Accounts Payable Specialist I/II

The Ventura County Auditor-Controller is seeking an Accounts Payable Specialist within their General Accounting Division. Under general direction, this position monitors, analyzes and controls all accounts payable tax activity, including compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, filing state and federal tax returns and vendor/independent contractor reporting. This position specializes in the 1099 tax forms issuance, vendor maintenance, purchase order approval, contract review, vendor payments, and performs various special projects as assigned.
 
The ideal candidate will have considerable education and experience administering and maintaining accounts payable within a complex accounting system and demonstrated skill in performing complex contract review and issuance of 1099 tax forms to vendors. The position requires extensive working knowledge of principles and techniques involved in accounts payable processing, statutory reporting, and vendor purchase orders and contracts and their impact on accounts payable functions.

PAYROLL TITLES AND APPROXIMATE SALARIES:  
Staff/Services Specialist I: $35.38- $50.70 hourly 
Staff/Services Specialist II: $38.17 - $54.51 hourly 
 
Staff/Services Specialist I: Assignments at the I level are limited in scope and complexity related to the service operation or other work performed, and the impact on other County agencies and departments.
   
Staff/Services Specialist II:  Assignments at the II level are more complex in scope and nature related to the service operation or other work performed. Incumbents at the higher level are expected to demonstrate greater initiative, self-direction and independent judgment.
   
NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department. 

EDUCATION/BILINGUAL INCENTIVE: Incumbents may be eligible for an educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree that is not required for the classification. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.  
 
The Staff Services Specialist I and II are represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: Thursday, January 23, 2025
CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs.
REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: Applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis beginning the week of February 03, 2025.Depth and breadth of assignments increase at the higher level and may include, but are not limited to the following:
 

• Reviews draft Board Letters and contracts in compliance with County policy for the Health Care Agency (HCA) including real property lease agreements and contracts for construction and consulting services.
• Reviews/approves Countywide purchase orders and contracts.
• Performs lead work including approving accounts payable documents such as cash receipts and summary billing for contracted temporary staff.
• Prepares queries for data analysis and reporting, including public records requests via InfoAdvantage.   
• Produces IRS 1099 reporting for 1,800 vendors.
• Reconciles trust funds used for sales tax collected on sales and use tax withholding for out-of-state vendors who provide services in California.
• Processes wire transfers to vendors up to $1 million.
• Reviews Countywide purchase orders/contracts to determine whether payments made to out-of-state vendors are subject to reporting and withholding taxes in accordance with Franchise Tax Board (FTB) guidelines.
• Monitors and reconciles outstanding VCFMS Punchout orders (IDOs - internet delivery orders).
• Reviews weekly Independent Contractor Reports in accordance with Employment Development Department (EDD) guidelines.
• Reviews vendor payments and verifies invoices were accrued in the prior fiscal year if appropriate.
• Prepares Franchise Tax Board (FTB) quarterly report (CA Form 592) for out-of-state vendor withholding, and processes payment to FTB.
• Reviews and approves encumbrances for HCA including those for construction/consulting services contracts.
• Reviews and approves Ventura County Financial Management System (VCFMS) Delivery Order (DO) and payment documents for the vendor Cerner.
• Responds to vendor and department inquiries regarding the status of outstanding invoices and payments.
• Trains department and Countywide employees in the use of VCFMS and appropriate accounting for 1099 reporting purposes. 
• Assists VCFMS Help Desk in responding to contract and payment issues.  
• Performs other related duties as required.

These are entrance requirements to the examination process and ensure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.  
 
EDUCATION, TRAINING and EXPERIENCE: 
Considerable progressively responsible experience with accounts payable processing, statutory reporting, and vendor purchase orders and contracts which has led to the acquisition of the knowledge, skills and abilities of the position.

At the Staff/Services I level two (2) years of accounts payable experience is required.

At the Staff/Services II level four (4) years of accounts payable experience is required.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: 

• Knowledge of principles and techniques involved in accounts payable processing, statutory reporting, and vendor purchase orders and contracts and their impact on accounts payable functions.
• Lead and project management experience.

DESIRED: 

• Experience working with 1099 activities and tax laws.
• Experience reviewing contracts, Board letters, and other legal documents and making recommendations as necessary. 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: 

Working (I) to considerable (II) knowledge of:

• Use of automated financial systems such as VCFMS.
• Project and time management techniques and tools.
• Work processes/methods related to accounts payable, purchase orders, contracts, Board Letters and other legal documents.

Skill in:

• Researching and interpreting codes, regulations and policies such as County Administrative Manual, union MOAs, IRS 1099’s and sales & use tax reporting.

Working ability to:

• Lead staff and administer various projects.
• Plan, organize, and prioritize work assignments to meet department and customer demands.
• Exercise independent judgment.
• Explain and train on department policies & procedures and serve as departmental resource and liaison.
• Develop and implement necessary work processes and related procedures.
• Perform statistical analysis and data interpretation and reports.
• Assist in developing or enhancing office automation applications.
• Draw logical conclusions and make appropriate recommendations or adjustments as needed.
• Read and interpret technical material.
• Complete required forms accurately and completely.
• Communicate effectively orally and in writing. 

FINAL FILING DATE:  This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested in it. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date
 
To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. A paper application can be obtained by calling (805) 654-5129. Our address is County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
   
Note to Applicants:  Sufficient information must be provided under the Education/Work experience portion of the application and supplemental questionnaire to thoroughly and accurately demonstrate your qualifications to determine eligibility.  A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above sections; however, it may not be substituted in lieu of the application.
   
NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.
   
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – qualifying 
All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. This questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in removal of the application from further consideration.
   
APPLICATION SCREENING – qualifying 
All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Applicants meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the examination process.

TRAINING and EXPERIENCE EVALUATION: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.
     
NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded by or replaced with a score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence. Candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.
 
ORAL EXAMINATION - 100%: A job-related oral examination will be conducted to evaluate and compare participating examinees' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Examinees must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.
   
If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an oral examination may not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

ELIGIBLE LIST

Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular, (including Temporary and Fixed-Term), Intermittent, and Extra Help vacancies for this and similar positions only. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy within the Auditor-Controller Office. 
   
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION 
A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
  
For further information about this recruitment, please contact Esmeralda Oseguera by e-mail at Esmeralda.Oseguera@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 477-7268.

Salary : $73,590 - $113,381