Accountant I - Sheriff's Department

pimacounty; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 57,000 - 79,000; Full time

Job summary

Pima County's Sheriff's Department seeks an Accountant I to perform professional financial accounting work within the department's financial division. The role involves maintaining journals, reviewing payables, and ensuring compliance with policies.

A two-year accounting background and an associate's degree are required, with preferred bachelor's credentials. The position features a defined pay range and an annual review process.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree in accounting, finance, economics, public or business administration or closely-related field.
• Two years of professional accounting experience.
• Relevant education/experience may be substituted.

Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintains journals and ledgers of financial transactions.
• Reviews accounts payable charges for validity and within budgets.
• Authorizes payments of valid charges and monitors purchasing procedures.
• Assists in preparing materials for annual audits of financial reports.
• Reconciles and monitors accounting records, reports and funds.

Skills

Accounting

Attention to detail

Payroll processing

Education

Associate's degree in accounting, finance, economics, public or business administration

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Description Summary

Department - Sheriff's Department Job Description

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Job Type: Classified

Job Classification: 5504 - Accountant I - Elected Officials

Salary Grade: 11

Pay Range

Hiring Range: $56,555 - $67,870 Annually

Pay Range: $56,555 - $79,164 Annually

Range Explanation:

Hiring Range is an estimate of where you can receive an offer. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, training, and internal equity.

Pay Range is the entire compensation range for the position.

The first review of applications will be on 10/09/2026.

The Accountant I position performs professional financial accounting work within a financial division of an Elected Official's office, requiring theoretical knowledge and understanding of the principles, practices and methods of professional accounting. The Accountant I classification differs from Accountant II due to the level of complexity of assigned projects.

Essential Functions:

• Establishes and maintains journals and ledgers of financial transactions;
• Reviews accounts payable charges for validity and within the adopted budgets;
• Ensures departmental compliance with Board of Supervisor policies and Administrative Procedures;
• Authorizes payments of valid charges;
• Establishes and monitors purchasing accounting procedures;
• Bills, collects, accounts for and manages a variety of debts due;
• Posts, balances and maintain accounting records unique to departmental operations, or for multiple departments;
• Reviews accounting reports for accuracy in revenues and expenditures and makes necessary corrections;
• Reviews transactions for coding and cost accounting purposes;
• Assists in the preparation of supporting documentation for annual audits of financial reports;
• Audits and reconciles various accounting records and documentation prepared by others;
• Recommends, implements and maintains accounting internal controls;
• Researches problems and answers questions regarding accounting procedures or documentation;
• Reconciles and monitors various accounting records, reports and funds;
• Maintains equipment utilization and inventory accounting systems;

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associate's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in accounting, finance, economics, public or business administration or a closely-related field as defined by the department head at the time of recruitment AND two years of professional accounting experience.
• OR:
• Two years with Pima County in an Accounts Payable Specialist, Accounting Specialist, or closely-related position as determined by the department head at the time of recruitment.

(Relevant experience and/or education from an accredited college or university may be substituted.)

Qualifying education and experience must be clearly documented in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the application. Do not substitute a resume for your application or write "see resume" on your application.

Preferred Qualifications : (Be specific in describing your experience in your application. Ensure the descriptions provided illustrate your competencies, specifically addressing the required and preferred qualifications.)

• Bachelors degree in accounting, finance, or a closely related field.
• Minimum one (1) year experience processing accounts payable and/or payroll.
• Minimum two (2) years experience using Microsoft Office Excel.

Selection Procedure :

Pima County Human Resources Department reserves the right to admit to the selection process only those candidates that meet the minimum qualifications. All applications will be assessed based on an evaluation of the listed education and experience. Candidates meeting the minimum qualifications may be further evaluated/scored against any advertised Preferred Qualifications. The hiring authority will interview and select the successful candidate from a referral list provided by Human Resources. Additional assessments/testing may be required as part of the selection process.

Supplemental Information :

Licenses and Certificates : Valid driver license is required at time of application. Valid AZ driver license is required at time of appointment. The successful applicant will be subject to a 39-month DOT Motor Vehicle Record review to determine applicant's suitability to operate county vehicles in accordance with Pima County administrative procedures. Failure to obtain and maintain the required licenses and certifications shall be grounds for termination.