Senior Accountant - Disbursement ERP Project

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority seeks a Senior Accountant to support ERP accounting activities, focusing on accounts payable, payroll transactions, payroll tax activities, and general ledger reconciliation during the new system implementation.

They will help manage monthly and year-end closings, ensure compliance with labor laws and tax requirements, and prepare internal and external reports as the agency deploys the new financial system.

Qualifications

• Requires four-year degree in accounting, finance, or related field.
• Progressively responsible accounting experience, including supervisory duties.
• ERP systems experience, SAP desirable.

Responsibilities

• Support ERP accounting activities including accounts payable, payroll transactions, payroll tax activities, and GL reconciliation.
• Manage monthly and annual closings and assist with system implementation tasks.
• Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal labor laws, wage regulations and tax requirements; prepare and file tax returns (W-2s, 1099Rs).
• Provide financial analysis and reporting for management and external stakeholders as the new system is deployed.

Skills

Accounts payable

Payroll

Payroll tax

General ledger

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting

CPA license desirable

Tools

SAP

Job description

The Senior Accountant is a project position which supports the ERP Accounting Activities. The anticipated end date is 6/30/2028.

The VTA accounting team seeks a Project Senior Accountant for the Disbursements team. The position supports the implementation of a new financial system and requires expertise in accounts payable, payroll transactions, payroll tax activities, and general ledger reconciliation. Primary responsibilities include ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal labor laws, wage regulations, and tax requirements; filing local, state, and federal tax returns, including W-2s and 1099Rs; reconciling general ledger accounts related to payroll and accounts payable expenses; managing monthly and annual closings; and performing additional duties as determined by the progress of the implementation of the new financial system for the Agency.

The Division

Under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of the CFO, Finance & Budget division fulfills the Controller and Treasury functions for VTA including financial reporting, accounting, budgeting, investment services, cash management, debt administration, payroll, accounts receivable, accounts payable and farebox revenue services. This division also includes Technology.

Our Division's goal is to maintain financial stability and to ensure that the monetary activities of VTA are performed, recorded and presented accurately in compliance with professional and ethical guidelines. This includes establishing & maintaining internal control, adequately recording of accounting data in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and establishing appropriate policy and procedures.

Definition

Under general direction, a Senior Accountant plans, organizes, and performs complex, professional, and technical accounting duties in the analysis, preparation, and maintenance of financial records, reports, and systems, for assigned Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) programs and business activities, in accordance with VTA policies and procedures, legal requirements, and professional standards and supervises other accounting personnel.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Senior Accountant is the expert level professional class in the Accounting Series, and is the first supervisory level. An incumbent in this class performs highly complex and technical accounting and financial analyses to provide accurate and timely financial reports to VTA management, other governmental agencies, and the public to support sound decision-making and ensure appropriate public disclosure and accountability. Work requires the exercise of a high degree of independent judgment based on thorough knowledge of VTA's business activities and financial management practices and procedures.

Senior Accountant is distinguished from Accountant III in that an incumbent in the former class serves as a subject expert in a particular area, supervises other accounting personnel, and performs more difficult, complex, and sensitive work of greater VTA-wide impact.

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for an adaptable and detail-oriented individual to join our accounting team as a Senior Accountant. You will be working with a diverse staff to help implement a new financial system for the Agency where duties may include performing system tests to ensure old data is user friendly in the new system, accounting reconciliations, month-end and year-end accounting transactions, preparing internal reports for management as well as external reports to meet compliance requirements related to accounting, accounts payable and/or payroll. If you have a wide breadth of accounting knowledge and can rapidly apply your skills to ensure that VTA meets its standards of financial reporting and compliance excellence as we replace our legacy financial system, then we encourage you to apply.

About VTA

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority employs more than 2,000 people dedicated to providing solutions that move Silicon Valley. Unique among transportation organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area, VTA is Santa Clara County’s authority for transit development and operations (light rail and bus), congestion management, transportation-related funding, highway design and construction, real estate and transit-oriented development, and bicycle and pedestrian planning. With local, state, and federal partners, VTA works to innovate the way Silicon Valley moves and provide mobility solutions for all.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options that are innovative, environmentally responsible, and promote the vitality of our region.

VTA provides bus, light rail, and paratransit services, as well as participates as a funding partner in regional rail service including Caltrain, Capitol Corridor, and the Altamont Corridor Express.

As the county’s congestion management agency, VTA is responsible for countywide transportation planning, including congestion management, design and construction of specific highway, pedestrian, and bicycle improvement projects, as well as promotion of transit oriented development.

VTA provides these services throughout the county, including Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale. VTA continually builds partnerships to deliver transportation solutions that meet the evolving mobility needs of Santa Clara County.

