Financial Office Professional Senior

County of Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement reciprocity

Time and service credit for advanced v

Benefits information

Job summary

The County of Santa Barbara is seeking experienced financial professionals for the Financial Office Professional Senior role across multiple county departments. Positions involve complex financial and accounting work, with opportunities in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc and other locations.

Applicants should select all applicable locations during the process. This role offers full-time and part-time options with competitive hourly wages.

Qualifications

• Difficult financial/accounting record keeping and related clerical work.
• Fundamental/governmental accounting concepts including GAAP/GASB.

Responsibilities

• Performs difficult financial/accounting record keeping and clerical tasks in an assigned area.
• Audits figures, postings and documents for accuracy and proper coding.
• Applies internal controls, fraud prevention, and fiduciary responsibilities.
• Uses cost accounting principles and government accounting concepts in work.

Skills

Customer service

Organizational skills

Time management

Written communication

MS Office

Independent work

Team collaboration

Self-motivation

Attention to detail

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Outlook

Excel

Word

Job description

Are you an experienced financial professional ready to take the next step in your career? The County of Santa Barbara is seeking organized, detail-oriented professionals interested in performing a variety of financial and accounting work across County departments.

We are currently accepting applications for Financial Office Professional Seniors to fill current vacancies and establish an employment list for future opportunities throughout the County.

The current vacancies include:

• One (1) full-time Financial Office Professional Senior Restricted vacancy with the County Human Resources Department (CoHR), located in Santa Barbara. Restricted employees are regularly privy to the decisions or recommendations of County management affecting employer-employee relations. These employees are in the confidential-unrepresented bargaining unit.
• One (1) full-time Financial Office Professional Senior vacancy with the Sheriff’s Office, located inAll Locations.
• One (1) full-time Financial Office Professional Senior vacancy with County of Santa Barbara Health (County Health), located in Santa Barbara under the Fiscal Division.

Important: If you are interested in working with the Sheriff’s Office or Probation Department, you must select “All Locations” on both the agency-wide and supplemental questions.

The Financial Office Professional Senior class is a position that is utilized within multiple departments of the County of Santa Barbara. These positions perform difficult financial/accounting record keeping, general clerical, and other related tasks. Each Financial Office Professional Senior position may be different depending on the needs of the department and the nature of the work that will be performed.

We are accepting applications to establish one employment list to fill current and future vacancies in multiple locations within the County (Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Lompoc, etc.) for full-time and part-time positions. Please make sure you select on your application which location(s) and department(s) you are willing to accept current and future employment.

For additional information about our County Departments, please visit this link: http://www.countyofsb.org/deptlist.sbc

Salary Information:

Financial Office Professional Senior: Hourly rate of $38.84- $47.23 Hourly

Bilingual allowance when applicable | Benefits: For information on benefits, click HERE

Financial Office Professional Senior Restricted: Hourly rate of $39.16 - $47.59 Hourly

Bilingual allowance when applicable | Benefits: For information on benefits, click HERE

Benefits:

• Retirement reciprocity
• Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate

The Ideal Candidate will possess:

• Excellent customer service
• Effective organizational and time-management skills
• Good oral and written communication
• Ability to learn new tasks quickly
• Ability to prioritize and complete time-sensitive tasks
• Knowledge with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, etc.)
• Ability to work well independently and as a team player
• Self-motivation and an overall positive attitude
• Ability to complete work accurately and pay attention to details

• Performs difficult financial/accounting record keeping, general clerical, and other related tasks in an assigned work area.
• Applies an in-depth or broad understanding of technical or specialized program information, regulations, procedures, and/or operations associated with difficult fiscal record keeping and clerical work related to an assigned accounting, budget, or financial management support function.
• Applies an understanding of the fundamentals of general, governmental, and cost accounting; Santa Barbara accounting principles and practices; double-entry accounting; Santa Barbara County accounting policies, codes, regulations, and procedures; chart of accounts; and financial/accounting computer systems.
• Audits figures, postings, and documents for correct entry, mathematical accuracy, and proper coding.
• Applies knowledge of the basic concepts and practices of internal controls, fraud prevention measures, and fiduciary responsibility.
• Uses cost accounting principles, including cost centers, setting rates, and restricted funds.
• Applies basic understanding of governmental accounting concepts, including GAAP and GASB.

