SENIOR STAFF ACCOUNTANT

Benton County Government; Bentonville (AR); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Benton County Government is seeking a Senior Staff Accountant to provide technical accounting and administrative support for the Comptroller’s Office. The role involves monitoring, analyzing, and maintaining financial transactions related to grants and other accounting functions.

Key responsibilities include preparing financial reports for grantor agencies, assisting in purchasing processes, and training as a payroll backup. The candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance and relevant experience in accounting, particularly in governmental settings.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years of accounting experience required.
• Experience with governmental accounting preferred.
• Ability to maintain complex record-keeping systems.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and maintain financial transactions for grants.
• Assist in the purchasing process for the County.
• Train as a backup for payroll processing.

Skills

Technical accounting

Grant management

Budget management

Analytical skills

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

Tools

Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)

Accounting software

Job description

SUMMARY:

The Senior Staff Accountant provides technical accounting, budget and other administrative support for the Comptroller’s Office under the direction of the Comptroller. Responsibilities include monitoring, analyzing and maintaining financial transactions for a variety of accounting functions (which may include grant accounting, purchasing and payroll functions); tracking revenues and expenditures, and preparing required internal and external financial reports.

The Senior Staff Accountant – Grants will be required to review and be familiar with grantor award terms and conditions, as well as, related grantor guidelines. The Senior Staff Accountant will prepare monthly, quarterly, annual and any special reports required by Grantor Agencies for over $80 million in grants. The Senior Staff Accountant may be required to perform complex technical grant accounting work involving varying fiscal years and requiring greater independent judgement within the framework of existing accounting policies and procedures. The Senior Staff Accountant will coordinate with the Grant Administrator to create and maintain a schedule to ensure that all reports are complete and submitted timely to all grantor agencies. All reports will be prepared based on the County financial accounting system records. The Staff Accountant is responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and timely submission of all reports to Grantor Agencies.

The Senior Staff Accountant - Purchasing will assist the Purchasing Manager with accepting purchase orders from departments for items that are not otherwise included in contracts; review requests for compliance; and issue Purchase Orders if applicable. The purchase order will provide authorization for the requesting department and the vendor to enter into the transaction for the specified commodity or service that is stated on the purchase order. The Senior Staff Accountant will also assist with completion of any Purchase Order Change Orders and review of the Open Purchase Order report when needed. The Senior Staff Accountant will also assist the Purchasing Manager with maintaining the County contract files for services and assist with the preparation of Commodity Court Orders as needed.

Senior Staff Accountant - Payroll will also train as a backup to the Payroll Manager only for the specific purpose of processing a biweekly payroll (for over $1.5 million per payroll). The training and knowledge will include all duties that are necessary to successfully process a bi-weekly payroll. The Senior Staff Accountant will only perform these duties on an as needed basis to backfill the payroll function on a temporary basis, as for vacation relief. The Senior Staff Accountant will not be responsible for quarterly or annual payroll functions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

include the following:

Grants

• Provide advanced, technical grants accounting support work to the Grant Administrator and Comptroller and departmental Program Managers.
• Monitor, analyze and maintain financial transactions and accounting for a variety of Federal, State and local grants and allocations.
• Monitor fiscal compliance by subcontractors and sub-recipients with various reporting periods in coordination with the Grant Administrator. Fiscal monitoring of subcontractors and sub-recipients will be done by reviewing data, identifying errors through analysis, research and interpretation of data and provide recommendations to the Grant Administrator and Comptroller and or departmental Program Manager in determining corrective action.
• Track revenues and expenditures by funding source and/or subcontract over $80 million. Reconcile grant and program financial statements to the county financial records by fund and specific grant program.
• Create and maintain a complete listing/database of all active grant awards and the related information to efficiently identify and manage reporting compliance.
• Work closely with departmental Program Manager’s staff, Treasurer’s and Federal, State and local agencies, as well as, private grantors.
• Report financial grant information from a variety of revenue sources with many accounting codes. Prepare a variety of reports, statements, records, analysis, and financial compilations for Federal, State, and local regulatory agencies with various reporting periods in compliance with grantor award terms and conditions.
• Prepare grant close-out reports in coordination with the Grant Administrator.
• Prepare reimbursement requests with supporting documents as appropriate for over $80 million in grants. Track due dates and prepare reports for grantor agencies, verifying invoices for allowable costs.
• Maintain and document internal accounting controls as required by Federal, state and local grants to ensure appropriate use of public funds. Must be familiar with OMB 2 CFR 200 Circular and related pronouncements regarding Federal, state and local pass-through funds.
• Perform work using spreadsheet, database, and word processing programs.
• Maintain knowledge of department operations and systems. Perform work within accounting parameters established by the County and applicable Federal and state laws and regulations.

