Accountant

Under general supervision performs fiscal control and accounting work performs for the City of Petersburg Department of Social Services. Work involves analyzing financial transactions and preparing financial reports and schedules to control and account for funds involved in operating budget, state programs, and grants for the City. Employee is also responsible for monitoring grants awarded the city and preparing associated reports; and preparing various fiscal reports. 

Essential Job Functions

Maintains fiscal data, records and reports pertaining to operating accounts, State of Virginia reporting, and grants for the City; reconciles detailed budget reports with expenditure reports and revenue; ensures proper and accurate recording of all financial transactions.

Maintains, updates, and controls the vendor master file; prepares and issues 1099 to vendors; reconciles vendor statements to outstanding invoices and maintains contact with vendors.

Assists in preparation for annual audit by outside agency, including journal entry adjustments, account analysis, and preparation of detailed financial schedules; prepares monthly financial statements for submission to City Council.

Audits invoices for coding, signature, and calculations, reviews requests for payments and posting of revenue and expenditures for budget compliance and procurement compliance; audits and reviews appropriateness of expenditures to maintain City policies.

Monitors administration and expenditures of grant funds awarded to the City. Prepares Federal and State reports and request necessary reimbursements. Maintains fiscal data, records, and reports pertaining to Federal and State grants. Reconciles grant expenditures and revenues to the general ledger and ensure proper and accurate recording of all financial transactions. Oversees disbursement and accounting of Federal, State and local funds.

Works closely with program directors of respective grants to ensure proper expenditure of grant funding according to grantor requirements. If the grant includes funding of personnel, ensure that the proper salary and fringe amounts are applied to the grant.

Creates monthly and quarterly reports via query function requiring data links to multiple files. 

Proficiency in leveraging advanced Excel functionalities, adept at creating complex financial models, analyzing data trends, and generating insightful reports to support informed decision-making. Possesses a strong grasp of formulas, pivot tables, and data visualization techniques, coupled with a keen attention to detail and the ability to streamline accounting processes for increased efficiency.

Assists in preparation of Department of Social Services Operating Budget, alongside other program budgets included under Department of Social Services.

Prepares and distributes various reports, schedules, account analysis, etc., to Administrative Services manager and other administrative officials as requested.

Assists in Payroll, Accounts Payable, and miscellaneous bills as necessary; prepares various monthly bills.

Performs other related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Knowledge of federal, State and local laws pertaining to fair labor, hiring, wage and compensation practices.

Knowledge of the principles and practices of general governmental and municipal accounting. Has considerable knowledge of federal and State grant regulations, procedures and reporting requirements.

Knowledge of federal, State and local laws and policies concerning municipal fiscal operations.

Knowledge of modern accounting and office procedures and equipment, including the application of electronic data processing to the maintenance and analysis of fiscal data.

Knowledge of the current literature, trends and developments in the fields of governmental accounting, public finance administration, and fair labor, hiring, and wage and compensation practices.

Ability to maintain standard accounting and control measures for municipal government.

Ability to exercise independent judgment and initiative in completing assigned tasks.

Ability to prepare clear and concise reports, and to compile and analyze financial statements and reports.

Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

Ability to exert a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for periods of time.

Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving/receiving instruction, assignments and/or directions from superiors.

Ability to read reports and correspondence, invoices, checks, payroll reports, expenditure and revenue reports. Requires the ability to read and analyze general ledgers, billing invoices, financial statements and schedules, and other required accounting reports and information, using prescribed format and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction and style.

Ability to apply principles of rational systems as applied to accounting processes and methods to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.

Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to use and interpret government accounting terminology.

Ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract totals; to multiply and divide; to determine percentages and decimals; and determine time and weight. Must be able to use practical applications of fractions, percentages, and ratio and proportion.

Education and Experience- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business or public administration, or related field OR any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Preferred experience with DSS financial systems i.e. Thomas Brothers and LASER
• Preferred experience with federal and/or state auditing 
• Preferred experience with tax filing to include quarterly and annually

Physical Requirements:

 Must be physically able to operate a variety of automated office machines which includes a computer, printer, calculator, etc.  Must be able to exert a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.  Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for periods of time. Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using automated office equipment. Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. 

Special Requirements:

Applicants may be subject to a Criminal History Background search, Central Registry search, DMV/driving record check, and/or pre-employment drug screen. The investigation may include fingerprint checks (State Police, FBI), local agency checks, employment verification and references, verification of education (relevant to employment), credit checks (relevant to employment) and other checks requested by the hiring authority.

This position is covered under Code of Virginia 563.2-1601.1 or 563.2-1720 requiring the finalist candidate to submit to fingerprinting and provide personal descriptive information for a criminal history record check through the Central Criminal Records Exchange and a search of the Central Registry.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory results of the required checks and screenings.

Employee must be willing to work in the community emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.
 

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Consideration for an interview is based solely on the information within the application and/or resume.

Applicants are encouraged to provide a complete listing of work experience and qualifications on the application along with three professional references to include their name, place of employment, email address, phone number and title.

Applications/Resumes for this position must be submitted electronically through this website. Mailed, emailed, faxed, or hand delivered applications and resumes will not be accepted.

This website will provide a confirmation or receipt when the application is submitted for consideration.

No phone calls accepted.  Please check your account for application updates.