GENERAL DEFINITION

This is advanced performance level accounting work with in the City's Central Finance Agency. Employees in this class maintain the general and subsidiary ledgers for all City funds and prepare financial statements and evaluate, review, analyze and monitor departmental grant accounting and administrative activities. An employee in this class may also have responsibility for a City-wide accounting function involving a large volume of transactions for several accounting entities and reviewing and verifying the work of other accountants through work processes. Contact with departmental officials is necessary to obtain information to ensure that accounting transactions are handled properly. Adhering to generally accepted accounting principles and appropriate City ordinances is essential to the work. An employee in this class reports to a technical superior.

ALLOCATING FACTORS:
(The following conditions must be met for a position to be approved for this class.)

• Work must be performed within the Central Finance Department.
• The position must be responsible for maintaining general and subsidiary ledgers for all City funds, prepare financial statements or evaluate, review, analyze and monitor grant accounting and administrative activities.

TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF WORK (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)

• Analyzes, verifies, and records information into subsidiary and general ledgers basing allocations on supporting details provided by operating departments such as deposit summaries, letters of investment, methods of payment (payroll deduction or direct deposit), and types of interest (long term or short term); adheres to generally accepted accounting principles and City ordinances in recording transactions; prepares adjusting journal entries to transfer funds between accounts.
• Examines accounting records including source documents, journals and ledgers to insure that all data has been correctly and consistently recorded; locates and corrects imbalances caused by incorrect posting.
• Reconciles monthly print-outs from data processing to financial information maintained in specialized analysis files as well as transaction posting sources such as the Treasurer's and Revenue Department's statements; researches computerized account data to locate incorrect postings; prepares adjusting entries.
• Performs statistical analysis of summarized data to determine trends and estimate significant changes; distributes expenditures, encumbrances, receipts and receivables according to pre-established schedules; prepares footnotes to explain and summarize financial data on statements and reports.
• Prepares annual statements and reports utilizing the information recorded in monthly statements and reports; ensures that the information reconciles with supporting documents and reports, and adheres to generally accepted accounting principles and City ordinances.
• Reviews comprehensive statements on the activities of accounting entities including data on revenue, receivables, encumbrances and expenditures.
• Assigns work to a clerical support staff which performs routine recordings of transactions into the general ledger; monitors work load; prioritizes assignments; provides technical advice and interacts with departments when necessary to obtain cooperation and/or information.
• Identifies grant opportunities; reviews the provisions of federal grant programs to determine whether such grants pertain to city operations; advises appropriate officials of the essential provisions of grants; analyzes grant accounting operations of departments; reviews the fiscal portions of grant applications for the inclusion of all costs related to the grants; and monitors departmental grant billing and budget operations or performs the billing functions for the department.
• Performs related work as required.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• the standards, guidelines, and requirements for governmental accounting as set forth in the statements of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.
• the principles, standards and practices of the accounting profession including pronouncements of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Government Finance Officers Association.
• the principles, standards and practices of the accounting profession including pronouncements of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Government Finance Officers Association.
• principles, practices and techniques of Governmental accounting.
• the computerized accounting data base utilized by a large municipality.
• computer software for government and general accounting and financial reporting.
• principles and practices of public administration and their application to grants.
• research methods to identify grants and their applicability to city policies and goals.
• examining and analyzing financial records.
• preparing a variety of computerized accounting statements and reports.

SKILL IN:

• the analysis and maintenance of accurate accounting records.

ABILITY TO:

• schedule, assign and review the work of clerical personnel.
• learn the legal regulations and City directives governing the Municipal Accounting System and grant applications.
• utilize computer software as it applies to accounting and financial reporting.
• establish standards and special account procedures and forms.
• prepare and interpret a variety of accounting statements and reports.
• analyze and examine financial reports and records.
• analyze and interpret organizational and procedural problems and to make cogent recommendations.
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates and departmental officials.

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

(The following statement represents the minimum training and experience standards which will be used to admit or reject applicants for tests. Applications submitted by candidates for this class will be reviewed based on training and experience requirements as approved on 11/96.)

EDUCATION

• Completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university with major course work in accounting.

AND
GENERAL EXPERIENCE


• One year of municipal accounting experience.

SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE


• Two years of accounting experience at the full performance level in the City's Central Finance Agency which has involved maintaining the general and subsidiary ledgers for all City funds or analyzing and monitoring departmental grant accounting and administrative activities.

Or any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Personnel Department that has included the specific experience described above and that has included a bachelor's degree in accounting as an educational minimum.

PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.

PAY RANGE: EP20
Class Established: 5/1990

Latest Spec. Revision:
  CSC - 11/1996 ; Ad Board - 3/1997

AM/am/deb