What are the responsibilities and job description for the ACCOUNTING TECH III position at City of Helena, MT?
Job Purpose:
Under direction of the City Controller, perform a variety of accounting and administrative duties including City accounts receivables: depositing and recording revenues, reconciling the City’s main checking account and investments to banking activity, ensuring accurate and timely revenue recognition, monitoring banking activity and establishing procedures and control measures to capture city-wide receipts. In addition, this position cross-trains with Account Payable position and acts in their absence to cover duties and supports the Controller with other duties as assigned. The position acts as the primary liaison for the City for liability and property insurance. This is a centralized City function, which serves, supports and enables other City operations, and regularly works with outside agencies and the general public. Assistance is provided to supervisors and other department and divisions as needed.
Essential Duties: These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties the incumbent may be assigned.
80%`Banking and Accounts Receivable
This position is responsible for preparing daily deposits, recording revenues, and keeping City bank accounts and merchant accounts reconciled to banking activity on a timely and accurate basis. Ensures appropriate documentation for each deposit received and managed according to retention policies.
Cash receipts, adjusting journal entries, monthly tax/assessment transfers, and check reconciliations are processed in the City’s accounting system. Ensures accurate general ledger coding of all deposits which is critical for revenue recognition and reporting.
Excel spreadsheets are used extensively as tools to facilitate balancing between the bank, credit card processing companies and the accounting system.
Monitors banking activity to ensure all deposits and credits are recorded and reconciled according to established procedures. Extensive outreach to various departments is required
Reconciliations are prepared on a monthly and annual basis prior to closing accounting periods. These include reconciling receipts from cash, credit card, ACH, and wire deposits; and check, ACH and wire withdrawals for each department separately and together with investments for the city as a whole, using multiple spreadsheets, queries, and reports from accounting software.
20% Miscellaneous
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Related to this Position:
Knowledge of:
· Customer service skills including active listening and problem solving
· Principles of mathematics
· Principles and procedures of record keeping
· Understanding of government operations
· Generally accepted accounting and bookkeeping principles
· Knowledge of federal and state laws or ability to research and familiarize self as related to position duties.
Skill or ability to:
· Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
· Establish, maintain and foster positive, harmonious, and effective, professional working relationships with employees and the public
· Practice excellent time management and organizational skills
· Perform varied and responsible fiscal and operational duties involved in the completion of division operations.
· Learn and become highly functional in several major modules of the City’s software systems
· Exercise sound decision-making and problem-solving skills
· Exercise strong interpersonal skills
· Multi-task and work with routine interruption
· Exercise proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel & Word)
· Perform analytical and mathematical skills
Physical Demands:
The position requires the ability to perform sedentary physical work with the ability to lift and carry up to 10 pounds regularly and on occasion up to 50 pounds. The position must have the ability to perform body movements applicable to records management and an office environment.
Safety
Performs all functions in the safest possible manner and according to policies and procedures. Participates fully with safety trainings. Reports unsafe work conditions and practices, work-related injuries, illnesses, and near-misses as soon as possible to assigned supervisor.
Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience and Training):
This position requires a minimum of a certificate of completion or graduation from a two-year business, vocational, trade school or college curriculum; preferable emphasis in accounting.
Requires a minimum of five years of experience in using a computerized accounting system, including accounts receivable, reconciliation, general ledger and accounts payable modules.
Requires proficiency and working knowledge in Microsoft Word and Excel; interoffice and public communications; and frequent interpersonal contact in the performance of duties.
Other relevant combinations of education and work experience may be evaluated on an individual basis.
License or Certificate:
Must possess a valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record at the time of hire and have the ability to obtain a valid MT driver’s license within six months of hire.
Supervision Received:
Under general direction of the City Controller/Treasurer.
Supervision Exercised:
None
Under direction of the City Controller, perform a variety of accounting and administrative duties including City accounts receivables: depositing and recording revenues, reconciling the City’s main checking account and investments to banking activity, ensuring accurate and timely revenue recognition, monitoring banking activity and establishing procedures and control measures to capture city-wide receipts. In addition, this position cross-trains with Account Payable position and acts in their absence to cover duties and supports the Controller with other duties as assigned. The position acts as the primary liaison for the City for liability and property insurance. This is a centralized City function, which serves, supports and enables other City operations, and regularly works with outside agencies and the general public. Assistance is provided to supervisors and other department and divisions as needed.
