Sr. Accountant I- Clerks Accounting- 57-2026

Polk-County-Clerk-of-Court; Bartow (FL); On-site; USD 66,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Polk County Clerk of Courts in Bartow is seeking a Senior Accountant I for Clerks Accounting. The role supports financial records, payroll, and regulatory compliance in a full-time capacity with a typical 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

schedule. Eligible candidates should have accounting credentials or related experience and be prepared to work in a governmental setting. Salary range advertised from $58,552 to $97,760, with excellent benefits through the Florida Retirement System.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or 4+ years direct accounting experience.
• Governmental accounting experience preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret statutes and manuals.
• Capable of multi-tasking and meeting deadlines.
• Strong report writing and documentation skills.
• Proficient with spreadsheets, databases and word processing.
• Good decision-making and problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Audit, analyze, and reconcile accounting records and general ledger accounts.
• Process regular check runs and record wire payments.
• Prepare journal vouchers and examine entries for compliance.
• Manage end-to-end payroll data entry and bi-weekly payroll.
• Monthly reconciliation of Clerk bank accounts and subsidiary accounts.
• Assist in setting up fee codes in clerk’s applications.
• Prepare audit schedules and respond to audits.

Skills

Reading documents

Multitasking

Report writing

Process following

Math concepts

Accounting basics

Common sense

Problem solving

Computer skills

Decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting

Tools

Spreadsheets (Excel)

Databases

Word processing

Job description

Sr. Accountant I- Clerks Accounting- 57-2026 (Bartow)

Join a team of dedicated professionals in the Polk County Clerk of Courts office. The Clerk’s office has been recognized as a Best Places to Work—an award given by CareerSource Polk that is based on employee surveys and an evaluation by judges. The Clerk of Courts provides a very rich benefit plan which includes membership in the Florida Retirement System, health insurance, an employee wellness center, and an employee gym. There’s also a paid time off plan in which one can accrue twenty-two days of leave time in the first year of employment.

Job Number: 57-2026

Hiring Rate: $58,552 - $97,760

Shift: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Monday-Friday

FLSA Status: Exempt

Department: Clerk’s Accounting- Bartow

This is a non-management position

This is a full time position

Essential Attributes

• The Mission of the Clerk of Courts has a high degree of public accountability, regular attendance and punctuality is an essential function of this position.
• Support and comply with the Mission Statement and Code of Conduct of the Clerk of Courts.
• Maintain a high standard relating to professional conduct and behavior.
• Work cooperatively with other employees of the work unit and embrace a teamwork approach to completing tasks.

Essential Tasks

• Evaluate and analyze policies, contracts, State statutes, ordinances, FCCC Distribution Schedule and other documents to ensure fiscal and/or regulatory compliance.
• Audit, analyze, and reconcile accounting records and general ledger accounts for accuracy and completeness; resolve differences and take corrective action.
• Collaborate with the team members to meet all applicable deadlines and maintain accuracy.
• Process regular check runs to produce accounts payable checks and record wire payments.
• Prepare journal vouchers to record accounting entries and adjustments.
• Examine journal entries, reports and documents prepared by other departments to determine fiscal and contractual compliance.
• Assist in the setup and maintenance of the fee codes in the clerk’s applications.
• Manage and execute end-to-end circuit court registry procedures, including fund intake, interest calculations/distributions, and disbursement reviews.
• Monthly reconciliation of multiple Clerk bank accounts and subsidiary accounts in the accounting system to external systems.
• Works closely with the Human Resources Department to audit and enter into Oracle personnel and payroll transactions necessary to process the bi-weekly payroll.
• Manage, prepare, and process payroll through the complete payroll cycle from time entry to pay distribution. Allocate payroll costs for staff working out of their departments.
• Reconcile and prepare monthly insurance billings for employee benefits.
• Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal payroll regulations, and prepare necessary reports for internal and external audits.
• Track expenses and produce monthly reports for the federal Title IV-D grant reimbursement and account for funds received.
• Prepare audit schedules and assist internal and external auditors as needed.
• Develop and maintain spreadsheets and files; provide data required for completion of periodic reports and documents.
• Recommend process improvements, participate in writing and updating standard operating procedures, and attend meetings as required.
• Prepare correspondence and perform other administrative functions as required.
• Respond and resolve customer inquiries and complaints.
• Maintain confidentiality of information learned or acquired as part of the position.
• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in safe manner.
• Attend meetings as required.
• All other duties as assigned

Minimum Skills / Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree preferred from an accredited four‑year college or university in accounting or a minimum of 4 years direct experience.
• Governmental accounting experience preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as statutes, safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals and technical materials.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and changing priorities while meeting critical deadlines.
• Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.
• Ability to create and follow detailed procedures through multi‑step processes.
• Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations.
• Ability to apply general accounting principles and methods.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized and abstract situations.
• Strong working knowledge of PCs and advanced skills related to software such as spreadsheets, databases and word processing.
• Ability to make good decisions.

Physical Requirements

• Applicant must have the physical, developmental and mental ability to perform job tasks, work efforts, responsibilities and duties of the job illustrated above. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel; and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, climb or balance. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust to focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

M/F/V/D