Senior Accountant (NY HELPS)

Description

Duties Description

Under the general direction of the Principal Accountant, SG-27 and Associate Accountant, SG-23, the Senior Accountant, SG-18, would be responsible for the following activities:

• Assist in the preparation of various financial and statistical reports and distribution certifications for the Division of Budget, Office of the State Comptroller, legislative committees and Tax and Finance management.
• Promoting the development of Accountant Aide(s) and educational opportunities, which includes training in accounting techniques and proper work paper documentation in accordance with bureau standards.
• Maintain a level of knowledge necessary to develop or maintain computer-based accounting systems using the appropriate end-user software including Excel, Access, and Cognos.
• Assist the Principal Accountant and Associate Accountant in maintaining current accounting and reporting systems
• Participate in the control and ongoing internal audit of the accounting and processing systems to assure the integrity of these systems.
• Assist in the production of ad hoc financial reports to be used to explain various trends and aberrations.
• Represent the unit during the design, development, and testing of changes to the various Tax and Finance processing systems to ensure accounting needs are met.
• Prepare and maintain work papers in support of the quarterly and annual Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) accrual reporting package.
• Directly supervising, evaluating, and coaching of Accountant Aide(s).
• Meet the department’s time and attendance regulations.
  
  

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

NY HELPS: This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS).

For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title maybe filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the title for which they apply. At this time, agencies may recruit and hire employees by making temporary appointments. In May 2024, if a temporary NY HELPS employee is satisfactorily performing in the position, the appointment will be changed from temporary pending Civil Service Commission Action to permanent non-competitive and the official probationary period will begin.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Employees will then be afforded with all the same rights and privileges of competitive class employees of New York State. While serving permanently in a NY HELPS title, employees may take part in any promotion examination for which they are qualified.

NON-COMPETITIVE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (NY HELPS):For appointment to ACCOUNTANT TRAINEE 1 you must have:

• A bachelor's or higher degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation. OR
• A bachelor's or higher degree with 24 semester credit hours in accounting, auditing, or taxation courses.*Note that courses such as business law, economics, statistics, and most finance courses, although taken as part of an accounting curriculum, cannot be counted toward the 24 semester credit hours. For appointment to ACCOUNTANT TRAINEE 2 you must also have:
• A master’s degree or higher degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation. OR
• One year of professional experience in accounting/auditing or financial internal or field auditing, where you were responsible for the full range of activities in the design and/or review, analysis and management of accounting systems, resulting in the preparation of, or recommendations on, financial statements in accord with generally accepted accounting principles. For appointment to SENIOR ACCOUNTANT (full journey level) you must also have:
• Two years of professional experience in accounting/auditing or financial internal or field auditing, where you were responsible for the full range of activities in the design and/or review, analysis and management of accounting systems, resulting in the preparation of, or recommendations on, financial statements in accord with generally accepted accounting principles. OR
• A master's or higher degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation AND one year of professional experience in accounting/auditing or financial internal or field auditing, where you were responsible for the full range of activities in the design and/or review, analysis and management of accounting systems, resulting in the preparation of, or recommendations on, financial statements in accord with generally accepted accounting principles. OR
• A currently valid Certified Public Accountant license and registration issued by New York State. Experience NOT considered qualifying are activities restricted to teaching, bookkeeping, maintaining/auditing payroll records or accounts receivable/accounts payable, or preparing tax returns.
  
  

Competitive Minimum Qualifications

Candidates must be reachable on the appropriate Civil Service eligible list or a current NYS employee eligible for transfer. Depending on qualifications, candidates may be required to serve a two-year traineeship that leads to the journey level grade 18 position.

NOTE: advanced placement is at the discretion of the hiring agency.

Additional Comments

The Department of Taxation and Finance (DTF) strives to provide New Yorkers with the highest level of service possible. To do so, it is of the utmost importance that we recruit and retain a high-quality, skilled, and diverse workforce. Nearly 18 million New Yorkers rely on our employees to accurately apportion funds for schools, roads, medical care, security services, conservation programs, and much, much more. We are committed to administering the state’s tax systems fairly, courteously, and cost effectively. We believe the way to do this is to partner the skills, creativity, and ingenuity of our workforce with the best technologies available. When responding to this posting, please include the Vacancy ID# and title in the subject line. Please provide your resume and social security number to determine appointment transfer eligibility.

Note: Due to the nature of this position, newly hired employees will not be eligible to telecommute. After the specified training period, employees may be allowed to submit a telecommuting application in accordance with the Department’s policy and subject to management approval.