Finance Assistant I / II

Salary : $44,707.68 - $61,186.32 Annually

Location : City of Stockton, CA

Job Type : Full-Time (Probationary)

Job Number : 1224-07103

Department : Municipal Utilities

Opening Date : 01 / 12 / 2025

Closing Date : 2 / 2 / 2025 5 : 00 PM Pacific

DEFINITION

OPEN / PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITY

FUTURE SALARY INCREASES :

Effective 7 / 1 / 2025, 3% Cost of Living Adjustment

INCENTIVES FOR NEW EMPLOYEES :

Sign on Bonus - $2,000

40 hours of sick leave for immediate use

FUTURE INCENTIVES :

Employee employed as of 7 / 1 / 2025 will receive $2,000 lump sum

FLSA STATUS : Non-Exempt

TENTATIVE EXAMINATION DATE : - February 18, 2025. (Candidates must appear in person for the examination.)

The current vacancy exists in the Finance Division of the City of Stockton's Municipal Utilities Department. This vacancy will be filled at either the Finance Assistant I or II level depending upon the experience of the candidate selected. The Finance Assistant I / II position may perform a variety of duties involving the accounts payable process, purchasing requisitions, and employee reimbursements.

Incumbents work a 9 / 80 work schedule Monday through Thursday 7 : 30 am to 5 : 00 pm and Fridays 7 : 30 am to 4 : 00 pm with alternate Fridays off.

Incumbents in this position are included in the Civil Service system and are covered by a bargaining unit. (Classified / Represented)

This recruitment is being conducted as an Open / Promotional recruitment for the Municipal Utilities Department. Current full-time City of Stockton employees may apply for this position as a promotional opportunity and successful candidates will be placed on a promotional list. All other candidates may apply for this position as an open competitive opportunity and successful candidates will be placed on an open list. The appointing authority will have the option of requesting names from the promotional list or a combination of both.

These lists may be used to fill future vacancies.

Prior to appointment, eligible candidates will be required to submit to and successfully pass a background investigation, which will include fingerprinting.

Under general supervision, provides a variety of finance office support services related to accounts payable, payroll, customer service, and / or other general finance office support functions as assigned. Some positions may have public contact.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

This is a deep class in which incumbents may be assigned to any of the three levels, provided that they possess the required education, skills and experience, and successfully demonstrate proficiency which meets the qualifications for the class to which they are assigned. Such assignments and advancements shall be at the discretion of the department head, with approval of the City Manager.

Finance Assistant I is the entry-level class of this series. Initially under close supervision, incumbents learn City finance office policy and procedures, including customer service techniques, accounts payable, payroll, and / or Stockton Municipal Code (SMC), state, and federal regulations depending on functional area to which assigned. As experience is gained, duties become more diversified and are performed under more general supervision.

Finance Assistant II is the journey-level class of this series. The incumbent is fully competent to perform a variety of financial and accounting office support duties and customer service. Successful performance at this level requires a thorough knowledge of City and departmental policy and procedures, in the assigned areas governing payroll processing, accounts payable, and general accounting support. This class is distinguished from Senior Finance Assistant which is the specialist and / or lead level of the series.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES (Illustrative Only)

• Assists customers over the phone, at the counter, or by mail regarding payroll and vendor payments.
• Inputs information into a computer system or manually prepares forms related to assigned function.
• Maintains and updates master payroll records, including the production of employee paychecks, benefit statements and accrual calculations.
• Researches and adheres to payroll practices and procedures, as defined within Memorandums of Understandings, other agreements, city policies and directives.
• Matches invoices, receiving reports and other requests for payment; ensures proper authorization and compliance with City policies and procedures to ensure timely payment of the City's liabilities.
• Reviews payments for applicability of Federal and State tax laws.
• Reconciles and prepares payments for non-purchase order expenditures such as utility and telephone payments.
• Provides information to vendors and departments regarding invoice payments.
• Reconciles and prepares tax reports and reconciles and computes payments due for various benefit program providers.
• Explains payroll deductions and related payroll transactions to City employees.
• Researches and assembles information from a variety of sources for the completion of forms or the preparation of reports.
• Maintains accounting and financial and statistical records and prepares periodic or special reports.
• Reviews own work and the work of others for accuracy, completeness, format, and compliance with policies and procedures.
• Performs a variety of general office support duties.
• Enters and retrieves data from an online or personal computer system; may use such technology to create and produce standard reports and databases.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education / Experience :

Finance Assistant I : Possession of a high school diploma or GED and one year of experience in payroll, accounts payable, or general clerical customer service. Course work in bookkeeping is desirable.