As we continue to implement our VTA Forward Plan, we aim to strengthen and increase our workforce to take on future opportunities and challenges by elevating our people and our services.

For more information about our VTA Forward Plan, visit: https://www.vta.org/VTAForward

Family-Friendly Workplace Certification Program (FFWCP)

The County of Santa Clara FFWCP recognizes VTA as a business that creates supportive workplaces for employees and their families.

Family-friendly workplaces improve health outcomes and job satisfaction for employees and increase work productivity and retention for employers. Employers can create a family-friendly workplace by meeting and exceeding state and federal employment laws relating to parental leave, lactation accommodation, and work/family balance.

Typical Tasks

• Evaluates the performance of assigned staff; interviews and recommends selection of job candidates; orients and trains unit staff; establishes and/or recommends performance requirements and personal development targets; regularly monitors performance and provides coaching for performance improvement and development; recommends disciplinary action, up to and including termination;
• Plans, organizes, controls, integrates, and evaluates the work of staff in assigned areas, including budget control, cash management and operations, capital projects and accounts receivable, treasury, general ledger, payroll, fixed assets, and revenue services;
• Develops, implements, and monitors work plans to achieve goals and objectives; supervises and participates in developing, implementing, and evaluating plans, work processes, systems, and procedures to achieve annual goals, objectives, and work standards;
• Plans, coordinates, supervises, and/or participates in the preparation of special and/or detailed financial and accounting reports;
• Performs highly technical and complex accounting analysis, research, calculations, and data compilation in compliance with VTA, state, federal and other reporting requirements;
• Plans, reviews, and ensures accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of accounting data in assigned areas; as required or requested, analyzes and evaluates information, presents findings, and/or recommends courses of action to management;
• Plans, organizes, and ensures timely completion of monthly and year end financial closings; supervises or generates and reviews monthly and year-end financial statements, along with supporting schedules and reports; reviews statements, schedules, and reports for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with legal and professional standards;
• Participates in developing, maintaining, and ensuring optimal utilization of SAP financial accounting information systems; verifies the accuracy and completeness of information generated; identifies, diagnoses, and resolves problems; recommends system improvements; trains departmental staff on the operations and reporting capabilities of the system; assists other departments in formulating queries and generating special reports; designs and implements controls for data input and output; designs and creates custom financial reports; creates, maintains, and updates procedures manual related to accounting functions;
• Consults with and provides expert assistance to VTA management, other departments, internal and external auditors, and vendors; works with staff of other departments to resolve technical accounting issues and problems;
• Maintains, reviews, and participates in developing and recommending improvements to accounting policies, processes, and procedures; designs, implements, and improves daily work and month-end processes and procedures to ensure accurate and complete information within established time frames;
• Monitors professional developments in the field, evaluates their impact on VTA policies and operations, and recommends changes and improvements where warranted;
• Performs related duties as required.

Employment Standards

Sufficient training, education, and public or private sector experience to demonstrate possession of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Development of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is typically obtained through a combination of training and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a four-year degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a closely related field, and four years of progressively responsible professional accounting experience, at least one year of which was in a lead or supervisory capacity.

• Experience in a public agency is preferred.
• A Master's degree in Business Administration with emphasis in accounting or Certified Public Accountant license may be substituted for one year of the required experience.
• License as a Certified Public Accountant is desirable.
• Enterprise Resource Planning System experience is desirable.

Knowledge of:

• Principles, practices, and terminology of general, fund and governmental accounting, including financial statement preparation and methods of financial control and reporting;
• Internal control and audit principles and practices;
• Laws and regulations relating to the financial administration of public agencies and transportation authorities in the State of California;
• Laws and regulations governing fund transfer agreement compliance and their application to governmental accounting and budgeting;
• VTA functions and associated financial management and reporting issues;
• Principles and practices of business data processing particularly related to the processing of accounting and financial information;
• Principles and practices of supervision and training.

Ability to:

• Operate a computer using word processing and spreadsheet and other standard business and financial software;
• Analyze and evaluate complex financial and accounting information and reach sound professional conclusions and recommendations;
• Evaluate financial and accounting systems and programs and make recommendations for improvement;
• Understand, interpret, explain, and apply VTA policies, state and federal laws and regulations, and applicable professional standards regarding VTA financial accounting, reporting, and record keeping;
• Develop and implement financial procedures and internal controls;
• Prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive financial statements, schedules, reports, and other written materials;
• Exercise sound independent judgment within general policy guidelines;
• Plan, direct, and supervise the work of others;
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with management, staff, auditors, vendors and others encountered in the course of work.