Sumter Group to lead Sumner County finance director search; kickoff set for Jan. 23

Sumter Group will lead the county's search for a new finance director, a consultant told the Sumner County Financial Management Committee on Jan. 23.

Warren, a Sumter Group representative, said the firm will develop a county and candidate profile, assemble advertising and sourcing materials, run an approximately three-week initial resume review and use an objective scoring matrix to identify semifinalists. ‘‘So it takes about 2, 3 months to get through that process,’’ Warren said, adding the firm can compress steps — for example, by screening candidates as they apply — to shorten the timeline.

The committee set an on-site kickoff for Jan. 23 to finalize the candidate profile and the hiring range. Chair Cherry Boyd said she would provide the in-house brochure the county's prior finance director had prepared to speed the process. Committee members asked Sumter Group to narrow the advertised hiring range before outreach so applicants better understand expected pay.

Warren described outreach channels the firm will use, including targeted advertising in Southeastern Tennessee, the state Government Finance Officers Association networks and a 30,000-person email list of public-sector finance professionals. He said Sumter will also perform recorded or live screening interviews, bring finalists to on-site interviews in Gallatin and run background checks before conditional offers.

Next steps: Sumter Group will return a draft advertisement and marketing materials about a week after the Jan. 23 kickoff, and the committee scheduled additional meetings in late January and February to review the draft and monitor the recruiting schedule.

The committee did not take any binding personnel action at the meeting; Jan. 23 is an informational kickoff to shape the recruitment process.