Supervision and Leadership (For supervisory assignments only)

• Supervises, trains, coaches, and monitors the work of assigned staff.
• Plans, organizes, and assigns work.
• Motivates, remediates performance problems, and performs the full range of performance management functions.

Additional Requirements for Supervisory Assignments:

Incumbents must complete the pre‑assignment component of the Santa Barbara County Operational Leadership Development Program before beginning a supervisory assignment and must complete the post‑assignment component within six months of assignment. Some positions MAY require the following Additional Qualifications:

• Possession of a valid and appropriate California Driver’s License.
• Perform shift and weekend work.
• The ability to read, write, and/or converse fluently in English and Spanish may be preferred. If you indicated on your application that you are bilingual, Human Resources will place you on the employment list for a job requiring bilingual skills. Hiring departments may test you on your fluency. If you do not demonstrate sufficient fluency, your name may be withheld from future certifications, in accordance with Civil Service Rule 7.
• Some departments will require employees to wear a uniform.

APPLICATION & SELECTION PROCESS:

1. 1. Review Applications and Supplemental Questionnaire to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards (minimum qualifications) based on information provided on their application.
2. 2. Online Skills Assessment: Candidates will be notified by email with instructions on obtaining and taking the Online Skills Assessment. Candidates' final score and rank on the eligibility list will be determined by their score on this examination.

Candidates must receive a percentage score of at least 70 on the Online Skills Assessment to be placed on an employment list. An adjustment may be made to raw scores based on factors listed in Civil Service Rule VI. Those candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list for a minimum of three months. At the time the employment list is established, all candidates will receive an email notice of their score on the exam(s), rank on the employment list, and exact duration of the employment list. Human Resources will notify you by mail if your name is removed.

Reasonable Accommodations

The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We do require verifications of the accommodation needed from a professional source, such as a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Background Investigation

The Santa Barbara County Health Department requires all employees working in direct contact with patients or clients in a high-risk environment to comply with the County Health Employee Immunizations policy. This can be accomplished by providing documentation of immunizations, submitting laboratory immune titers demonstrating adequate immunity, or obtaining required vaccinations. A list of requirements, based on the specific program, will be sent at the time an offer letter is presented to the selected candidate(s) and initial documentation will be required at this time

• Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ). Once candidates are placed on the employment list, the Human Resources Department will email candidates a notice regarding completion of a Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ).

Candidates who pass the PHQ and are in the top certified group will have their applications sent to the hiring department for consideration. Candidates who advance in the selection process will be invited to participate in a selection interview with the hiring manager(s). Candidate(s) selected for a position will advance to the background process which includes the following:

• Polygraph Examination: measures the accuracy of information disclosed on the PHQ and during the background investigation.
• Background Investigation: includes an interview and in-depth background investigation of arrest records, personal, military, credit, and employment history; inquiry of persons who know you and evaluate whether you respect the law and rights of others; are dependable and responsible; have demonstrated mature judgment in areas such as the use of drugs and intoxicants; are honest; and a safe driver.
• Live Scan: Electronic fingerprint scanning that is certified by the State Department of Justice.

Conditional Job Offer

Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidates will be required to successfully complete a background check, which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks.

Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss the required deadlines.

Disaster Service Worker

Pursuant to Governmental Code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement

The County of Santa Barbara provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation of any type with regard to any characteristic or status protected by any federal law, state law, or Santa Barbara County ordinance. The County continues to be committed to a merit-based selection process and to eliminating barriers to attracting and retaining top qualified candidates. The County has a long-standing practice of providing a work environment that respects the dignity of individual employees and values their contributions to our organization.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

September 17, 2026 at 4:59 p.m. PST, postmarks not accepted.