Purchasing

• Review purchase requests for compliance with purchasing laws and policies; determine appropriate purchase procedures based on estimated cost of purchase; and ensure Quorum court approval for specific capital outlay items.
• Contacts Vendors to obtain informal telephone or written quotes for purchases when appropriate.
• Reviews purchase orders and invoices to verify amounts charged and to ensure that information needed is accurate; explains purchasing policies and procedures to other County Departments and vendors as required.
• Organizes and maintains annual contract files and other related information.
• Monitors contracts for upcoming expirations; notifies departments on a timely basis when contracts must be rebid.
• Order items available on County and State contracts.
• Maintains records and prepares various reports reflecting purchase information.
• Assists Purchasing Manager with development and update of purchasing policy and procedures.

Payroll

• Train and serve as a back-up to process a bi-weekly Payroll (over $1.5 per payroll) and all relevant reporting, to include, invoicing for payroll taxes, APERS reconciliation and submission of contribution file to the State, as well as, GL interface and 457b contribution (Nationwide).
• Train and serve as a back-up to coordinate with the Accounting Manager on the processing of the payroll GL interface and coordinate payment of payroll taxes, APERS, and the 457b payment file with the Treasurer’s Office.
• Train and serve as a back-up to prepare the monthly payroll grant reports for the FBI, SRO, STEP, OCDE, APAC and the quarterly report for the SRO program and Hot Check Coordinator Salary report.
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty mentioned satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Ability to maintain complex record keeping systems.
• Ability to train or direct the work of others.
• Ability to perform mathematical calculations accurately.
• Ability to acquire all necessary information pertinent to the purchase and delivery of materials, supplies, equipment and services.
• Ability to prepare numerical and informational reports in hard and electronic copy format.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing.
• Ability to learn new software and navigate efficiently as necessary within the job format.
• Skill in use and navigation with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), Internet, and various online systems.
• Skill in use of a ten key calculator.
• Ability to pay attention to detail.
• Possess strong organizational skills.
• Possess strong communication skills.
• Possess high level of accuracy, ability to handle multiple tasks, and function well under pressure.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four‑year college or university with a major in accounting or finance.
• Two years of experience in accounting required.
• Governmental accounting experience preferred.

WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Must maintain positive working relationships with the elected officials, department heads, employees, and the public. In addition, positive working relationships must be maintained with all outside agencies and organizations.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:

• General accounting principals and practices; computer applications related to financial reporting (database, spreadsheet, word processing); general office practices and procedures; governmental structure, accounting and budget procedures and practices; unique accounting issues relating to Federal, State and local grants.

Ability to:

• Prepare accounting and financial reports; research, analyze and interpret complex accounting data; prepare clear, concise financial reports for managers, grantors, and other internal and external users; develop and maintain effective working relationships with those contracted in the course of work.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

No requirement

PREFERRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

No requirement

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, talk or hear, use hand to finger, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The employee must occasionally lift and\/or move up to 25 pounds.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Normal working conditions as found within an office setting, wherein there is a controlled temperature and a low noise level.