What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Accountant position at SEATTLE CENTER?
Position Description
About Seattle Center:
Seattle Center is the region's premier civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our city and region, home to more than 30 arts, cultural, and entertainment organizations, family attractions, and tourist amenities. Our mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. As a department of the City of Seattle, Seattle Center contributes to the quality of life for Seattle residents—and the region's economy and image as its top visitor destination.
About this position:
We are seeking a qualified Senior Accountant with experience in lease accounting, accounts receivable, assets management, physical inventorying, capital projects contracts monitoring, purchasing order encumbrance, sales and leasehold excise taxes knowledge, and financial reporting. This role is critical in managing multiple tasks and leads two supporting staff to ensure the section responsibilities run smoothly for accounting operations.
The Seattle Center Accounting Unit places a very strong emphasis on teamwork and provides excellent customer service to clients and staff as well as ensuring financial transactions are processed accurately and compliance with City policies and procedures.
Job Responsibilities
Here is more of what you will be doing:
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
The full pay range for this step-progression position is $46.40 - $54.02 per hour. New employees begin at Step 1 of the pay progression, which is $46.40 hourly. Current City employees’ starting rate of pay will be based on Personnel Rules regarding promotions.
How to Apply:
Applications are reviewed after the posting closes. You must submit the following items to be considered for this position no later than 4:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, February 25, 2025:
IMPORTANT NOTE: To align with our commitment to equity and the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative, Seattle Center is collecting cover letters and resumes without personal identifiers to achieve a blind screening process.
Background Check - This position involves background check of conviction and arrest records in compliance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17. Applicants will be provided with an opportunity to explain or correct background information.
Why work at the City?
The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in dismantling racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and create and provide equitable processes and services. Seattle Office of Civil Rights)
The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members
For helpful tips on the application process and recruitment process: Working at the City - Human Resources | seattle.gov
More about Seattle Center:
In 2023 Seattle Center expanded its role to serve as the City’s lead department for operating Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center has built a Waterfront Operations team providing maintenance, public safety and strategic planning and oversight for the operations of the new waterfront, leveraging Seattle Center’s experience successfully managing public space. Seattle Center is working in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which is responsible to provide a range of recreational and cultural programming to the community in the new Waterfront Park. In our first year we have grown Seattle Center’s team by 20% to meet this new opportunity, building out a unified team to support both Seattle Center and the new Waterfront Park. That team will continue to grow in to be ready for the park’s completion in 2025.
About Seattle Center:
Seattle Center is the region's premier civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our city and region, home to more than 30 arts, cultural, and entertainment organizations, family attractions, and tourist amenities. Our mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. As a department of the City of Seattle, Seattle Center contributes to the quality of life for Seattle residents—and the region's economy and image as its top visitor destination.
About this position:
We are seeking a qualified Senior Accountant with experience in lease accounting, accounts receivable, assets management, physical inventorying, capital projects contracts monitoring, purchasing order encumbrance, sales and leasehold excise taxes knowledge, and financial reporting. This role is critical in managing multiple tasks and leads two supporting staff to ensure the section responsibilities run smoothly for accounting operations.
The Seattle Center Accounting Unit places a very strong emphasis on teamwork and provides excellent customer service to clients and staff as well as ensuring financial transactions are processed accurately and compliance with City policies and procedures.
Job Responsibilities
Here is more of what you will be doing:
- Supervise two AR staff; train, assign, monitor and review work to ensure compliance with city policies and procedures.
- Review, verify and approve invoices, AR Maintenance, and produce AR Aging Reports, prepare write-off request and allowance for doubtful accounts.
- Process and generate invoices for Federal Grant Contracts
- Review, monitor, reconcile, and calculate Seattle Center long term lease contracts’ annual rent increase.
- Monitor and oversee bank activity for all Seattle Center deposit accounts and work closely with Treasury to ensure proper coding.
- Create, review and approve capital assets in Asset Management module by compiling CIP projects expense report.
- Compile, prepare and coordinate Seattle Center bi-annual physical inventory.
- Review, interpret, and analyze Seattle Center lease contracts (GASB 87, 94, &96) for Lease Query System and governmental reporting.
- Research, analyze and prepare journal corrections for any discrepancies.
- Create, review, and approve AP Controls Groups and AR refund request groups, run AP register reports.
- Compile, reconcile, and file Seattle Center quarterly Leasehold Excise Tax to the Department of Revenue.
- Create, monitor, review, reconcile, purchase orders and CIP public work contracts, including departmental purchase orders (encumbrance) rollover at year-end.
- Assist accounting manager in the development and modification of internal accounting control policies, procedures, and practices as well as assisting on other special projects.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field (required satisfactory completion of at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter credit units in accounting with no substitution allowed).
- Three years professional experience in general or governmental accounting or a combination of education and /or training and/or experience which provide an equivalent background required to perform the work of the class).
- Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and governmental accounting procedures pertaining to lease accounting functions
- Experience in accounting systems with multiple modules and lease accounting systems.
- Experience working in a multicultural team environment.
- An ability to prioritize and organize assignments and accomplish multiple tasks with tight deadlines while maintaining excellent customer service.
- Expertise in Accounts Receivable and/or Lease Query systems and knowledge of City procedures –PeopleSoft and Lease Query experience strongly desired.
- Experience with query tools and reporting methods to identify discrepancies and develop corrective actions as necessary.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Excel, Access, Word, and Outlook).
- Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, including analytical skills for interpreting lease contract terms and accounting procedures/concepts for customers.
- The work is performed in an office environment. This position offers the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule. Employees will be expected to be in-office at least three times per week
The full pay range for this step-progression position is $46.40 - $54.02 per hour. New employees begin at Step 1 of the pay progression, which is $46.40 hourly. Current City employees’ starting rate of pay will be based on Personnel Rules regarding promotions.
How to Apply:
Applications are reviewed after the posting closes. You must submit the following items to be considered for this position no later than 4:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, February 25, 2025:
- Completed NEOGOV online application.
- Supplemental questionnaire responses.
- Cover letter describing how your skills and experience align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications.
- Current résumé indicating relevant experience and education.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To align with our commitment to equity and the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative, Seattle Center is collecting cover letters and resumes without personal identifiers to achieve a blind screening process.
Background Check - This position involves background check of conviction and arrest records in compliance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17. Applicants will be provided with an opportunity to explain or correct background information.
Why work at the City?
The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in dismantling racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and create and provide equitable processes and services. Seattle Office of Civil Rights)
The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members
For helpful tips on the application process and recruitment process: Working at the City - Human Resources | seattle.gov
More about Seattle Center:
In 2023 Seattle Center expanded its role to serve as the City’s lead department for operating Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center has built a Waterfront Operations team providing maintenance, public safety and strategic planning and oversight for the operations of the new waterfront, leveraging Seattle Center’s experience successfully managing public space. Seattle Center is working in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which is responsible to provide a range of recreational and cultural programming to the community in the new Waterfront Park. In our first year we have grown Seattle Center’s team by 20% to meet this new opportunity, building out a unified team to support both Seattle Center and the new Waterfront Park. That team will continue to grow in to be ready for the park’s completion in 2025.
Salary : $46 - $54
