Accountant - Tacoma, United States - City of Tacoma, WA

Description

Salary: $ $43.70 Hourly

Location : Tacoma, WA

Job Type: Classified

Job Number:

Department: City of Tacoma - CITY WIDE LIST

Opening Date: 05/01/2024

Closing Date: 5/15/2024 10:00 PM Pacific

Position Description

The City of Tacoma is currently recruiting for Accountants. Accountants perform a variety of routine professional accounting duties related to funds, assets and grant accounting, payroll, budgets, treasury or special projects accounting; analyze a variety of financial documents for completeness and accuracy as well as prepare and process financial documents related to the accounting process of the assigned department or function; prepare reports and analysis as required.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain detailed records and logs related to the assigned department and/or fund
• Review financial documents for accuracy and completeness and account coding
• Maintain general ledgers and sub-ledgers; prepare journal entries; reconcile accounts, and projects and transfers between funds
• Prepare and analyze monthly, quarterly and annual financial and statistical statements Prepare narrative reports to explain variances
• Develop cash projections and trends for revenues, expenses and capital outlay
• Perform routine duties for the biennial budget preparation process of one or more City departments
• Monitor and analyze financial transactions affecting budget, cash balances, billing, production, profit and loss, revenues and expenses and/or expenditures and other accounting data
• Perform routine analysis of costs, fund balances, financial statements, budget worksheets, fiscal impact, financial trends and other data
• Assure compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for municipal enterprises and governments, city ordinances and policies, local, state and federal laws
• Prepare grant reimbursement requests and tax filings as required
• Perform routine fiscal and program analyses and make appropriate recommendations to supervisors

WHY WORK FOR THE CITY?
The City of Tacoma is nestled along the shores of Commencement Bay in Washington State and offers many community parks, miles of beautiful waterfront, hiking & biking trails, golf courses, museums, and a world-class zoo with an aquarium. Tacoma also serves as a gateway to some of the most magnificent natural wonders in the world, such as Puget Sound, Mount Rainier National Park and the Olympic Peninsula.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision benefits for the whole family; paid holidays and personal time off; participation in Tacoma's Public Employees' Retirement System and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities. For more information on the City of Tacoma's benefit package feel free to explore
Qualifications

• Equivalent combination of education and experience to: bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, public or business administration or closely-related field
• Experience may substitute for up to two (2) years of education

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER LEGAL REQUIREMENTS:
There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification. It is the employer's responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position. Depending upon assignment a WA driver's license may be required.
Knowledge & Skills

• Generally accepted accounting principles and practices for governmental, enterprise and regulatory accounting.
• State, federal and local rules and regulations related to assigned department.
• Data processing applications related to routine accounting procedures.
• Modern office practices, procedures and equipment.
• Client server business application systems and Microsoft Office software applications.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary.
• Technical aspects of field of specialty.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to understand technical financial documents.
• Establish and maintain cooperative, effective working relationships with others.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Adaptive and flexible to change and strong work ethic.

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

To be considered for this career opportunity:
The online application system requires you to enter a substantial amount of information. Be prepared to spend a minimum of one hour entering the required information. While completing the application and answering the supplemental questions please be sure to save your work every 20 minutes to ensure that your information is not lost. In order for your application materials to be considered, all information must be submitted by the closing date and time listed on this job announcement.

Interested individuals should apply online and attach a resume and cover letter that includes major responsibilities and accomplishments related to this position. Please answer all supplemental questions fully. Applications received without all the requested materials may not move forward in the selection process. If applicable, scan and attach your DD-214 proof of military discharge form.

Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications for this position in order to be evaluated further. Please answer all questions completely. Information provided in the supplemental questions will be evaluated to determine placement on an eligible list. Applicants must attain a passing score in order to be placed on the eligible list for interview and hiring consideration.

Appointment is subject to passing a background check. This position is covered by a Labor Agreement between the City of Tacoma and the Local 483. New employees must successfully complete a nine-month probationary period prior to obtaining permanent status in this classification.

City of Tacoma Commitment to Diversity and InclusionTacoma's diversity is its greatest asset. Tacoma embraces its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character. Communities of color and immigrant communities are fundamental to Tacoma's entrepreneurial spirit, workforce, and long-term success. In Tacoma, equity and empowerment are top priorities, meaning that all Tacoma residents must have equitable opportunities to reach their full potential and share in the benefits of community progress. One of our goals is for the City of Tacoma workforce to reflect the community it serves. We actively work to eliminate racial and other disparities and welcome candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skill sets and experiences. Our goal is for Tacoma to be an inclusive and equitable place to live, work, and play.

