Accountant - County of Shasta : Job Details

THE CURRENT VACANCY IS IN THE SHASTA COUNTY AUDITOR-CONTROLLER DEPARTMENT SEE SPECIAL REQUIREMENT SECTION REGARDING POSSESSION OF A VALID DRIVERS LICENSE APPLICATIONS WILL BE REVIEWED WEEKLY UNTIL POSITION IS FILLED RESPONSES TO SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS REQUIRED FINAL FILING DATE - CONTINUOUS SALARY INFORMATION $3,867 - $4,936 APPROXIMATE MONTHLY* / $22.31 - $28.48 APPROXIMATE HOURLY* *Please refer to the appropriate Bargaining Unit Memorandum of Understanding for potential future salary increases* Please visit ABOUT SHASTA COUNTY Shasta County offers all the amenities of the big city while retaining a comfortable small-town atmosphere. With its natural beauty, affordable housing, excellent educational system, abundance of recreational opportunities, and excellent quality of life, Shasta County is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT The Auditor-Controller serves as the chief accounting officer for the County. The office acts as ex-officio Auditor and/or Controller for various schools, special districts, and County joint powers agencies. The Auditor-Controller's office also draws warrants from and makes deposits to the County treasury, prepares County and some district payrolls, and provides accounting supervision over all County departments and districts maintaining funds in the County treasury. The Auditor-Controller's Office also tabulates the County Budget, accounts for property taxes and special assessments, apportions collections, and prepares financial reports and audits. ABOUT THE POSITION Under close supervision, interpret and process financial or statistical records submitted by County departments, schools, and independent special districts. This includes audit and approval of vendor payments, employee expense reimbursements, purchasing card reconciliations, deposits, and journals to ensure that they are consistent with existing policies and procedures. This position is the subject matter expert in the areas above and assists fiscal staff from other departments, schools, and special districts in learning the requirements for these processes. In addition, under general supervision, this position will perform complex bookkeeping or financial recordkeeping work involving the maintenance of financial and statistical records. The current vacant positions serve on the systems and accounting team and the admin/support team in the Shasta County Auditor-Controllers (Auditors) office. The position on the systems and accounting team is responsible for the posting of all financial transactions, including deposits, journal entries, invoices, etc., to the Countys finance system, and other required data entry functions of the Auditors office. Accuracy and attention to detail are critical in this role. The position on the admin/support team is responsible for all internal accounting functions for the Auditors office, interfacing with all customers (other county staff/members of the public) of the Auditors office, and other support functions for the operations of the Auditors office as assigned. The Auditors office provides a detailed on the job training program. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS This is the entry level position in the Auditor-Accountant series in the Auditor-Controller's office. An incumbent in this class serves in the Auditor-Controller's office and has the responsibility for the independent maintenance and processing of financial or fiscal records and transactions involving a variety of items submitted in different forms, requiring examination of accounting details and supporting documentation. Work entails solving difficult problems, acting as a final check, and serving as the subject matter expert on the countywide financial system. Incumbents may have extensive contact with employees, departments, special districts, schools, and the public, which entails providing an explanation of, and ensuring that departments follow, government regulations, contract requirements, Shasta County and Auditor-Controller policies, collective bargaining agreements, and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). With considerable latitude, incumbents are responsible for the accuracy and timely processing of vendor payment requests, contract payments, purchasing card payments, deposit postings, and journals. An Auditor-Accountant Technician I may be delegated responsibility to act for the supervisor in that person's absence. Positions in this class may be required to supervise clerical assistants with such supervision usually being limited to the assignment and review of work. Incumbents serve in the Auditor-Controller's office and are required to have a broad knowledge of the functions of individual County departments and are responsible for the review, audit, correction, and feedback of work submitted by others in the County, cities, schools, or special districts. Training and feedback to members outside of the Auditor-Controller's office is a critical function of all audit positions. IDEAL CANDIDATE The ideal candidate will have two years of experience preparing, processing, and maintaining accounting documents and records in a position where accounting or financial duties were the primary responsibility and/or will have a college degree that includes the successful completion of four college level accounting courses. Audit, review, and verify various financial transactions for accuracy, correct account coding, and compliance with State Controller guidelines, GAAP, state regulations, County policies, and