The County of San Mateo Superior Court of California is seeking a dedicated team player and ambitious leader from within to join its Finance Division as a Senior Accountant - Courts Exempt.

Under direction, plans, oversees, coordinates, and monitors a significant accounting functional area; may assign, direct, review and evaluate the work of accounting professional and support staff; performs complex professional accounting work relative to either centralized and/or departmental accounting procedures and records.

The incumbent will provide direct supervision to fiscal support staff, while exercising a high degree of independent judgment and modeling a culture of transparency, accuracy and clarity in all matters of the Court.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing with staff within the Superior Court, County Departments, and external stakeholders.
• Experience in day-to-day governmental accounting and reporting.
• Experience supervising fiscal staff.
• Experience with project management.
• Ability to identify and implement process improvements.
• Ability to work independently, problem solve, and exercise sound judgment within established guidelines.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
This is either the supervisory and/or advanced specialist level in the professional accountant series. Incumbents in this class exercise a high degree of independent judgment on diverse and specialized projects and have significant accountability and ongoing decision making associated with their work. Incumbents may identify and implement full accounting systems, initiate modifications to fiscal recordkeeping systems, make projections of revenues and expenditures, and participate in the budgeting process. The Senior Accountant classification is distinguished from the next higher classification of Financial Services Manager I in that the Senior Accountant usually operates under the technical and professional supervision of higher level accounting personnel, and that the activities are usually narrower in scope and complexity. The classification of Financial Services Manager I operates with greater discretion and decision making, is responsible for the full range of accounting activities performed in an operating department, and is usually supervised by a non-technical manager.

Successful completion of at least twelve verifiable semester units of college-level accounting coursework is required for this position.

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• 
  Provide direction, supervision, training, work review and/or evaluation to assigned professional and fiscal support on a project or ongoing basis.
• Provide input into selection decisions and disciplinary matters.
• Prepare and maintain control and subsidiary accounting records involving a variety of transactions and accounts; prepare trial balances and financial reports.
• Coordinate and calculate month-end and year-end closings.
• Prepare journal entries and periodic reconciliations of general ledger, journal, subsidiary accounts and bank statements.
• Compile and prepare financial statements, general and subsidiary ledgers and supporting schedule; maintain expenditure and budgetary control accounts.
• Review, analyze and adjust budgets for various Court funds.
• Maintain varied departmental cost accounting records, disbursing funds to various accounts and/or billings for reimbursement as required.
• Provide technical support to internal auditors and governmental program auditors.
• Apportion monies, including secured, unsecured, impounded, redeemed and other taxes.
• Review and claim for referral of tax, grant or other monies and prepare claims for reimbursement from various State or funding agencies and/or programs.
• Analyze programs and legislation to determine fiscal and budgetary impact; prepare budgetary appropriation transfers and supplemental budgets.
• Review and recommend modifications to accounting systems and procedures; upon approval, implement new or modified systems and procedures.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and skills is:

Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university with major coursework in accounting, finance, business administration or a closely related field and one year of journey level accounting experience. This classification requires the successful completion of a minimum of twelve semester units of college level accounting coursework.

Knowledge of:

• Basic supervisory principles and practices.
• Principles, practices and terminology of general, fund and governmental accounting.
• Principles and practices of business data processing, particularly as related to the processing of accounting information.
• Principles of public finance and applicable laws regulating public fiscal operations.
• Budgeting principles and terminology.
• Auditing and financial reconciliation principles and methods.

Skill/Ability to:

• Plan, direct, review, and evaluate the work of assigned support staff.
• Train others in work procedures.
• Review, analyze, post, balance, interpret and reconcile complex financial data and accounts.
• Develop and implement accounting systems and procedures.
• Verify the accuracy of financial data and information.
• Ensure proper authorization and documentation for disbursements.
• Interpret and apply complex financial procedures and legal documents.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policy guidelines.
• Prepare and direct the preparation of clear, concise and complete financial reports and statements, audit reports and audit work papers.
• Make accurate mathematical and statistical calculations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations.

Application/Examination

Open and Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, SEIU or AFSCME represented extra-help/term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination.

Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.

Important Information About the Examination Process:
The examination process will consist of the steps detailed in the order below. Because of this examination process, not all applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are guaranteed advancement through the examination process.

• 
  Initial review of application materials. At this step, applicants submitting incomplete applications and/or responses to the supplemental questions, lacking relevant qualifications, and/or not following instructions will be disqualified. Application submissions that do not follow instructions will be rejected. Applicants who pass the initial review will be invited to take a written exam.
  
• A Computer-Based Written Exam. The examination will consist of a standard, multiple-choice Civil Service Computer-Based Written Examination (weight:100%). Applicants must participate at their own expense. Qualified applicants will be notified via email, which will include the link to take the Computer-based Written Exam. Please make sure to read your notices carefully. Applicant requests for alternate test dates will not be granted. Accommodations for special medical conditions will be considered on a case-by-case basis. It is the applicants' responsibility to notify the Human Resources Department at (650) 363-4343 if their appointment notices for the Computer-Based Written Examination is not received by January 17, 2023. Applicants successful on the written test will have their name placed on the eligible list and ranked based on their written exam scores.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button above or below. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department by 11:59 pm on the final filing date.

Tentative Recruitment Schedule
Final Filing Date for Applications: Tuesday, January 10, 2023, 11:59 PM PST
Computer-Based Written Examination Window: January 17 , 2023 - January 24, 2023 (Tentative)

The County of San Mateo requires that all employees provide proof of COVID-19 vaccine or comply with weekly COVID-19 testing. Employees hired into specified health care facilities and other high-risk settings where there is potential for frequent COVID-19 exposure to staff and highly vulnerable patients are required to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. For more specific information, please refer to the County's COVID-19 Vaccine and Testing Policy .

HR Contact: Sedrick Dixon (122022) (Senior Accountant-Exempt – X003)