Accountant - Purchasing at Eau Claire County, WI

About the Department

The Accountant - Purchasing assists the Finance Director, Assistant Finance Director, and Purchasing Manager in coordinating the centralized purchasing program for the County, as well as performing related accounting functions. In addition, the position assists with the design and development, training, and support of internal controls for the County, including documentation, processes, and procedures. This position also assists with financial management and required financial reporting functions for the Finance Department, including but not limited to budgeting, reporting, and financial analysis. 

Position Duties

• Applies knowledge of purchasing principles and methods to assist in managing the County purchasing program; stays current with supply and market trends and conditions affecting purchasing practices; compiles requests for materials and verifies specifications for the procurement of supplies and services; obtains price quotes and specifications and determines qualified vendors and responsive bidders; prepares research, solicitations, and addendums; maintains appropriate inventories.
• Directs knowledge of vendor management principals, and related tax reporting regulations, to administer vendor management with the County’s accounting system. 
• Interprets and applies the County Code, state statutes, State of Wisconsin and cooperative contracts as it applies to purchasing and budgeting procedures; develops department procurement and specification documents; explains County procurement procedures and policy to prospective vendors, public, and user departments; maintains the bid lists.
• Demonstrates negotiation skills with vendors regarding the purchase of goods and services; analyzes and evaluates bids, prepares reports, and makes recommendations; prepares purchase orders and sends to vendor and department originating request; tracks purchases and supplies; handles inquiries regarding orders and payments; establishes and maintains business relationships with vendors and reconciles issues throughout the procurement process.
• Assists departments in projecting costs to budget for the purchase of commodities and services; assists in the exchange, trade-in, or sale of surplus, obsolete, or unused supplies and equipment; coordinates interdepartmental transfers of supplies, materials, and equipment.
• Transfers comprehension of GASB standards to support the proper recording of capital assets, leases, Subscription-Based Information Technology Arrangement (SBITAs), and other GASB standards as they are adopted.
• Transfers accounting and analytical skills to record and audit of County P-Card purchases monthly. 
• Assists with annual County external audit by preparing audit reports and testing groups; oversees, analyzes, and reports Capital Project Fund activity as well as assists in Capital Project forecasting; assists in preparation of monthly/quarterly financial statements and supporting analysis.
• Demonstrates understanding of the financial reporting and general ledger structure; provides fiscal support to other county departments for questions regarding their general ledger accounts and quarterly financial statements; reconciles selected key general ledger balance sheet accounts
• Illustrates budgeting skills to review department budget documents and assists with county budget preparation.
• Performs other related duties as required or assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field.
• Five (5) years of experience in general accounting, internal audit, or other financial experience.
• Extensive experience utilizing Microsoft Excel.
• Proficiency in personal computer use in a windows environment with general Microsoft Office software.
• Appointment will be conditional upon successful completion of credit and criminal background checks.

Other Qualifications

• Experience in supporting internal audit functions or procedures.
• Experience using accounting and/or reporting software.
• Experience performing governmental accounting duties.