Finance Assistant II : In addition to the above, two (2) years of accounting, payroll, accounts payable, financial record keeping, or bookkeeping experience.

One (1) year of accounting, financial record keeping, or bookkeeping and possession of at least 30 semester or 60 quarter units from an accredited university or college with major course work in Accounting, Banking, Business Administration or a closely related field.

Other Requirements :

Knowledge of :

Skill in :

THE EXAMINATION

Applicants who qualify in terms of relevant work experience and education, that best fit the needs of the City, will be invited to participate in the examination process. The examination process may include a written examination weighted 100%. However, the City reserves the right to utilize alternative testing methods, including an oral panel, if deemed necessary. Candidates must receive a minimum passing score of 70%, as determined by the relative performance of all candidates in all portions of the examination. In the event of identical ratings, candidates' names will be arranged in order of application date / time and, if same, then arranged alphabetically.

ALL APPLICATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRES MUST BE COMPLETED FULLY AND SUBMITTED ON AN OFFICIAL CITY OF STOCKTON APPLICATION FORM. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRES WILL BE REJECTED AND CANNOT BE REVISED AFTER SUBMITTAL ON OR BEFORE THE FINAL FILING DATE. POSTMARKS, FACSIMILES, AND PHOTOCOPIES OF THE CITY'S EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. RESUMES ARE WELCOMED BUT SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ONLY. PLEASE DO NOT STATE "REFER TO RESUME".

NOTE :

In accordance with California Government Code section 3100, et seq., all City of Stockton employees are considered disaster service workers who may be required to report for duty, or remain on duty to address disaster service activities in the event of an emergency or disaster and are required to undertake an applicable loyalty oath.

BARGAINING UNIT : SCEA - ADMINISTRATIVE, CLERICAL AND SERVICES

NOTE : Employee Benefits are subject to change through the collective bargaining process and are not guaranteed. For a detailed explanation of benefits currently in effect,

Application Authenticity The Supplemental Questionnaire is part of the application process; accordingly, it should be completed carefully. It must be submitted with your official employment application. Do not indicate "see resume" as an answer to any of these questions.

California Driver's License This position may require that you possess a valid California C Driver's License.

Do you possess, or are you able to obtain prior to appointment, a valid California C Driver's license?

Education / Experience : PATTERN 1 : Possession of a high school diploma or GED and three (3) years of accounting, payroll, accounts payable, financial record keeping, or bookkeeping experience.

PATTERN 2 : Possession of at least 30 semester or 45 quarter units from an accredited university or college with major course work in Accounting, Banking, Business Administration, or a closely related field and one (1) year of accounting, financial record keeping, or bookkeeping.

Proof of Education : All applicants are required to submit proof of education (unofficial transcripts, grade report or copy of diploma) as part of the application process. Proof of education is required only if you attended an accredited college or university. Failure to submit the required documents by the final filing date will result in application denial. You may submit the required documentation in one of the following ways :

Education Accreditation Requirement Accredited colleges or universities are those that have been examined by a third-party accrediting agency to ensure acceptable levels of quality. Accreditation ensures that a degree obtained outside of the United States is equivalent to a degree obtained within the United States.

The City of Stockton requires degrees from educational institutions that have been accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency in the United States that is recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and / or U.S. Department of Education as a "reliable authority as to the quality of postsecondary education."

If you have received your postsecondary education from an institution that may not be accredited in the United States, it is your responsibility to provide proof of U.S. accreditation by the closing date and time of this recruitment.

You may contact the City of Stockton Human Resources office for an illustrative list of organizations that evaluate foreign colleges.

Verification of Education If offered this position, you will be required to submit an "official transcript" validating your level of college education.

Public Agency Experience Experience in a public agency is desirable. Please indicate professional-level public sector experience which you possess : (Check all that apply)

If you indicated "Other" in the question above, please describe below :

Accounts Payable Describe your Accounts Payable experience processing invoices. Please include the name of your employer, dates of employment, and job title. If none, please enter "N / A".

Transaction Complexity Describe a specific complex transaction or invoice you processed. What was complex about it and would you have done anything differently to improve the processing of the transaction? If none, please enter "N / A".

Account Reconciliation Describe your experience with reconciling of statements. Describe a situation where there was a discrepancy between your records and the vendor's statement. How did you identify and resolve the discrepancy? If none, please enter "N / A".

Use and Sales Taxes Describe your experience with applying sales or use taxes to invoices from vendors outside of California. If none, please enter "N / A".

Customer Service - Addressing Concern Describe a time when a vendor contacted you upset over a payment that has yet to be received. What did you do to resolve the problem? If none, please enter "N / A".

Required Question

Salary : $44,708 - $61,186