Accountant III (Hybrid Work Schedule)

Arapahoe County Government; Littleton (CO); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 123,000; Full time

Job summary

Arapahoe County Government in Littleton, CO is seeking a professional accountant to classify, record, and report county financial activities across governmental accounting, grants, and financial reporting. This role includes reviewing contracts, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting CAFR preparation.

The position emphasizes internal controls, policy development, and collaboration with multiple departments to ensure accurate financial performance and reporting.

Qualifications

• Effective oral and written communication with elected officials, department directors, supervisors and staff.
• Ability to analyze financial and administrative problems within an ERP system.
• Knowledge of GAAP, GASB and AICPA principles and government accounting concepts.
• Knowledge of GAAS standards and auditing principles.
• Accurate, independent and organized work style.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical accounting and financial reporting resource to staff and departments.
• Analyze funds for proper governmental accounting and regulatory compliance.
• Prepare financial reports and communicate areas needing attention.
• Review intergovernmental agreements and contracts for proper accounting.
• Assist in CAFR preparation and internal controls review.
• Support grants accounting and compliance with grants.
• Assist in ongoing department process improvements and internal controls.

Skills

Effective communication

Problem analysis

GAAP/GASB knowledge

GAAS knowledge

Attention to detail

Education

Associate or Bachelor degree in Accounting/Finance/Economics

High School diploma or GED

Tools

ERP system

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

Job Number:864
Salary:$76,877.06-$122,804.24
Department/Office: Finance
Division: Accounting
Location: 5334 S. Prince St., Littleton, CO, 80120
Job Type:Salary Full-Time
Posting Date: 10/28/2026
Closing Date: 11/29/2026

The Arapahoe County government serves its communities in ways both obvious and obscure. As the beating heart of local and regional government, we’re here for our neighbors on their best days—and their worst. We share our residents’ goals of preserving our quality of life and strive to be the place we’re proud to call home.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF JOB:

This position performs a variety of professional accounting and complex technical duties associated with the classifying, recording and reporting of County financial activities. Duties assigned cover the full field of the accounting spectrum including governmental accounting, grant accounting, financial reporting and analysis, internal auditing, and the review, analysis, design and monitoring of internal controls and financial business processes.

DUTIES:

Serves as a technical accounting and financial reporting resources to staff, management, and County Departments and Offices

• Analizes, reviews and interprets funds to ensure proper governmental accounting, compliance with Federal, State, and Local statutes, bond covenants, administrative codes and orders, and any other rules and regulations.
• Performs financial analysis, preparation of financial reports, recognizing and communicating areas needing attention.
• Works with personnel in assigned departments to make sure that the funds are accounted for properly and that the departments fully understand what is occurring financially within their area.
• Analyzes intergovernmental agreements, bond documents and various other contracts in order to properly account for the contractual arrangement and ensure compliance with applicable governmental regulations.
• Applies limited knowledge of County and Grant financial policies and procedures to proper account for and report the financial activity of numerous grants received by the County.
• Analyzes proposed County grants from all departments and works with the Grants Accountant II to give a Finance Department opinion as to whether or not the County can ensure financial compliance with all the applicable regulations.
• Reviews fiscal source documents for completeness, mathematical accuracy, proper authorization, proper fund/account combinations, and the proper application of any appropriate fees, refunds, collections, taxes, or discounts.
• Communicates effectively with elected officials, department heads, and other personnel in and outside of the county for the purpose of offering solutions to various system and accounting inquiries.
• Provides accounting support to all departments and offices and serves as an accounting liaison to specific assigned deparatments and offices.
• Reviews peer team members’ work and shares knowledge with team members to improve the division’s ability answer questions.
• Member of the team responsible for the preparation of the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Has some assigned areas of responsibility within the preparation of the CAFR.

Serves as a Business Process Improvement (BPI) resource

• Assists with the development of policies, procedures and guidelines ensuring that proper internal controls are included.
• Recommends new procedures in response to changes in policy.
• Performs financial process analyses with an emphasis on ensuring that the proper internal controls are in place.
• Assists in the streamlining of processes and automating where necessary.

Provides Ongoing Department and Staff Development

• Researches and provides recommendations concerning accounting issues by doing in depth research in Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) pronouncements, the Governmental Accounting and Auditing and Financial Reporting book (Blue Book) with instruction.
• Notifies SAP Administrators about issues, errors, problems with the financial account system and helps to test new updates and fixes.

REQUIREMENTS:

Skills, Abilities and Competencies:

• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to establish and maintain working relationships with elected officials, department directors, supervisors, contracted auditors, consultants, financial institutions, professional peers, other employees, and the general public. Ability to exercise good judgement with all interactions and decision making.
• Experienced in recognizing, investigating and analyzing a variety of financial, operational and administrative problems within an ERP system and some ability to develop alternatives and appropriate solutions.
• Working knowledge of pronouncements of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards Boards (GASB), American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), principles of specialized accounting areas such as governmental funds, debt service, capital assets, internal controls and risk management.
• Working knowledge of Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS).
• Experience in working in an accurate, independent and organized manner.

Behavioral Competencies (these are required for all positions at ACG):

• Accountability
• Accessibility
• Inclusivity
• Integrity

Education and Experience:

• High School diploma or GED is required. An Associate or Bachelor degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or related field with coursework in governmental accounting is preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience in general accounting is required with a minimum of 6 months in a governmental environment; or
• A combination of education and experience may be considered.

Pre-Employment Additional Requirements:
Must successfully pass pre-employment testing which includes an acceptable motor vehicle record (MVR) check, background check and drug screen.

Post-Employment Requirements:
Possession of a valid Class “R” Colorado Driver’s License or the ability to obtain one within two weeks of appointment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Work is generally confined to a standard office environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The following are some of the physical demands commonly associated with this position.

• No unusual physical demands are associated with this position.
• Spends 50% of the time sitting and 50% of the time either standing or walking.
• Occasionally lifts, carries, pulls or pushes up to 20 lbs.
• Uses cart, dolly, or other equipment to carry in excess of 25 lbs.
• Occasionally climbs, stoops, kneels, balances, reaches, crawls and crouches while performing office or work duties.Verbal and auditory capacity enabling interpersonal communication through automated devices, such as telephones, radios, and similar; and in public meetings and personal interactions.
• Constant use of eye, hand and finger coordination enabling the use of automated office machinery or equipment.
• Visual capacity enabling constant use of computer or other work related equipment.

Definitions:

• Occasionally: Activity exists less than 1/3 of the time.
• Frequently: Activity exists between 1/3 and 2/3 of the time.
• Constantly: Activity exists more than 2/3 of the time.

** Arapahoe County does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation or any other status protected under the law. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity in any term, condition, or privilege of employment and that selection decisions are based on job-related factors. Arapahoe County is committed to making employment accessible to persons with disabilities.

** In accordance with Senate Bill 23-058, applicants understand that Arapahoe County will not request or require the applicant to include their age, date of birth, or date of attendance/graduation date on the initial application. Applicants understand that Arapahoe County can request or require an individual to provide documentation including copies of certification, transcripts, and other materials created by a third party. The applicant understands that the applicant can redact, if they so choose, information that identifies age, date of birth, or dates of attendance/graduation from an educational institution on those requested/required certification, transcripts and other materials created by a third party.