About the program
The Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship, a collaborative program between the Division of Local Services (DLS) and Massachusetts’ Community Colleges, will train and produce the next generation of qualified, diverse, and dedicated municipal officials for the Commonwealth’s cities and towns. The Fellowship will prepare participants for employment in municipal finance offices, including accountant/auditor, collector, treasurer and budget management.
Tasks, functions and assignments performed by Local Finance Commonwealth Fellows may include:
- Budgeting/Capital planning
- Payroll
- Cash & debt management
- Accounts payable/end of year processing
- Property tax billing & collection
- Cash & receivables reconciliation
Fellowship benefits
Participants accepted into the program will receive:
- Career Preparation: Immersive Municipal Finance online training seminars, presented by subject matter experts from DLS, municipalities and professional associations, totaling 160 total hours of programming during June (9 am-5 pm M-F). Fellows will receive a paid stipend ($25 per hour).
- Work-Based Learning Experience: Paid internship ($25 per hour) on-site at a city/town hall. Full time for the months of July and August.
The Local Finance Commonwealth Fellowship is designed to create a mutually beneficial dynamic between its student participants and their host communities. Therefore, host participation and time commitments are flexible. Multiple communities may serve as co-hosts to an individual Fellow based on geographic and scheduling considerations.
Host communities will provide each Fellow with an enriching learning environment that provides exposure to as many of the community’s finance offices and operations as possible. This immersive experience will highlight how each member of the core financial management team contributes to the financial health of the community. Fellows will have the opportunity to discover many paths towards a rewarding career in municipal government.
Expectations and eligibility criteria
Program Fellows will be doing real work in real communities. Fellows are therefore expected to behave professionally, arrive on time to all virtual and in-person meetings, and fulfill all commitments as directed. On completion of the initial 4-week training program, Fellows must demonstrate a general grasp of relevant concepts and related subject matter to be partnered with real-world practitioners in city and town halls.
Eligibility criteria:
- An ideal candidate for this Fellowship will be enrolled in an Associate Degree program in Accounting or Business Administration. Students who have taken accounting, economics, statistics, management, computer application (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and finance courses are highly encouraged to apply.
- Candidates should have an interest in public service and strong mathematic, organization, written and verbal skills.
How to apply
Interested in applying? Submit your application online. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.
Click here to download an informational flyer about the program.