Accountant

This is a limited continuous filing exam. Next filing cut-offs are at 5:00 pm on:

Under general supervision, Accountants perform a wide variety of professional accounting, budgeting, and fiscal duties such as establishing and maintaining accounting records, participating in budget preparation and control, reviewing and analyzing accounting and financial transaction records, and preparing financial statements and reports.

Knowledge of

• Various professional accounting standards such as generally accepted auditing standards and generally accepted accounting principles, generally accepted governmental auditing standards, and standards set by the governmental accounting standards board, financial accounting standards board, general accounting office, and other regulatory agencies
• Accounting procedures and their application to a variety of accounting transactions
• Financial statement preparation
• Cost and revenue projecting, and cost allocation methods
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation
• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and other specialized applications related to area of assignment

Ability to

• Prepare and analyze statistical and financial data
• Analyze and make effective recommendations regarding financial and accounting procedures and work flow
• Learn to interpret and apply applicable federal, state, and local laws, codes, and regulations
• Learn and participate in government contract and budget preparation and monitoring
• Organize and prioritize work efficiently to meet schedules and deadlines
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing
• Develop and maintain cooperative, effective working relationships with others

Minimum Qualifications

A Bachelor's Degree, or higher, from an accredited college or university in Accounting or Business Administration with a concentration in Accountancy.

Note: Possession of a valid license as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from the State of California Board of Accountancy may substitute for the required bachelor’s degree.

Note: If the minimum qualifications include an educational or certificate/license requirement, applicants must submit proof of requirements with the application. Failure to submit proof of requirements may result in disqualification from the examination. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. For guidelines on submitting acceptable proof of educational requirements, please click here (Download PDF reader) or speak to someone in our office before the cut-off date listed in this notice.

General Qualifications

Criminal History and Background Checks:
The County may access criminal history information on candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of appointment for this class consistent with the provisions of Board of Supervisors Resolution No. 82-602, Personnel Policies and Procedures B-5, and applicable federal and state laws. The County shall not consider for employment any candidate who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that relates to or impacts the candidate’s ability to perform the job duties of this class unless it is determined that mitigating circumstances exist. For purposes of accessing criminal history information, the candidate will be fingerprinted. A subsequent arrest notification may be obtained.

The County may also conduct a background check on the candidate prior to appointment to a position within this class. The background check may include personal and professional reference checks, credit history checks, Social Security Number verification, professional license/registration verification, military service information and driving history. Information obtained in the course of this background check will be considered by the appointing authority in the selection process. In obtaining such information, the County will comply with applicable consent and disclosure practices in the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the California Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act.

Driver’s License:
A valid California Driver License, Class C or higher, may be required for some positions at the time of appointment. Failure to obtain or maintain the appropriate California Driver License may constitute cause for personnel action in accordance with Civil Service Rules or applicable bargaining agreement. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to disability will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Probationary Period

The probationary period for this classification is twelve (12) months.

APPLICATION

• Employment applications and all documentation requested in this announcement must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• Your application should highlight all relevant education, training, and experience, and clearly indicate how you meet the minimum qualifications for the position as of the cut-off date.
• Application information must be current, concise and related to the requirements in this job announcement. You may only apply for this recruitment once. Duplicate and incomplete applications will be disqualified.
• A resume may be included with your application, however it will not substitute for the information requested on the application.

• Supplemental Questionnaires must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date. Employment Services is not responsible for any issues or delays caused by an applicant's computer or web browser. Applicants will be automatically logged out if they have not submitted their applications and all documentation prior to 5:00 p.m. on the cut-off date.
• The supplemental questions are designed to elicit specific information regarding a candidate's experience, education, and training. Responses should be consistent with the information on your application and are subject to verification.
• Please provide place of employment, pertinent dates, and concise, descriptive and detailed information for each question.
• If a job included responsibilities applicable to several questions, separate the different functions of the job to answer all the questions completely.
• Resumes or referral to the application or other questionnaire responses will not be accepted in lieu of completing each question.
• If you have no experience, write "no experience" for the appropriate question.
• For many individuals, it is more efficient to develop responses to the supplemental questions in a word processing document and then paste them into the final document to be submitted. Changes or corrections to your Supplemental Questionnaire cannot be made once your application packet has been submitted.
• If the Supplemental Questionnaire is used in the Formula Rate exam, failure to complete all of the questions or incomplete responses will result in a lower score. While scoring the Supplemental Questionnaire, the candidate's application and/or attachments will not be reviewed, therefore, a candidate's responses to the questions should be accurate, thorough, detailed, and complete.