Accountant (Public Works)

Duties and Responsibilities

Note: The following duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. 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. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform one or more of the activities described below.

• Plans, organizes, directs, controls, and/or supervises assigned accounting and financial functions, programs, and systems as a department’s lead fiscal position, or as the lead for a program/functional area within a large department, to include annual risk assessment and review and approval of fiscal transactions in the accounting system.
• Supervises assigned fiscal and/or clerical employees and prepares employee performance reviews.
• Follows countywide fiscal related policies and procedures. 
• Develops and implements internal departmental accounting procedures, evaluates effectiveness, and makes changes as necessary to ensure proper risk management strategies.
• Manages accounting and budget functions within a department or a program/functional area within a large department.
• Prepares complex journal entries; reconciliations of general ledger transactions to the applicable sub-ledger; processes and reconciles accounts receivable and payables; reconciles and submits billing information and resolves complex expenditure issues.
• Meets with Department Director and management staff to discuss financial position, service, and project costing, evaluate the fiscal impact of operational initiatives, and coordinates activities with other departments to ensure adequate flow of pertinent information.
• Reviews and approves routine accounting entries.
• Prepares complex analyses and reports to support current and new operational initiatives; evaluates operating initiatives and environmental factors on costs of services; and assists with the development of operational efficiency measures.
• Provides guidance and assistance to department staff on a broad variety of fiscal/budget topics.
• Prepares monthly, quarterly, and annual financial and status reports for management, to include customized Business Intelligence (BI) reports, budget versus actual reports, projections, variance analysis, cost recovery reports, rate studies, and statistical information.
• Leads and/or assists with the development and management of the department's operating and capital projects budgets, to include preparation, projections, analysis, and training of subordinates.
• Identifies fiscal needs for budget amendments and prepares draft budget resolutions and amendments for approval by the Board of County Commissioners.
• Performs financial analysis to include budget versus actual revenue variances and projections, environmental scan/trends for service delivery impact, revenue management and position control.
• Monitors fiscal aspects of all grants and capital projects to include set-up, creation of task structure, projections and cash flows, reimbursement requests, and internal and external reporting.
• Attends department staff meetings or program oversight boards as required to provide fiscal guidance, reporting and/or analysis.
• Prepare monthly capital improvement project reports analyzing multi-funding sources and bond/grant requirements and performs special assessment reconciliations.
• Manages automated inventory systems and supervises fixed asset recording, transfer, and disposal.
• Provides assistance and/or leads cycle counts, periodic inventory counts and annual fixed asset inventory count.
• Participates and assists in local, state, federal, and annual financial audits.
• Performs other duties as needed, including those performed by subordinate fiscal, financial, and clerical staff.

Job Specifications

• Knowledge of governmental accounting and auditing principles, practices, procedures, methods, and theory.
• Knowledge of computerized accounting systems to include automated accounting system applications.
• Knowledge of the specific accounting and reporting requirements and the complete accounting cycle of the organization to which assigned.
• Knowledge of budgetary procedures and controls.
• Knowledge of supervisory principles, practices, and procedures.
• Ability to schedule, assign, monitor, review and evaluate the work of assigned subordinates.
• Ability to analyze and audit accounting, fiscal, payroll and leave data, reports, and statements.
• Ability to prepare accounting and audit records, statements, and reports.
• Ability to read, comprehend, interpret, and apply job related laws, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Ability to develop computer-based spreadsheets, graphs, summaries, and reports.

Physical Requirements

• Position is typically in an office environment.
• Requires an employee to be mostly sedentary.

Work Category

• Sedentary work - Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body.  Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.  Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Minimum Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance; AND
• Four (4) years of experience as a professional accountant; OR
• An equivalent combination of education (not less than possession of a high school diploma/GED), training, and experience that would reasonably be expected to provide the job-related competencies noted above.