General Accountant - Finance

General Accountant
Finance Department

The City of Rochester emphasizes service delivery through a strong commitment to our core values:
"RISE to the top in Customer Focus through Respect, Integrity, Safety, and Excellence"

Nature of Work
Under general supervision, the General Accountant performs a wide variety of complex accounting tasks, which involves the preparation, review and audit of input from all divisions in the City of Rochester.  Incumbents maintain and verify the accuracy of records, have knowledge of various software programs maintained outside the primary accounting system JD Edwards (JDE), reconcile accounting transactions generated from these systems and submit various required reports to Federal and State entities.

While General Accountants perform many accounting functions, the self-motivated, detail-oriented individual hired for this position will primarily work on project accounting, cost allocation entries, and monthly general ledger financial work.  Additional duties to include serving as the backup for the payroll function, and supporting the Library, Mayo Civic Center, and Public Works departments.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled with priority consideration for applications received by June 3, 2018.

Starting salary $67,939 to $79,928, depending on qualifications,
with advancement to $99,911.

*General Ledger Accounting

• Maintain the integrity of the City's financial systems and its reporting processes.
• Examine and verify monthly/yearly financial documents and reports.
• Analyze and interpret accounting/financial information and departmental systems.
• Prepare business correspondence which involves organizing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating and presenting data that involves several variables.
• Work directly with departments to establish necessary procedures to ensure the submission of timely and accurate financial data, while maintaining quality internal controls; provide direction to staff regarding questions on accounting rules and account codes.
• Perform detailed accounting work in Finance areas such as general ledger, month-end and year-end closings, journal entries, department time and equipment cost allocations, maintain fixed assets schedules and review claim vouchers.
• Prepare and/or adjust various accounting journal entries, investigates departmental questions concerning transactions and processes corrections.  Conduct independent financial statement research and verify that accounting transactions are in balance.
• Review and analyze transactions related to budgetary appropriations and prepares the necessary accounting transactions.

• Create complex worksheets in Excel to assist departments with analyzing their division's budget and/or financial statements.
• Produce work papers and analytical data to provide information to form budget documents.

• Monitor the accuracy of accounting software programs used by a variety of City divisions such as Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Building Safety, Mayo Civic Center and the Public Library, and recommend any programming changes needed to ensure quality internal controls.
• Provide guidance and direction for various accounting software programming changes or improvements, and assist with implementation and setup of new accounting software.
• Perform testing and verification of software upgrades.

• Monitor grant applications, expenditures and interpretations of grant stipulations.
• Compile related data for reports and filings to insure grant compliance.

• Provide independent judgment, in regards to the proper use of account codes, as it relates to the financial statements and assure proper use of taxpayers' dollars for AP transactions.
• Monitor and review financial transactions as it relates to the AP system and compliance of the City policies and practices.
• Research questions asked by various departmental staff as it relates to vouchers/invoices, sales tax and proper uses of public funds.
• Validate costs related to purchase orders.

• Serve as a subject-matter expert for department staff relative to accounts receivable software systems and procedures.
• Monitor and review financial transactions related to the AR system.
• Research questions asked by various departments as it relates to invoices, sales tax, finance charges, etc.
• Assist with the development of accounting procedures and internal controls related to AR transactions.

• Create and monitor system controls, procedures and forms in order to track fixed assets and related costs.
• Compile fixed asset costs and record the fixed asset acquisitions and dispositions in JDE.
• Track fixed asset (vehicles, machinery, and computer equipment) expenditures per each City department as it compares to the approved operating budget.
• Conduct analysis related to fixed assets as requested by departments or management.
• Maintain accurate inventory and asset records.
• Reconcile the fixed asset balance with summary level detail in the general ledger.
• Calculate depreciation for all fixed assets.

• Reconcile and report various payroll information as required by Federal and State laws.
• Monitor and review federal and state payroll laws, and implement any needed changes to procedures or payroll software applications.
• Review/audit payroll entries (such as retro pay, workers compensation, benefit enrollment, and timecard entry) for accuracy and completeness, and process timely bi-weekly payrolls.
• In coordination with Information Systems and Human Resources, develop and modify accounting programming setup for new pay types, deductions, benefits, and/or accruals in cooperation with HR staff.
• Update certain deduction/benefit/accrual (DBA) tables with annual data revisions.
• Review multiple union contracts and implement necessary payroll accounting procedures and payroll software modifications.
• Create and provide payroll related reports to department and managerial staff as requested.
• Review and reconcile transactions related to payroll payables.

