Accountant I/Ii (Open And Promotional)

The Office of the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder and Chief Elections Officer is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Accountant I/II.
Accountants perform complex professional accounting work relative to departmental procedures and exercise independent judgment regarding financial transactions and processes. Under the general direction of the Senior Accountant, the Accountant I/II will independently:

• Review claiming and accounting documents to ensure accuracy, examine supporting documentation to establish proper authorization, review invoices, reconcile information from various sources, and review and reconcile accounting reports.
• Prepare and maintain control and subsidiary accounting records involving a variety of transactions and accounts and aid senior fiscal staff.
• Review accounting documents for conformance with state and federal regulations.
• Preparing journal entries and reconciliation.
• Planning, directing, reviewing, and evaluating the work of fiscal office support staff.
• Creating complex automated financial worksheets.
• Acting as liaison with other County fiscal divisions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Review accounting documents to ensure accuracy of information and calculations and make correcting entries.
• Examine supporting documentation to establish proper authorization and conformance with agreements, contracts, and state and federal regulations.
• Prepare and maintain control and subsidiary accounting records involving a variety of transactions and accounts.
• Prepare trial balances; coordinate and calculate periodic closings.
• Prepare journal entries and reconciliation of general ledger, journals, subsidiary accounts, and bank statements.
• Compile and prepare general and subsidiary ledgers and supporting schedules.
• Assist in and/or coordinate the preparation and analysis of budgets for departmental and County funds.
• Maintain expenditure and budgetary control accounts; prepare and coordinate budget appropriation transfers.
• Confer with departmental representatives and provide information regarding budgeting and accounting processes.
• Analyze and prepare varied financial statements and reports.
• Apportion monies including secured, unsecured, impounded, redeemed, and other taxes.
• Review and approve claims for referral of tax, grant, or other monies and prepare claims for reimbursement from various state or funding agencies and/or programs.
• Maintain varied departmental cost accounting records, disbursing funds to various accounts and/or billing for reimbursements as required.
• Analyze programs and legislation to determine fiscal and budgetary impact; prepare budgetary appropriation transfers and supplemental budgets.
• Review and recommend modifications to existing or creation of accounting systems and procedures; assist with or coordinate the automation of manual accounting systems.
• Provide technical support to internal and outside auditors and governmental program auditors.
• Plan, direct, review, and evaluate the work of fiscal office support staff on a project or day-to-day basis, as needed; may train staff in work procedures.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

• The salary range for Accountant I is $71,635 - $89,586 annually.
• The salary range for Accountant II is $83,782 - $104,707 annually.

• The maintenance of about 235,000 assessments and around $308 billion local property tax roll.
• The maintenance of County birth, death, and marriage records.
• The maintenance of over 3,000,000 recorded land records.
• The conduct of local elections.
• The maintenance of the voter registration rolls representing over 330,000 County voters.

Qualifications

Educational Requirement
The Accounting I/II classification requires the successful completion of a minimum of twelve semester units of college level accounting coursework.
Experience and Education:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• 
  Accountant I: Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university in accounting, finance, business administration, economics, or a closely related field. Sub-professional accounting support work may be substituted for the education on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of two years.
• Accountant II: Two years of accounting experience, preferably in a governmental or public agency.

• Principles, practices, and terminology of general, fund, and governmental accounting.
• Principles and practices of business data processing, particularly as related to the processing of accounting information.
• Applicable laws regulating public fiscal operations.
• Budgeting principles and terminology.
• Basic auditing and financial reconciliation principles and methods.

• Review, analyze, interpret, and reconcile financial reports and transactions.
• Verify the accuracy of financial data and information.
• Prepare clear, concise, and complete financial reports and statements.
• Ensure proper authorization and documentation for disbursements and other transactions.
• Direct the work of others on a project or day to day basis.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established procedural guidelines.
• Make accurate mathematical and statistical calculations.
• Maintain accurate records and files.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with those encountered in the workplace.

Application/Examination

Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, Confidential or Management extra-help/limited term, or SEIU or AFSCME represented extra help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the “Apply” button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org to apply.
Thorough and detailed responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted in addition to the standard County employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required application materials. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
The examination process will consist of an application screening (pass/fail) based on the candidate's application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification.
All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
Tentative Recruitment Schedule
Final Filing Date for Applications: April 1, 2024, by 1:59 PM
Application Screening: April 3-9, 2024
Civil Service Interviews: April 17 and/or 18, 2024
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities. The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.