Senior Accountant - General Accounting Section

Sacramento Superior Court; Cantil (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Sacramento Superior Court in California seeks a Senior Accountant in the General Accounting Section to perform complex accounting and fiscal duties, establishing records, participating in budgeting, and preparing financial reports.

The role may lead staff, reviews ledgers and prepares annual statements, ensuring GAAP, GASB and related standards compliance. A bachelor’s degree and three years of accounting experience are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business or public administration.
• Three years of professional accounting/auditing experience.
• Substitution: additional related experience may substitute education; postgraduate degree may substitute for one of the three years of required experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, review and process accounting documents such as journal ledgers, vouchers, billings, purchase orders, work authorizations, fixed asset input forms and claims.
• Review and reconcile ledgers, reports and records for accounting errors and GAAP/GASB/GASO compliance.
• Assist in annual and periodic financial statements and budget preparation; monitor expenditures and prepare financial reports.
• Lead or supervise clerical/technical staff engaged in accounting work when assigned.

Skills

Lead worker

Project management

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field

Job description

Senior Accountant - General Accounting Section | Human Resources Division page has loaded.

Performs, plans, organizes and directs a variety of complex and difficult professional accounting and fiscal duties such as establishing and maintaining accounting records, participating in budget preparation and control, reviewing, auditing and analyzing accounting and financial transaction records and preparing financial statements and reports; is responsible for a significant accounting functional area; may act as a lead worker over other accounting staff; performs related duties as assigned.

Description

Performs, plans, organizes and directs a variety of complex and difficult professional accounting and fiscal duties such as establishing and maintaining accounting records, participating in budget preparation and control, reviewing, auditing and analyzing accounting and financial transaction records and preparing financial statements and reports; is responsible for a significant accounting functional area; may act as a lead worker over other accounting staff; performs related duties as assigned.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Senior Accountantis the advanced journey/lead worker/specialist class. Incumbents report to a higher-level manager and work under general supervision.

Incumbents perform a variety of professional accounting and fiscal duties and functions, with minimal instruction or orientation on the technical specifics of the program or work unit. The scope of duties includes several difficult and complex accounting functions, and several accounting systems and types of accounting. The primary duties are accounting related; however, incumbents in some assignments may lead or direct a clerical or technical staff engaged primarily in accounting work.

Examples of Duties

• Prepares, reviews and processes various accounting documents such as journal ledgers, vouchers, billings, purchase orders, work authorizations, fixed asset input forms and claims, referring to rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Reviews and reconciles ledgers, manual and computerized reports and records and other financial documentation for accounting errors and compliance with standard accounting principles, laws and contracts; determines appropriate and necessary corrective action.
• Assists in and prepares annual and periodic financial statements and reports including assembling, adjusting and classifying financial data and ensuring appropriate format as required by laws, contracts and accounting standards.
• Maintains and reviews tables, indexes and codes to facilitate accurate reporting systems.
• Prepares, reviews, projects and pre-audits daily accounting activities such as revenue collection, cash flow and investments reports; conducts and reviews regularly scheduled and year-end closing of account ledgers.
• Responds to inquiries from customers, service providers, financial institutions, and governmental regulatory agencies regarding accounting reports and procedures, billings and payments.
• Reviews contracts, grants, proposal, laws, regulations and ordinances for fiscal impact; determines and makes recommendations regarding necessary accounting work.
• Researches, establishes, reviews and utilizes allocation rates for staff time costs, indirect and overhead costs and service unit costs including the coding, accuracy of the reporting system, billing and disbursement.
• Prepares, directs and participates in the preparation of the Court, work unit or program annual budget including: estimate of expenditures, projections of revenue, consolidation of sub-budgets, consultation and informational reports to division management staff ensuring appropriate format and content, and final official budget preparation.
• Performs on-going review of budgeted revenues and expenditures and requests for changes in budget allocation throughout the fiscal year to determine fiscal impact and status; makes reports and recommendations regarding such requests.
• Participates in, conducts and directs formal and informal training.
• Assembles material for and assists public and private auditors in, conducting audits; represents the division and assists in and prepares responses to accounting function audits.
• Conducts, directs or participates in analysis of new and existing accounting systems and procedures to increase efficiency, ensures compliance with regulations, laws, and standard accounting principles and procedures; consults with and coordinates these activities with Information Technology and other divisions’ staff.
• Reviews accounting methods and records of contracted service providers in areas such as cost allocation, internal controls and expenditures to ensure that their accounting is accurate and meets requirements of the Court and other funding sources.
• Develops and participates in the development of accounting policies and procedures; coordinates the development and implementation of policies and procedures with staff of the division.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in accounting, finance, business or public administration.

And

Experience: Three (3) years of professional accounting/auditing experience.

Substitution: Additional directly related experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis. Possession of a directly related postgraduate degree may be substituted for one (1) of the three (3) years of required experience.

Knowledge of: Principles of work direction; public administration, organization and management; the organization and functions of court/local government with emphasis on the accounting aspects; project management, including project planning, scheduling and control mechanisms; various professional accounting standards such as generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS) and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), generally accepted governmental auditing standards board (GASB), financial accounting standards boards (FASB), general accounting office (GAO), and other regulatory agencies; accounting procedures for various types of funds and account groups such as general, special revenue, debt service, capital projects, trust, internal service, general long-term debt, and general fixed assets, and activities such as cash receipts, grant and sub-vention claiming, bonds, taxes and accounts payable/receivable; methods and procedures of governmental budget preparation and control; financial statement preparation; financial schedules for external audit purposes; statistical methods; cost and revenue projections, and cost allocation methods; practical application of electronic data processing equipment and systems; business law.

Ability to: Prepare and analyze statistical and financial data; analyze and make recommendations regarding financial and accounting procedures and work flow; acquire subject‑matter expertise in the area of work assignment including the law and regulations; analyze laws, regulations and technical materials to determine impact on accounting functions, and propose solutions and procedures; discern accounting situations requiring policy and procedural determinations by superiors; participate in contract preparation and monitoring; use a personal computer, peripheral equipment and various software, with emphasis on financial and accounting applications; organize and prioritize work efficiently to meet schedules and deadlines; train and work with non-accounting staff in preparation of accounting records and reports; write clear and concise reports and correspondence; make effective presentations of conclusions and recommendations orally and in writing; establish and maintain effective and cooperative working relationships with co-workers; provide effective lead direction to clerical and technical staff on accounting projects and activities.

Other Information

TYPICAL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Sit for extended periods; frequently stand and walk; normal manual dexterity and eye-hand coordination; lift and move objects weighing up to 25 lbs.; corrected hearing and vision to normal range; verbal communication; use of office equipment, including computer, telephone, calculator, copier, scanner and fax.

TYPICAL WORKING CONDITIONS

Work is performed in an office environment; continuous contact with other staff and the public.

OTHER REQUIREMENT

Must be able to pass a criminal history information background check.