Accountant III - Sheriff's Department

pimacounty; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 72,000 - 101,000; Full time

Job summary

Pima County Sheriff's Department is seeking an Accountant III to support financial reporting and accounting operations. The role involves preparing financial statements, trial balances, and schedules; providing guidance on automated financial systems; and ensuring GAAP compliance across funds.

The position accepts applicants with a Bachelor's degree in accounting or related field plus two years of experience, or equivalent government experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, economics, public or business administration or a closely related field AND two years of professional accounting experience or financial management research.
• OR Two years with Pima County in an Accountant II, Financial Analyst II, or closely-related position.
• CPA designation may substitute for one year of required experience.

Responsibilities

• Participates in the preparation of interim and annual financial statements and other financial reports.
• Prepares year-end working trial balances and other supporting accounting schedules and documents.
• Provides technical assistance as needed to the Auditor General staff.
• Collects, analyzes and balances financial and statistical data for all funds.
• Reviews and analyzes accounting transactions, validates account coding and maintains accounting records.
• Reviews, analyzes, balances and reconciles accounting activities.

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting/finance or related field

Two years of professional accounting experience

CPA designation may substitute for one year of required experience

Job description

Job Description Summary

Department - Sheriff's Department Job Description

OPEN UNTIL FILLED

Job Type: Classified

Job Classification: 5245 - Accountant III - Elected Officials

Salary Grade: 15

Pay Range

Hiring Range: $72,009 - $86,403 Annually

Pay Range: $72,009 - $100,817 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 10/30/2026.

Essential Functions:

• Participates in the preparation of interim and annual financial statements and other financial reports;
• Prepares year-end working trial balances and other supporting accounting schedules and documents;
• Provides technical assistance as needed to the Auditor General staff;
• Collects, analyzes and balances financial and statistical data for all funds;
• Reviews and analyzes accounting transactions, validates account coding and maintains accounting records;
• Reviews, analyzes, balances and reconciles accounting activities;
• Prepares accounting operating procedures and detailed flow charts;
• Provides operational advice and training on the use of automated financial system to departmental users;
• Monitors the recording of financial information in the general ledger system to ensure data conforms to generally accepted accounting principles and established procedures;
• Implements changes to legislation enacted by the local, state or federal government, e.g., IRS codes, wage and hour laws, state sales taxes, etc.;
• Prepares data for monthly, quarterly or annual reports, e.g., 941, sales tax, W-2's, 1099's, etc.;
• Prepares audit work sheets, schedules, reports, statistical data and all supporting documentation to be used in compiling annual financial reports;
• Reviews, analyzes and generates reports from the automated financial systems;
• Provides centralized billing and collection services;
• Evaluates impact of requested or mandated changes to automated financial systems, researching the feasibility of requests and making recommendations for improvements;
• Develops detailed specifications regarding changes to accounting transactions needed for automated interfaces;
• Monitors transactions related to cash, property tax, LGIP statement, interest accumulation, etc.;
• Provides cash management for federal grant programs;
• Provides technical assistance and education related to IRS regulation, wage and hour laws, GAAP, etc., to other department personnel.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor'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 experience in accounting, budgeting, auditing or accounting analysis, or financial management research.
• OR: Two years with Pima County in an Accountant II, Financial Analyst II, or closely-related position as determined by the department head at the time of recruitment.
• (A CPA designation may substitute for one year of required experience.)
• (Relevant experience and/or education from an accredited college or university may be substituted.)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with/knowledge of working in a government agency or public entity.
• Minimum two (2) years experience in processing payroll, accounts payable, or similar financial transactions.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and other data analysis.
• Minimum one (1) year experience in grant compliance and/or grant contracts.