The City of Tacoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its workplace. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, and local laws.

Communication from the City of Tacoma:We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from and/or must be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders.

The online application system requires you to enter a substantial amount of information. Be prepared to spend an hour or more entering the required information. In order for your application materials to be considered, all information must be submitted by the closing date and time listed on this job announcement.

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact Human Resources at by 4:00 pm on the closing date. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Public Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at or by calling

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Please select the option below that fits with your education and years of accounting experience:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in accounting, finance, public or business administration or closely-related field
• Two years of college and two or more years of professional accounting experience
• None of the above

02

Please select the option below that fits with your accounting experience

• 0-1 years professional accounting experience
• 1-2 years of professional accounting experience
• 2-4 years of professional accounting experience
• 4 or more years of professional accounting experience
• No professional accounting experience

03

Are you a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA)?

• Yes
• No

04

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING TEST:Questions 5 and 6 are the experience and training test that will be used to establish the eligibility list. These questions will be scored by subject matter experts who will not have access to any of your application materials, and will provide scores based solely upon your answers to the questions. Your answers must stand on their own merit. DO NOT RESPOND WITH "SEE RESUME" in lieu of answering this question, as raters will not have access to your resume or application and this will result in a failing score on the test. Your score on the experience and training test will ONLY reflect your response to the questions asked.

Responses to questions must be original content created by the applicant using their own words. The use of online tools or resources to create responses, such as Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT, etc.), Google, Bing, etc., or plagiarism in any form, is considered cheating and falsification of the application.I understand that any form of cheating or falsification will disqualify my application for further consideration and have read and understand the instructions for questions 5 and 6.

• Yes
• No

05

Please provide a detailed description about your training and/or experience preparing and analyzing financial reports. Describe the typical scope and complexity of the reports, the range of data sources you typically work with (or have training on) and your general approach to ensuring the accuracy and relevance of the information presented in these reports.

06

Please provide detailed information about your experience/training in preparing and/or analyzing financial documents. Share an overview of the types of documents, the methods or techniques you use to ensure accuracy, and any general strategies you have/would employ to address discrepancies or inconsistencies.

07

Please select all of the tasks you have exposure (work or school) preparing:

• Balance Sheet
• Income Statement
• Cash Flow
• Bank or Account Reconciliations

08

Please select all the types of journal entries you have exposure (work or school) preparing:

• Accrued Income or Accrued Expenses
• Accounts Payable or Receivable
• Investment Earnings/Expenses
• Capital or Fixed Asset Acquisition
• Capital or Fixed Asset Disposal
• Depreciation and/or Amortization

09

Please select all the types of finance or accounting related processes you have exposure (work or school) completing:

• Accounts payable invoices
• Purchase orders
• Purchase requisitions
• Payroll
• Accounts receivable
• Benefits payments

10

Please select all the computer applications you are familiar with:

• Microsoft Word or similar
• Microsoft Excel or similar
• Microsoft PowerPoint or similar
• Microsoft Outlook or similar
• ERP (Financial Accounting System)/Human Capital Management/Pension Administration System
• SharePoint
• SAP
• Ariba
• Adobe Acrobat
• Winshuttle

11

The City of Tacoma has a technical requirement that employees filling classified roles be residents of the City at the time of their original appointment to a classified job. However, there is a process to request a waiver of this requirement from the Civil Service Board if we identify an outstanding candidate who is a nonresident. Not residing within the City of Tacoma is not an automatic disqualifier and everyone is encouraged to apply.

• I understand that the City will request a waiver for me if necessary
• Not applicable, I'm a City of Tacoma resident

12

Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

• Job Interest Card notification
• Professional organization
• Military organization
• City of Tacoma employee
• Online job board posting
• Word of mouth
• LinkedIn
• Tacoma Training & Education Program (TTEP)
• Indeed
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Careers in Government
• Government Jobs
• Outreach Event
• National Diversity Network
• African American Job Network
• Disability Job Network
• Asian Job Network
• Latino Job Network
• Retirement Job Network
• LGBT Job Network
• Veteran Job Network
• Other

13

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question