Principal Accountant at City of Seattle, WA

About the Department

The City of Seattle Finance and Administrative Services Department (FAS) is seeking qualified candidates for a Principal Accountant position to join the Accounting and Budget Services (ABS) Division. This position will report to the Accounting Manager. The position performs a variety of professional accounting functions and is responsible for areas including general ledger and project costing functions, financial reporting, billing and providing accounting support to divisions.

ABOUT US

FAS is often the public's first interaction with the City of Seattle, operating as a customer-focused front door that assists with everything from paying utilities or reporting a pothole to requesting public information or even adopting a new pet.

The 500-plus employees of FAS span across 10 divisions and work behind-the-scenes providing critical functions, like managing 120 City facilities—including police and fire stations—overseeing the City's neighborhood customer service centers and Customer Service Bureau and making sure minority-owned businesses can equitably compete for City contracts. No matter the need, FAS is here—at your service.

Position Duties

This position’s main responsibility is to provide accounting support, provide guidance, maintain and monitor project costing activities for operations.

Other responsibilities include:

• Provide financial information and accounting support to client division management including evaluating existing systems, procedures for internal control and subject matter expert to project costing module.
• Create and post journal entries.
• Review and monitor transactions for accuracy, ensure proper accounting and legal compliance.
• Perform periodic financial analysis and prepare financial management reports.
• Review accounting processes for efficiency and improvements, as well as recommend, draft and implement new processes.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Business Administration or a related field (requires satisfactory completion of at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter credit units in accounting with no substitution allowed) and/or professional certification as a CPA. AND
• Four (4) years professional experience in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, or related work with one (1) year experience equivalent to a Senior Accountant.

(Or a combination of education and/or training and/or experience which provides an equivalent background required to perform the work of the class.)

The most successful candidates will possess the following:

• Three (3) years of supervisory experience.
• CPA license is highly desirable.
• Working knowledge of professional accounting principles, practices, and methods in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); applicable Federal, State and City laws, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to interpret administrative and policy guidelines and apply those guidelines and professional judgment to effectively resolve financial and accounting issues. Ability to present complex material to varied audiences, to demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills, and to lead a team effort to adapt to changing and expanding work requirements.
• Attention to detail and accuracy with excellent oral and written communication skills, and strong technical and organizational skills. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with varied accounting responsibilities, and ability to work independently, and as part of a team.
• High level skill in the use of PeopleSoft or similar financial applications, MS Excel including Macros, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, Power BI, SQL, SSRS, or other reporting tools.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with varied accounting responsibilities and deadlines.
• Demonstrates flexibility and willingness to be cross-trained on other functional areas within the Accounting team, including but not limited to Grants, Accounts Receivable, Asset Management, and other General Ledger responsibilities.

Work Environment
This position requires a minimum of three days per week of onsite work. Alternative Work Arrangements and hybrid telework schedules for work conducted in a normal office environment may be considered and will be based on operational needs and consistency with City policies.

Other Qualifications

This position is classified as an Accountant, Principal. It is Civil Service represented, FLSA non-exempt and is eligible for overtime. The full range for this step-progression position is $52.13 - $60.71 per hour.

Application Process
Applications are reviewed after the posting closes. You must submit the following items to be considered for this position no later than 4:00pm Pacific Time on the scheduled closed date.

1. Completed NEOGOV online application.
2. Cover letter describing how your skills and experience align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications.
3. Current resume indicating relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and education.

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state “see my resume” or “see my personnel file” are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

PLEASE NOTE: This job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Background Check: Applicants must successfully pass a background check, which will be conducted in accordance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17. Applicants will be given a chance to explain or correct background information and provide verifiable information of good conduct and rehabilitation.

Why work at the City of Seattle?
The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in the Race and Social Justice Initiative by working to dismantle racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and provide equitable processes and services.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans

Who May Apply: The City of Seattle values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, medical condition, or pregnancy. The City of Seattle encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences. If you have questions regarding this bulletin or employment at Finance and Administrative Services, please send an email to [email protected]. FAS promotes diversity and inclusion in employment. If accommodations are needed during the selection process, please contact us.

CANDIDATE NOTIFICATION:

Many important notifications including interview or test invitations, result notices, and status updates will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add [email protected] to your email address book and to the list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail. Candidates can also check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing their profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices. It is the applicant's responsibility to take the above steps to view correspondence.