Auditor-Controller policies; approve financial transactions for posting to ledgers or accounts utilizing automated or manual systems; work with County departments, schools, special districts, and vendors, to research, resolve, reconcile, and make adjustments for discrepancies between payments, receipts, or various accounts; maintain expenditure and revenue records, including monitoring budgets, conformance to contract terms, checking and balancing records for arithmetic errors, etc.; process employee reimbursements and documentation ensuring they are correct and in the format required for public disclosure; process payroll and personnel related transactions for independent special districts and schools; manage year-end cut-off procedures for accounts payable; audit and appropriately apply coding to transactions for year-end reporting requirements (accruals, 1099-MISC reporting); assist with research, testing, and implementation of upgrades to the finance and/or payroll modules of the countywide financial system; provide orientation, assistance, and ongoing training for department and special district fiscal staff regarding the County's financial system and procedures; provide technical assistance and accounting support for County departments and special district; perform other related duties as assigned. It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below. Any combination of education and experience sufficient to directly demonstrate possession and application of the following: Knowledge of: Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and State Controller's Guide to Accounting for Counties; principles and practices of accounting and mathematical computations; Shasta County organization, operations, policies, and procedures; Shasta County accounting and budget systems; personal computers utilizing a variety of software applications; office methods, procedures, and equipment; procedures, practices, and terminology used in bookkeeping, financial, and statistical record keeping; business English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation; principles and techniques of supervision and training may be required for certain assignments. Ability to: Perform difficult clerical accounting work involving independent judgment, accuracy, and speed; assume responsibility for complex records utilizing computerized and/or manual systems; make decisions in procedural matters and provide corrective feedback; assemble and organize data and prepare and maintain accurate and complete financial and statistical records and reports; operate standard office equipment including computerized systems to enter and/or retrieve data; recommend work improvements as necessary; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with other departments, cities, schools, special districts, outside agencies, coworkers, and the public; communicate effectively orally and in the development of written documents, reports, and financial information; train and schedule the work of staff as required for some assignments; maintain confidentiality; type and 10-key accurately at a moderate rate of speed; interact with the public, county departments, schools, cities, special districts, and other agencies; handle multiple tasks with shifting priorities. These standards are typically attained with two (2) years of experience preparing, processing, and maintaining accounting documents and records in a position where these activities were the primary duties of the position and which provides the required knowledge and abilities listed above. Education, professional training, or professional certificates that are directly related to the knowledge and abilities standards may be substituted. SPECIAL REQUIREMENT A valid State of California driver's license is required. SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS Responses to the following must be submitted with a completed application. Do you have two years of experience preparing, processing, and maintaining accounting documents and records, which provides the required knowledge and abilities listed above? Yes/ No If yes to question #1, please LIST the names, dates, and duties of each position where you obtained the experience. If none, please type N/A. Please provide a LIST of each college level accounting course successfully completed. If none, please type N/A. Provide your understanding of the difference between an accounting position that has audit responsibilities versus an accounting position that does not. What experience, education or training have you had that demonstrate you would be a good candidate for an accounting/ auditing position in the Auditor-Controller's Office? If none, please type N/A. Being able to communicate, provide positive corrective feedback, and facilitate ongoing department training is critical to being successful in this position. Please give an example that demonstrates your strong communication skills and the ability to handle difficult conversations with tact and professionalism. I acknowledge that this position does require a valid California driver's license. Yes/No I understand if I answered yes to the above questions, but did not give the requested details, my application may be considered incomplete and could screen out? Yes/ No PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT 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 sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee frequently is required to talk or hear. The employee is required to speak fluent English. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and color vision. