wastewater, Natural Gas, Electric, Solid Waste, and Stormwater Utility Clients: Developing and analyzing financial models to support sound ratemaking, utility operations, budgeting, forecasting, and decision-making.
2. User Fee and Cost Allocation Plan Updates: Conducting updates and reviews of user fee structures and cost allocation plans to ensure they are aligned with current operations and regulations.
3. Fiscal and Economic Impact Analysis: Performing detailed analyses to assess the fiscal and economic impacts of various initiatives or changes on the utility or community.
4. Revenue Enhancement Studies: Analyzing current revenue generation strategies and recommending potential enhancements or new revenue sources.

Key Responsibilities

The Principal Consultant plays a crucial role in managing and overseeing multiple and simultaneous active projects, often acting as the primary point of contact between external clients and the consulting team. This position requires a high degree of responsibility and leadership, as the Principal Consultant is involved in the entire lifecycle of each project-from proposal and contract negotiations to final delivery. This role is central to ensuring that projects are delivered successfully, within scope, time, and budget, while also ensuring client satisfaction. Principal Consultants play a pivotal role in business development, acting as both a strategic advisor and a relationship manager, ensuring that projects and services align with client needs while contributing to the organization's financial growth. Key duties and responsibilities include:

• Client Engagement and Relationship Management: Serve as the primary contact for clients, ensuring clear and consistent communication to understand their needs, objectives, and challenges. Maintain positive client relationships and ensure client satisfaction throughout the project.
• Project Coordination and Management: Oversee the day-to-day activities of the project, ensuring that timelines, budgets, and quality standards are met. Coordinate the efforts of internal teams and resources to deliver project milestones successfully.
• Research and Analysis: Conduct in-depth research and analysis to understand the client's issues, challenges, and business environment. Use this information to guide the project's strategic direction and deliver tailored solutions.

• Quality Assurance: Ensure high-quality results by tracking progress, reviewing models, analysis and deliverables, identifying potential risks, and mitigating any issues that could affect project outcomes.

• Proposal and Contract Management: Play a key role in the preparation of project proposals, including developing timelines, budgets, and project scopes. Oversee contract negotiations, facilitate activities in the contracting process including execution of agreements and amendments, and ensure that all project deliverables and timelines are clearly defined and agreed upon by all stakeholders.
• Presenting, Reporting and Communication: Prepare regular presentations, reports and updates for clients and internal stakeholders, ensuring transparency and effective communication. Present findings, recommendations, and progress to clients in a clear and actionable manner, often at public meetings advising elected and appointed policy makers.

• Budget and Financial Management: Keep track of project budgets, manage invoicing, and ensure proper revenue acceptance processes are followed to maintain financial accountability.

• Mentorship and Team Development: Mentor and guide junior consultants, offering leadership and support in their professional development. Provide coaching on consulting best practices, problem-solving, and client management.

• Time Management: Efficiently managing both personal and team time to ensure that tasks and deliverables are completed within the set timeframe and budget.
• Maintaining Strong Business Relationships: Build and nurture long-term business relationships with clients, stakeholders, and partners through consistent communication and production of high-quality services and deliverables. Engage with clients regularly to ensure their needs are met, gather feedback, and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Additional duties and responsibilities may be assigned by supervisor as business needs dictate.

Job Requirements / Qualifications:

• B.A. or B.S. in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Urban Planning, or Public Administration.
• 6 or more years of relevant experience (preferably in a government agency or government consulting firm).
• Prior knowledge and experience with utility or local public government industry clients is required.
• Ability to prioritize multiple simultaneous projects and tasks to ensure timely execution of high-quality services and deliverables.
• Experience presenting findings to stakeholders including elected governing bodies, local government staff, and the general public.
• Experience collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders while delivering excellent customer service in a highly dynamic growth environment.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast paced, evolving, entrepreneurial work environment.
• Advanced expertise with Microsoft Office Products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), and web-based information sources. In particular, developing and understanding financial and economic models and complex spreadsheets in Excel.
• Ability to read, analyze and interpret government regulations, professional journals, industry technical publications and technical manuals or instructions.
• Ability to consistently and accurately calculate figures and mathematical relationships such as discounts, interest, rates of return, proportions and percentages.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract or concrete variables.
• 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.
• Superior information management, time management, and communication skills.

EEO Non-Discrimination and ADA Reasonable Accommodation Statement Willdan is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, religion, military service or veteran status, disability, medical condition, childbirth and related medical conditions, genetic testing, reproductive status or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws and ordinances. Willdan does not discriminate on the basis of physical or mental disability where the essential functions of the job can be reasonably accommodated. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.

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