Senior Accountant

Salary

$41.37 - $50.28 Hourly

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Classified

Job Number

0514-24

Department

Finance

Division

Finance

Opening Date

05/01/2024

Closing Date

5/15/2024 10:00 PM Pacific

• Description

• Benefits

• Questions

Position Description

Senior Accountants perform a variety of advanced professional accounting duties within City government or Public Utilities including monthly closing, reconciliations financial statement preparation and interpretation, and financial analysis. This position acts in a lead capacity as assigned over other financial or clerical personnel, planning and assigning work to others, reviewing work and serving as a technical resource on complex accounting subjects. They will also perform a variety of professional accounting duties related to funds, assets, grants, payroll, budgets, treasury or special projects; analyze a variety of financial documents for completeness and accuracy as well as prepare and process financial documents related to the accounting process of the assigned department or function; prepare reports and analysis as required.

Why Work for the City?

The City of Tacoma is nestled along the shores of Commencement Bay in Washington State and offers many community parks, miles of beautiful waterfront, hiking & biking trails, golf courses, museums, and a world-class zoo with an aquarium. Tacoma also serves as a gateway to some of the most magnificent natural wonders in the world, such as Puget Sound, Mount Rainier National Park and the Olympic Peninsula.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision benefits for the whole family; paid holidays and personal time off; participation in Tacoma Employees' Retirement System and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities.

For more information on the City of Tacoma's benefit package feel free to explore City of Tacoma Benefits. (http://newhiretacoma.wpengine.com/?page_id=26)

Qualifications

• An equivalent combination of education and experience to: bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, public or business administration or closely-related field, AND two (2) years of professional accounting experience

• Advanced degree or professional certification is desirable

• Additional years of experience may substitute for up to two (2) years of education

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER LEGAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Depending on position, additional licenses, certifications and/or background check requirements may apply

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

City of Tacoma Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

Tacoma's diversity is its greatest asset. Tacoma embraces its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic character. Communities of color and immigrant communities are fundamental to Tacoma's entrepreneurial spirit, workforce, and long-term success. In Tacoma, equity and empowerment are top priorities, meaning that all Tacoma residents must have equitable opportunities to reach their full potential and share in the benefits of community progress. One of our goals is for the City of Tacoma workforce to reflect the community it serves. We actively work to eliminate racial and other disparities and welcome candidates with diverse backgrounds and/or multicultural skill sets and experiences. Our goal is for Tacoma to be an inclusive and equitable place to live, work, and play.

The City of Tacoma is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity in its workplace. Applicants are considered for positions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state, and local laws.

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Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will have their supplemental questions scored and must receive a passing score to be placed on the eligible list. Candidates who obtain a passing score will be ranked on the eligible list for interview and hiring consideration.

Appointment is subject to successfully passing the background and reference checks. This position is covered by a Labor Agreement between the City of Tacoma and the Local 483. New employees must successfully complete a nine-month probationary period prior to obtaining permanent status in this classification.

Candidates who are eligible for Veteran's Preference scoring criteria must attach a copy of their DD-214 member copy 4, (proof of military discharge form) at time of application , to be eligible for review for Veteran's Preference points, with redacted birth date and social security numbers.

The online application system requires you to enter a substantial amount of information. Be prepared to spend a minimum of one hour entering the required information. While completing the application and answering the supplemental questions please be sure to save your work every 20 minutes to ensure that your information is not lost. In order for your application materials to be considered, all information must be submitted by the closing date and time listed on this job announcement. All interested individuals should attach a resume and cover letter that includes major responsibilities and accomplishments related to the position. If applicable, scan and attach your DD-214 proof of military discharge form.

Communication from the City of Tacoma:

We primarily communicate via e-mail during the application process. E-mails from cityoftacoma.org and/or governmentjobs.com must be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk e-mail folders.

If you have any additional questions regarding this position, please contact the Human Resources Department at 253.591.5400 before 4pm on the closing date of this posting.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Do you have an equivalent combination of education and experience to bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, public or business administration or closely-related field, AND two (2) years of professional accounting experience? Please note, additional years of experience may substitute for up to two (2) years of education.

• Yes

• No

  02

  Please select the option that best fits your qualifications.

• 6 years of education/experience with at least 2 years of education

• 6 to 8 years of education/experience with at least 2 years of education

• 8 or more years of education/experience with at least 2 years of education

• None of the above

  03

  Are you a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA)?

• Yes

• No

  04

  INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING TEST:

  Questions 5, 6 and 7 are the experience and training test that will be used to establish the eligibility list. These questions will be scored by subject matter experts who will not have access to any of your application materials, and will provide scores based solely upon your answers to the questions. Your answers must stand on their own merit. DO NOT RESPOND WITH "SEE RESUME" in lieu of answering this question, as raters will not have access to your resume or application and this will result in a failing score on the test. Your score on the experience and training test will ONLY reflect your response to the questions asked.

Responses to questions must be original content created by the applicant using their own words. The use of online tools or resources to create responses, such as Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT, etc.), Google, Bing, etc., or plagiarism in any form, is considered cheating and falsification of the application. I understand that any form of cheating or falsification will disqualify my application for further consideration and have read and understand the instructions for questions 5 through 7.

• Yes

• No

  05

  Please provide a detailed description of your training and/or experience preparing and analyzing financial reports. Describe the typical scope and complexity of the reports, the range of data sources you typically work with (or have training on) and your general approach to ensuring the accuracy and relevance of the information presented in these reports.

  06

  Please provide detailed information about your experience/training in monthly closing, reconciliations and financial statement preparation and interpretation.

  07

  Please provide detailed information about your experience/training in preparing and/or analyzing financial documents. Share an overview of the types of documents, the methods or techniques you use to ensure accuracy, and any general strategies you have/would employ to address discrepancies or inconsistencies.

  08

  Please select all of the tasks you have exposure (work or school) preparing:

• Balance Sheet

• Income Statement

• Cash Flow

• Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)

• Debt Schedules

• Bank or Account Reconciliations

• Investments

  09

  Please select all the types of finance or accounting related processes you have exposure (work or school) completing:

• Accounts payable invoices

• Purchase orders

• Purchase requisitions

• Payroll

• Accounts receivable

• Tax returns

• Researching accounting guidance

• Serving in a lead capacity within a unit, providing work direction, guidance and assistance

  10

  Please select all the computer applications you are familiar with:

• Microsoft Word or similar

• Microsoft Excel or similar

• Microsoft PowerPoint or similar

• Microsoft Outlook or similar

• Microsoft OneNote or similar

• ERP (Financial Accounting System)

• SAP

• SharePoint

  11

  The City of Tacoma has a technical requirement that employees filling classified roles be residents of the City at the time of their original appointment to a classified job. However, there is a process to request a waiver of this requirement from the Civil Service Board if we identify an outstanding candidate who is a nonresident. Not residing within the City of Tacoma is not an automatic disqualifier and everyone is encouraged to apply.

• I understand that the City will request a waiver for me if necessary

• Not applicable, I'm a City of Tacoma resident

  12

  Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

• Job Interest Card notification

• Professional organization

• Military organization

• City of Tacoma employee

• Online job board posting

• Word of mouth

• LinkedIn

• Indeed

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Careers in Government

• Government Jobs

• Outreach Event

• National Diversity Network

• African American Job Network

• Asian Job Network

• Disability Job Network

• Latino Job Network

• Retirement Job Network

• LGBT Job Network

• Veteran Job Network

  13

  Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

  Required Question

Agency

City of Tacoma

Address

Human Resources Department 747 Market Street Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone

253-591-5400

Website

http://www.cityoftacoma.org

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