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS All new employees are required to have their paycheck directly deposited to a bank account. Some positions may require a valid California driver's license and acceptable driving record according to County policy. Reasonable accommodations may be made for those persons who are disabled under the Americans with Disabilities Act to perform the essential functions of the position. As part of the selection process, all individuals provided with a preliminary offer of employment with Shasta County will be subject to a background investigation, including a criminal history check (primarily completed through the taking of fingerprints). An image of your fingerprints will be captured and sent to the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The resulting report of your conviction history, (if any), will be evaluated along with the other information received in connection with your application. Except as otherwise required by law, a criminal conviction will not necessarily disqualify you from the position. The nature of the offense, the date of the offense, the surrounding circumstances, and the relevance of the offense to the position applied for may, however, be considered. Based on the results of the background investigation and criminal history check, applicants may then be provided with an offer of employment conditioned on the results of a medical examination, which includes drug/alcohol testing. Shasta County participates in E-Verify. For more information visit In accordance with Government Code Section 3100, County employees, in the event of a disaster are considered disaster workers and may be asked to respond accordingly. Positions in this classification are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the County and the United Public Employees of California General Unit. Employees in this classification are covered under the CalPERS retirement program. Depending on the provisions of the California Public Employees Pension Reform Act (PEPRA) and other applicable laws, an employee in this classification will be covered under one of the following CalPERS retirement formulas: (1) 2% at 55, (2) 2% at 60, or (3) 2% at 62. An employee in this classification will also contribute up to 9.5% his/her pay to this plan or will contribute such other amount to the plan as authorized by PEPRA and other applicable laws. Please visit our employees benefit page at for additional information regarding benefits and CalPERS coverage information. The provisions in this flyer and on the County website are for information purposes only. To the extent the provisions of the flyer or the County website are inconsistent with PEPRA and other applicable laws, PEPRA and other applicable laws shall govern. Shasta County Personnel will accept applications and responses to the supplemental questions until current vacancies have been filled. A Resume and/or Cover Letter will be accepted in addition to the application form but will not serve as a substitute for a completed application. It is not acceptable to complete the application with statements such as, Refer to Resume and/or Cover Letter, or See Attached Resume and/or Cover Letter the employment application must be completed in its entirety prior to submission. Incomplete applications will not be processed. Closing date postmarks or faxes will NOT be accepted. This recruitment will establish a list that may or may not be used by other departments. Prior applicants must reapply to be considered. Applicants will be screened and those considered best qualified will be invited to appear for an oral and/or written examination. Meeting the announced requirements does not guarantee inclusion into the selection process. Depending upon the number of applications received, the selection process may consist of additional application screening, written and/or practical exam(s), oral interview, or any combination thereof. Veterans' Credit : Veterans (as defined by California Government Code section 18973) who have been discharged from military service under conditions other than dishonorable and who receive a passing score on all components of the employment examinations (up to and including oral examinations) shall receive credit for an additional five points to be added to their final examination score. To be considered for this credit, a veteran MUST provide a copy of his or her discharge document (DD-214 or equivalent) and information as to the type of discharge (honorable, dishonorable, etc.) WITH THE EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE. Applicants are encouraged to apply on-line at Arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants with disabilities. Requests for accommodations may be made to the Shasta County Personnel Office by the filing deadline posted on this bulletin. Shasta County does not discriminate on the basis of disability. If you feel you are being denied service based on a disability, our ADA Coordinator may be reached at (530) ###-####; relay service (800) ###-####; fax (530) ###-####. Shasta County will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you. After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if Shasta County is concerned about a conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the chance to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report. Find out more about the Fair Chance Act by visiting calcivilrights.ca.gov/fair-chance-act. SHASTA COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER Shasta County Personnel 1450 Court Street, Suite 348; Redding, CA 96001; (530) ###-####