Senior Accountant

The City of San Mateo Finance Department is looking for a Senior Accountant

Why Join our Department?

The City of San Mateo is a very progressive City that encourages staff and resident engagement to develop positive solutions that meet the demands of our community.

The Finance Department is responsible for the overall financial management of the City. The Department’s core function is to maintain a strong and secure financial position for the City by providing comprehensive financial and analytical services to the City Council, City management, staff, and the public.

Collaboration, Innovation, Respect, Creativity, Transparency, and Informed Risk-taking are attributes that we are seeking in the candidates.

What You’ll Do

The Senior Accountant plans, coordinates, and supervises a major accounting functional area such as the general ledger, Grants, and State reimbursement; prepares financial statements; and performs other financial-related work as required. Some examples of duties include (depending upon assignment):

• Establishes and maintains a variety of ledgers and other financial documents.
• Assists with budget preparation.
• Prepares and submits reports, claims, and other financial information for internal and other governmental agency use, including preparation of the annual financial statement and State Controller's Reports, coordinate and file claims for State mandated costs.
• Coordinates a wide variety of fiscal activities; perform comprehensive financial studies as directed.
• Formulates expenditures, revenue, and other financial projections.
• Issues correcting and adjusting journal vouchers; audit journal vouchers issued by staff.

This is the advanced journey level classification. Positions in this class differ from those in the immediately lower class of Accountant II by the size, diversity, and complexity of the assigned accounting area and by supervisory responsibilities.

The Senior Accountant receives general direction from the Accounting Manager or higher-level department personnel and exercises direct supervision over professional, technical, and clerical staff.

Who You Are

• You possess knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Practices and Procedures and governmental and cost accounting.
• You possess knowledge of budget preparation and administration.
• You possess the ability to analyze and evaluate financial data and fiscal operations and recommend improvements.
• You possess knowledge of application of data processing to accounting and financial management.
• You possess knowledge of the principles of training and supervision, and the ability to plan, assign, supervise, and coordinate the work of accounting staff.
• You possess the ability to establish and maintain financial records, procedures, and systems and prepare clear and comprehensive financial reports and statements.
• You possess the ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and deliver effective public presentations.
• You possess the ability to interpret and implement financial policies and regulations and to analyze and evaluate financial data and fiscal operations and recommend improvements.

What You Bring

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

• Four years of recent, progressively responsible experience in the field of professional accounting.
• Equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting or Business Administration.

Bonus Points (highly desirable)

• Municipal finance experience
• Supervisory experience
• A Master’s Degree in finance, accounting, business administration or a CPA

What We Offer

• Salary: $9,608 - $11,460/month
• Comprehensive benefits package including generous paid leave and health benefits
• CalPERS retirement (2% @ 55 for classic members; 2% @ 62 for new members). Classic employees contribute 8.34% to CalPERS and New members contribute 7.50% to CalPERS
• Participation in the Social Security Program
• City contribution of 1.5% of base salary to a 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, and a 1.0% match to the Employee’s voluntary contribution.
• The City contributes 0.25% of base salary to a Retiree Health Savings Account
• Free Fitness classes through City of San Mateo Parks and Recreation
• Credit Union Membership
• Bilingual Differential $195 monthly (if applicable)
• For more information please refer to the Management Association’s Benefits Summary effective September 2024.
• This classification is represented by the San Mateo Management Association.

Are You Ready? Apply.

Submit an online application, résumé (required), and supplemental questionnaire at www.calopps.org or to the Human Resources Department, City of San Mateo, 330 W. 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403, (650) 522-7260.

Application Deadline

Recruitment will close by Sunday, April 13, 2025 @ 11:59 p.m. OR upon receipt of the first 50 applications and supplemental questionnaires, whichever occurs first.

Interview Process

All applications, résumés (required) and responses to supplemental questions received will be reviewed for minimum qualifications. A fully completed application is required; a résumé does not replace the information required on the employment application, including work history. Applications with "see résumé" as a substitution for the work experience description, those with none or unclear current/past employment information, or those with insufficient information to evaluate possession of minimum qualifications will not be considered; missing information cannot be assumed. A limited number of the most highly qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process, which may consist of an oral panel interview, written exercise, training and experience application review, or in the form of a practical demonstration of skill and ability, or any combination of these; a Zoom oral panel interview is tentatively scheduled for May 7, 2025.

An employment list will be established from those who pass the examination process. Current and future vacancies may be filled from this list. The list will remain in effect for at least six months with the possibility of an extension for an additional six months. Once placed on an employment list, and at the time a vacancy occurs, eligible candidates may be contacted by the hiring department and scheduled for additional department interviews.

Fine Print

Prior to hire, candidates will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment process, including a driving record review, reference check, and Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks. A conviction history will not necessarily disqualify an applicant from appointment.

The policy of the City of San Mateo is to grant equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, ancestry, physical or mental disability, sexual preference, marital status, or national origin. It is the intent and desire of the City of San Mateo that equal employment opportunity will be provided in recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicants requiring accommodations for any part of the testing or recruitment process must notify lcoles@cityofsanmateo.org or (650) 522-7264 seven (7) days in advance of the deadline for the part of the process requiring accommodations. Do not upload any documents related to your request for accommodation in CalOpps. The City of San Mateo complies with employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.