• Analyze, develop and recommend new or improved accounting procedures or policies on an ongoing basis, striving for continual process improvement.
• Develop and implement internal control procedures as necessary to maintain quality parts inventory and efficient financial reporting.
• Conduct financial analysis through the extrapolation of data from a computerized accounting system.
• Create complex financial spreadsheets to arrive at variable cost data for inventory.
• Logically interrupt, investigate and resolve, discrepancies in a perpetual inventory, costs per piece of equipment, electronic purchase and work order system and a periodic maintenance system triggered by odometer readings.
• Perform and reconcile cycle counts and investigate potential obsolescence.
• Generate and structure fixed assets to flow properly through the fixed asset module as well as the fleet and warehouse modules in JDE to properly record fuel, odometer readings, inventoried parts, purchase orders, work orders and time entry.

• Perform accounting and project reporting for departments and managerial staff as requested for CIP projects.
• Work directly with departments as the Finance liaison to provide a communications link of project status and funding needs for a multitude of construction projects.
• Reconcile project funding sources, expenses and encumbrances to assure accuracy.
• Analyze completed construction projects and process the necessary transactions to properly record the capitalization of the land and building assets.

• Review and verify accuracy of Master Applications for Payments (MAPs) of DMCC and DMC Economic Development Authority (EDA) submittals.
• Monitor the funding needed for DMCC expenditures and create transactions as needed.
• Create financial reports related to DMCC accounts as requested or required by local and state agencies.

• Compile and submit accurate and detailed reports monthly, quarterly and/or yearly for State and Federal agencies for the following:  payroll benefits and deductions, sales and use tax, fuel consumption tax, entertainer tax, development agreements, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Police and Fire Grants, 1099MISC for accounts payable and W-2 reporting for payroll.

• Reconcile multiple monthly assessment reports, record appropriate journal entries, review LOGIS software transactions and automated entries for accuracy and resolve data discrepancies by working with departmental staff.
• Prepare various accounting transactions including the completion of assigned reports, journal entries, account analysis, various monthly tasks (reconciliation and reporting processes), and time sensitive tasks that are requested by upper management for urgent reporting needs.
• Assist with various other financial/accounting processes.
• Assist other staff in the division as needed, and/or serves as a backup due to employee absences.
• Participate in the design, implementation, and upgrades to accounting software systems.

Education and Experience
A Bachelor's degree in finance or accounting from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of progressively responsible experience in general accounting and/or governmental accounting, cost/project accounting, auditing and internal controls, financial cost analysis, fleet maintenance, financial reporting and budgeting. 

Licenses
Valid drivers license or privileges in the State of Minnesota

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
Experience
At least one year of experience with large enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, preferably J.D. Edwards.  

Certifications
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Knowledge of: generally accepted accounting principles, particularly as they relate to governmental accounting; Federal and State laws and regulations regarding payroll processing and reporting; governmental accounting as it applies to localities including knowledge of GASB and FASB standards and GFOA practices; City ordinances; IRS laws and use of computerized accounting systems.
 
Skill in: the use of personal computer and Microsoft Office applications; efficiently organizing multiple tasks and analyzing complex information; performing independent research, interpreting and reviewing information whether as an individual or as a contributing team member; using independent professional judgment and working with minimal supervision..
 
Ability to: use logical thinking to both derive alternatives through investigation and subsequently evaluate and reach/recommending a solution or decision and to solve problems or accomplish tasks; understand, interpret and communicate complicated policies, procedure and protocols; identify confidential material and information and maintain confidentiality; read and interpret transactions and documents, such as operation and maintenance instructions, and fleet concepts that apply to the overall Fleet Maintenance system; utilize a database system for report writers to effectively analyze financial data; use and learn any technical applications; create financial reports using various report writing software such as JDE, JDE Data Brower, Cetova, Open Gov, Sequel Databases and various other accounting software used throughout the City; work effectively under pressure; meet critical deadlines, accept responsibility and accountability for the performance of duties; establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff members, other departments, agencies, management and the public; communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the following represents the physical and environmental demands for this position. The employee must be able to perform the essential functions with or without accommodation.
 
In consideration of the overall amount of physical effort required to perform this position, the work is best described as Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Work performed during annual or quarterly inventory/cycle counts, may be classified as Light Work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg controls requires exertion of forces greater than that for Sedentary Work and the worker sits most of the time, the job is rated for Light Work.

Physical demands that may be required continuously (2/3 or more of the time), frequently (1/3 to 2/3 of the time), and occasionally (up to 1/3 of the time) are noted below:

Continuous demands: sitting, fine dexterity, and simultaneous use of the hands and wrists.

Occasional demands: standing, walking, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, reaching, handling, kneeling, crouching, crawling, bending, twisting, climbing, and balancing.

Sensory requirements necessary in the performance of the essential functions of this position include: sight, hearing, and touch.
 
Environmental conditions that may exist in the performance of the essential functions of this job include NONE (not substantially exposed to environmental conditions)