Essential Duties: These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties the incumbent may be assigned.
80%`Banking and Accounts Receivable
This position is responsible for preparing daily deposits, recording revenues, and keeping City bank accounts and merchant accounts reconciled to banking activity on a timely and accurate basis. Ensures appropriate documentation for each deposit received and managed according to retention policies.
Cash receipts, adjusting journal entries, monthly tax/assessment transfers, and check reconciliations are processed in the City’s accounting system. Ensures accurate general ledger coding of all deposits which is critical for revenue recognition and reporting.
Excel spreadsheets are used extensively as tools to facilitate balancing between the bank, credit card processing companies and the accounting system.
Monitors banking activity to ensure all deposits and credits are recorded and reconciled according to established procedures. Extensive outreach to various departments is required
Reconciliations are prepared on a monthly and annual basis prior to closing accounting periods. These include reconciling receipts from cash, credit card, ACH, and wire deposits; and check, ACH and wire withdrawals for each department separately and together with investments for the city as a whole, using multiple spreadsheets, queries, and reports from accounting software.
20% Miscellaneous
- Prepare a variety of monthly, quarterly and annual reports as requested by outside departments within the scope of job responsibilities.
- Supports the City Controller with special projects as assigned.
- Cross trains and covers for Accounts Payable during absences.
- Administer the City’s liability and property insurance claims, databases, and acts as liaison between city departments and the city’s insurance carrier. Administer the annual property insurance valuation updates.
- Acts as the software administrator for payments and cash receipting to include configuration, maintenance of payment codes, etc.; assists end users with resolving end user technical issues with the cash receipting, credit card and payment software modules
- Works as a team with other accounting and finance staff to ensure duties are completed accurately and timely.
- Provides a variety of general administrative tasks as needed.
- Any other duties as assigned.
Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Related to this Position:
Knowledge of:
· Customer service skills including active listening and problem solving
· Principles of mathematics
· Principles and procedures of record keeping
· Understanding of government operations
· Generally accepted accounting and bookkeeping principles
· Knowledge of federal and state laws or ability to research and familiarize self as related to position duties.
Skill or ability to:
· Communicate effectively both orally and in writing
· Establish, maintain and foster positive, harmonious, and effective, professional working relationships with employees and the public
· Practice excellent time management and organizational skills
· Perform varied and responsible fiscal and operational duties involved in the completion of division operations.
· Learn and become highly functional in several major modules of the City’s software systems
· Exercise sound decision-making and problem-solving skills
· Exercise strong interpersonal skills
· Multi-task and work with routine interruption
· Exercise proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel & Word)
· Perform analytical and mathematical skills
Physical Demands:
The position requires the ability to perform sedentary physical work with the ability to lift and carry up to 10 pounds regularly and on occasion up to 50 pounds. The position must have the ability to perform body movements applicable to records management and an office environment.
Safety
Performs all functions in the safest possible manner and according to policies and procedures. Participates fully with safety trainings. Reports unsafe work conditions and practices, work-related injuries, illnesses, and near-misses as soon as possible to assigned supervisor.
Minimum Qualifications (Education, Experience and Training):
This position requires a minimum of a certificate of completion or graduation from a two-year business, vocational, trade school or college curriculum; preferable emphasis in accounting.
Requires a minimum of five years of experience in using a computerized accounting system, including accounts receivable, reconciliation, general ledger and accounts payable modules.
Requires proficiency and working knowledge in Microsoft Word and Excel; interoffice and public communications; and frequent interpersonal contact in the performance of duties.
Other relevant combinations of education and work experience may be evaluated on an individual basis.
License or Certificate:
Must possess a valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record at the time of hire and have the ability to obtain a valid MT driver’s license within six months of hire.
Supervision Received:
Under general direction of the City Controller/Treasurer.
Supervision Exercised:
None
