Contract Accounting Technician (Parks)

The City of Bellingham's Parks and Recreation Department is currently hiring for a Contract Accounting Technician. Do you have bookkeeping/accounting experience and a desire to provide support to the City's Parks and Recreation team? Apply today! 

The Contract Accounting Technician performs a variety of accounting support, contract documentation and financial record keeping duties for multiple budgetary programs within the Parks and Recreation Department with a primary focus on supporting the accounting needs of the Design and Development Division. Maintains accounts and records for multi-year capital projects and financial data related to state and federal grants. Assists in researching applicable laws governing the administration and payment of contractual obligations and purchasing requirements.  

This position will start at Step 1 ($25.96/hour). Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, Local 1937 Collective Bargaining Agreement and City policy. The full hourly range for this position is $25.96 - $31.90. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

City of Bellingham employees receive medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as life insurance and long-term disability. Additional benefits include flexible spending accounts, a medical insurance opt-out program, and access to our employee assistance program. All eligible City employees are enrolled in a Washington State Department of Retirement Systems pension plan. Additionally, employees may elect to participate in the City’s 457 deferred compensation retirement savings plan.

Employees will receive 12 paid holidays in addition to one paid floating holiday each year. Employees accrue 8 hours total of contract and state sick leave per month in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement and Washington State Law. At the time of hire, employees will accrue 7.33 hours of vacation per month. Vacation accruals increase based on years of service. Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employee to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

For additional information regarding benefits and compensation Information please visit the following:

• Labor Agreements, Pay Schedules and E-Team Employee Handbook - City of Bellingham (cob.org)
• Employment Benefits - City of Bellingham (cob.org)

Closing Date/Time: Sun. 04/22/24 8:30 AM Pacific Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:
 

1. Works with the Design and Development manager and project managers to monitor capital project funds, grants and budgets under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Department. 
2. Develops and maintains project checklists for capital construction projects with multiple funding sources. Maintains financial records; tracks and maintains job costing, ensures expenses are allocated to the appropriate job ledger codes and initiates journal entries as needed. Tracks project change orders and purchase order balances. Assists in researching and maintaining compliance with complex purchasing and contract requirements such as job order contracting (JOC), indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contracts (IDIQ) and prevailing wage requirements.  
3. Tracks expenditures for grant billing, prepares reports, grant reimbursement requests for funds and annual grant accountability worksheets. Ensures completion of appropriate documentation for construction projects. Compiles and maintains data and assists in the preparation of quarterly and annual grant reports. 
4. Monitors department project retainage including verifying retainage calculations, coding, ensuring contractor checklist requirements are obtained and determining active and closed projects. Coordinates with Finance Department to reconcile retainage on a monthly and annual basis.  
5. Prepares adjusting journal entries for capital project related staff labor reimbursement from appropriate capital fund. 
6. Assists in yearly budget process by compiling capital budget information. Identifies multi-year projects for inclusion into the budget re-appropriation process and outstanding purchase orders.
7. Works with Engineering and Operations personnel to coordinate additional budgetary information requested as needed.
8. Assists in researching and maintaining compliance with complex purchasing and contract requirements such as job order contracting (JOC), indefinite quantity, indefinite delivery contracts (IDIQ) and prevailing wage requirements. Consults with Project Managers, Purchasing and Finance Department Staff to ensure completion of appropriate documentation for construction projects in accordance with applicable laws, guidelines and contractual agreements.
9. Processes Design and Development Division accounts payable and accounts receivable utilizing appropriate BARS code, UAC or JL code. Processes purchase order payments and ensures accuracy of invoices. Prepares requisitions, pay files, contracts and task orders. Posts and reconciles journals and other records.  
10. Provides financial and process support for leases, licenses, interlocal agreements and other contracts for the department. 

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

1.  Composes correspondence related to projects and prepares job-related procedural task data.
2. Provides back up to the Parks and Recreation Accounting Technician.
3. Provides general clerical support as needed, including answering phones and interacting with the public.  
4. Performs other related duties as assigned within the scope of the classification.

• One year of college or vocational course work in accounting, business, or related area required. 
• APWA Contracting Accounting Specialist Certificate preferred.
• A minimum of three years bookkeeping/accounting experience utilizing computerized accounting systems and spreadsheets required.
• A minimum of one year experience with record-keeping and compliance monitoring for grant-funded contracts preferred.
• Accounting experience in a municipal or public sector environment preferred. 
• Experience utilizing BARS accounting system preferred.
• Familiarity with engineering and construction terminology and concepts preferred. 

A combination of education and experience which provides the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential functions of the job will be considered.
 
 

• Employment contingent upon passing a criminal background check and child and adult abuse records check. (See Fair Hiring Practices)

**You are encouraged to print a copy of this job announcement for your reference as the process moves along**
 
 Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and required supplemental questions). Provide as much detail as you believe will fully describe your experience and training.
 

1. Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must provide specific, detailed information so an initial determination can be made regarding your level of qualifications for this position. Applicant status will be updated on or around April 23, 2024. 
2. Application Review: Applicants that meet minimum qualifications will go through an Application Review. Relevancy of your experience and training, together with composition, grammar, spelling and punctuation will be considered when evaluating application and responses to supplemental questions. Applicant status will be updated on or around May 2, 2024. 
3. The top 5 (five) scoring applicants from the Application Review will be invited to participate in Oral Board Interviews, tentatively scheduled for on or around May 10, 2024. Applicants must achieve a passing score of 60% or higher from the Oral Board Interview to be placed on the eligibility list.  
4. Applicants will be notified via email of Final Scores & Ranks. The final ranking of the register will be based on total scores for the following: Application Review (30%) and Oral Board Interview (70%).

Final candidates will be referred to the department for additional examination, assessment, or test.
 
This recruitment process will create a Civil Service eligibility register that will be used to fill current and future vacancies as they become available. There is currently 1 full-time vacancy in the Parks and Recreation Department. This position is represented by a union.  
 
Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.