Senior Accountant chez City of Brooklyn Center, MN

About the Department

The senior accountant (enterprise fund) is the accounting and finance partner to departments in the enterprise fund. The person in this role provides employees of those departments with accounting and finance services, advice, guidance, and reporting. This includes strategic activities like budgets and forecasts, and tactical tasks and projects like reconciliations, preparation of journal entries, and assisting with audit process. The person in this role helps brand the finance department and the City of Brooklyn Center as customer-focused, welcoming, and inclusive.

Position Duties

Finance business partner

• Acts as first point of contact for all accounting and finance-related questions within assigned departments.
• Works with assigned departments to maintain efficient and effective internal controls.
• Increases business acumen of staff by teaching good financial stewardship and training them on relevant accounting and finance-related topics.

• Responsible for accounting transactions.
• Performs month-end close out procedures.
• Prepares and analyzes annual and monthly financial reports.
• Coordinates financial information according to contracts as assigned.
• Maintains, coordinates and reconciles the cash receipts.
• Coordinates sales tax compliance.
• Performs weekly cash flow analysis.
• Reconciles tax statements and allocates the tax settlements from the county.
• Updates taxes and reconciles tax receivables.

• Assists the director of finance and departments on the annual budget. 
• Prepares and files financial and budget reports, including year-end reports, to state and federal agencies as assigned.
• Performs financial forecasts and planning.
• Prepares monthly financial reports and analyzes data to identify trends, variances, and opportunities for improvement.
• Assists with the audit process, serving as liaison between assigned departments and external auditor.
• Conducts internal audits to ensure accuracy of data, compliance in practice, and overall good stewardship of funds.

• Prepares monthly bank reconciliation and journal entries for general and payroll checking accounts.
• Prepares and submits bond payments.

• Analyzes and reviews internal processes for continuous improvement.
• Provides back-up support for other staff as needed.
• Assists in other financial and/or accounting functions as directed by the director of finance.
• Other projects and other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent experience.
• Advanced level of proficiency in Excel to include creation, including pivot tables and updating existing spreadsheets.
• Previous experience performing financial analysis and reconciliations.

• CPA or advanced degree preferred.
• Experience with municipal government finance.
• Budgeting and forecasting experience preferred.
• Experience with annual reports, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and GASB.
• Familiarity with tax settlements, reconciliations, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and special assessments.
• Familiarity with preparing and or coordinating the ACFR.
• Previous experience with finance computer applications.

Other Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Effective verbal and written communication and presentation skills with attention to detail and follow up
• Strong customer service skills.
• Committed to establishing a safe, productive, collaborative culture that values diversity, equity and inclusion. Able to build strong relationships with a wide variety of people.
• Exercises sound good judgment, is resourceful, curious and has the ability to solve problems effectively. Able to preserve confidentiality.
• Ability to effectively give and receive feedback. Ability to use tact and diplomacy.
• Takes initiative. Able to work independently with little supervision.
• Detail oriented, dependable, organized, and able to prioritize.