Fiscal Assistant I

Nigel Wright Consultancy Ltd (UK); Monterey (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Nigel Wright Consultancy Ltd seeks a dedicated Fiscal Assistant I to maintain financial records, process payroll data, and support budget monitoring under general supervision. This role requires accuracy, data entry skills, and familiarity with Excel/Word in a standard office environment.

Ideal candidates will have a high school diploma or GED with relevant experience; higher education may substitute for experience. Strong organizational abilities and adherence to procedures are essential.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of general office procedures.
• Basic mathematics.
• Principles of effective customer service.

Responsibilities

• Review and verify financial transactions and prepare templates for recording.
• Maintain expenditure and revenue records, monitor budgets and transfers.
• Review accounts for proper payments and reconcile discrepancies.
• Process payroll data, timesheets, and related inquiries.
• Enter and retrieve data using computerized or manual systems.
• Assist cross-training of fiscal staff and share knowledge as needed.

Skills

General office procedures

Basic mathematics

Customer service

Education

High School diploma or GED

Finance or accounting coursework (≥15 units)

Bachelor's degree may substitute for experience

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

10-key calculator

Job description

Under general supervision and in accordance with established procedures, positions in this classification perform duties concerned with the preparation, processing, review and maintenance of statistical, financial, payroll or other records; compile, investigate, verify from a variety of sources numerical or financial information such as attendance and time distribution, records, payroll, invoices, expense claims, accounts payables and receivables; may prepare entries for the finance system and perform other related work as required.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Fiscal Assistant I, the first class in a series of three classes, is a full working journey level capable of performing all tasks required with some oversight. While incumbents may share their knowledge with court employees, including other fiscal employees, on fiscal procedures based on their own department experience and job duties they do not act in a lead capacity or supervise others.

Fiscal Assistant I is distinguished from the higher classification of Fiscal Assistant II in that the latter is the advanced journey level independently responsible for the more difficult or complex statistical or financial records which require initiative, judgment, some analysis and a broad knowledge and understanding of departmental record procedures. Fiscal Assistant II also may perform some lead duties.

There is no automatic promotion from Fiscal Assistant I to Fiscal Assistant II. The Court reserves the right to determine the number of positions in each class of the series needed to perform the necessary work.

Positions in this class may perform any or all of the below listed duties. These should be interpreted as examples of the work, and are not necessarily all inclusive.

• Review and verify financial transactions to determine distribution of expenditures, payments and other data; prepare various financial templates to record transactions to accounts, journals, ledgers utilizing automated or manual systems as well as Excel spreadsheets.
• Maintain appropriation, expenditure, revenue records including monitoring budget units, contracts, accounts and checking and balancing records for arithmetic errors, correct budget codes and preparing forms to transfer funds.
• Review accounts for proper payments, charges, data; make adjustments to accounts; balance, resolve, reconcile discrepancies between payments, receipts or various accounts.
• Review claims and charges to verify codes and fees for conformity to laws, rules, regulations, Court policy.
• Obtain information from and provide information to a variety of parties including vendors, providers and other departments concerning fees, claims, accounts, contracts, budgets and various other financial transactions and explain department procedures to resolve differences as needed.
• Interpret and apply detailed and extensive instructions in deciding on an action to take on a variety of problems in a specialized area or problems related to input and output of data requiring research through a variety of records.
• Use computerized and/or manual systems to enter and retrieve data, query and pull reports.
• Act as a final check or expert on records or procedures for employees, departments or the public within the core responsibilities of the position.
• May receive payments, prepare deposits and post, balance and reconcile to various control accounts; review charges and codes, prepare billings to various first, second, third party payors.
• Share knowledge gained based on duties and experience, as needed and as related to the core duties of the position, to other employees including reviewing work for completeness, accuracy and adherence to procedure; assist with cross training other fiscal employees to effectively perform duties with which the employee is proficient.
• Gather information for processing of biweekly payroll in a timely manner; review and enter data from employee timesheets; ensure employee and supervisor approvals have been obtained; balance timesheets in accordance with payroll policies and procedures; enter adjustments as noted by Human Resources and/or approved timesheet adjustments; in coordination with Human Resources create manual checks as needed for terminated employees; respond to inquiries regarding payroll; research to resolve payroll related questions; maintain confidentiality of individual employees' personal and payroll information.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• General office procedures.
• Basic mathematics.
• Principles of effective customer service.

Working knowledge:

• Methods, practices and terminology used in accounting clerical work.
• Automated and manual record keeping systems.
• Payroll record keeping and processing practices.
• Microsoft Excel and Word at a level sufficient to create and modify spreadsheets and compose memos.

Ability To:

• Perform difficult clerical accounting work involving independent judgment with accuracy and speed.
• Maintain complex records utilizing computerized and/or manual systems.
• Reconcile differences within the record keeping system using arithmetic skills and understanding of the record keeping system and related transactions.
• Assemble and organize data and prepare reports from such records.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with the Court employees, the public and others contracted in the course of work.
• Operate standard office equipment including 10-key calculator and computer.
• Effectively use Microsoft Excel to maintain and/or create spreadsheets for recording and reporting data.
• Perform mathematical calculations quickly and accurately.
• Learn quickly.
• Compose written correspondence in Word using correct spelling and grammar.
• Learn legal terminology.
• Assist, as appropriate and as needed, supervisors and/or managers in documenting business processes and tasks associated with the Fiscal Assistant I’s responsibilities.

The knowledge and skills listed above may be acquired through various types of experience, education, or training, typically:

Possession of a High School diploma or GED and two years of experience involving the maintenance of financial records or the processing of financial records and/or transactions that may include cashiering, balancing fine distribution.

• One year of college (30 total semester units) where at least 15 units of finance or accounting course have been successfully completed may be substituted for one year of experience.
• A Bachelor's degree may be substituted for two years of financial work experience.
• Two years of work experience in a Superior Court of California may be substituted for two years of financial work experience.

The physical and sensory abilities required for this classification include the following.

• Sufficient eyesight to read fine print statistical reports, and standard text and data on computer terminal screens.
• Ability to speak and hear at normal conversational levels in person and over the telephone.
• Manual dexterity to write legibly, operate 10-key calculator, typewriters, and computer to input and retrieve information.
• Ability to reach, bend, and stoop in order to use files and records.