Business Manager

The Business Manager for the Department of Infrastructure provides comprehensive financial, administrative, and operational support across all Infrastructure divisions, including Capital Projects, Engineering, Water & Sewer, and Permitting & Building Code. This position plays a critical role in financial planning, revenue and cost analysis, permitting system oversight, and coordination of cross-divisional business functions. The Business Manager works closely with division leaders and the Finance Department to ensure effective resource management, regulatory compliance, and alignment with departmental and municipal priorities.

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Conduct in-depth revenue projection analysis and forecasting, incorporating construction trends, permitting activity, seasonal variability, and other infrastructure-related drivers.
• Perform detailed cost analysis on variable expenses, including overtime, union-related payouts (e.g., accrued vacation and sick leave upon separation), and other fluctuating personnel costs.
• Track expenditures, revenues, and encumbrances; identify variances and recommend corrective actions.
• Support enterprise fund financial planning, including water and sewer operations.
• Analyze and evaluate existing fee structures, with a focus on Permitting & Building Code, Engineering, and Water & Sewer permitting (including building, plumbing/gas, and electrical permits).
• Oversee and manage the City’s permitting platform (e.g., Citizenserve), including financial tracking, reporting, and system optimization.
• Ensure accurate integration of permitting data with financial systems and reporting tools.
• Develop recommendations for fee schedule updates to ensure alignment with service costs, market conditions, and inflation.
• Manage cash receipts associated with Infrastructure operations, including permitting and other revenue streams.
• Perform regular account reconciliations to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with financial controls.
• Coordinate with the Finance Department on cash handling procedures and reporting.
• Standardize and improve internal business processes across divisions.
• Support grant management, including application tracking, reporting, and compliance.
• Coordinate financial oversight of capital projects, including budget tracking, funding sources, and cash flow analysis.
• Work with project managers and Infrastructure staff to ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance with funding requirements.
• Assist in the preparation of capital improvement plans and long-term financial strategies.
• Support ongoing evaluation of fee balance, cost recovery, and revenue sustainability.
• Support all aspects of Infrastructure billing operations, including meter reading, billing cycles, adjustments, abatements, and payment processing.
• Develop and recommend policies and procedures to improve utility billing operations, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and laws.
• Analyze billing data to identify discrepancies, troubleshoot issues, and ensure customer bills are accurate.
• Prepare detailed reports for management, including billing summaries, account status, usage trends, and financial analyses.
• Assist with audits and provide necessary documentation and responses.
• Perform other related duties as required.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job requires minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting.

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes.

Hours: Full-Time
Salary: $85,000-$88,400 annualized, plus benefits. 
Union: Non-Union
FLSA: Exempt
Date Posted: July 29th, 2026 
 

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Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or ADA@somervillema.gov.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)