Accountant
- Summary
The Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) protects, restores, and manages King County's water and land using the best available science, innovation, and collaborating with our partners and the community. WLRD employs scientists, engineers, policy experts, ecologists, and project managers dedicated to protecting the health and integrity of King County’s natural resources, so that they can be enjoyed today and for generations to come. WLRD provides flood control services, stormwater management, and other natural resource management services throughout the county. The division has six section – Stormwater Services (SWS), Rivers & Floodplain Management (RFMS), Rural & Regional Services (RRS), Science & Technical Services, Environmental Lab, and Finance & Administration (F&A).
The F&A Section is looking for an Accountant to provide financial accounting, accounts payable, and billing support to the Water and Land Resource Division. This position will assist in performing a variety of accounting functions including maintaining the integrity of the general ledgers, preparing or reviewing journal entries, tracking and monitoring accounts payables, coordinating month-end and year-end financial close activities, preparing reconciliations between sub-ledgers in Oracle eBusiness Suite (EBS), assisting in the annual state and federal grant audits and financial reporting, preparing and submitting reimbursement billings to federal, state and local funders, and supporting internal and external customer calls and inquiries.
Commitment to Equity and Social Justice:
As the only jurisdiction in the world named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.
We have a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from vulnerable communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts. To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.
Who is Eligible: This position is open to all King County employees and the general public.
Telecommuting Requirement
The work associated with this position will be performed by teleworking with some onsite work and meetings. The frequency of onsite work will be informed by business needs. Employees will have access to shared workspaces as needed at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.
King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team.
Work Location: Predominately teleworking and the King Street Center 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle WA 98104.
Work Schedule: This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. This full-time position works a 40-hour work week.- Job Duties
- Responsible for accounts payable activities, including monitoring and tracking of outstanding purchase orders (POs) and purchase card transactions, verifying automated clearing house (ACH) requests, and researching vendor payment inquires and concerns.
- Review chart of account classifications in compliance with Budgeting, Accounting, and Reporting System (BARS) manual.
- Coordinate month-end and year-end financial close activities, including revenue and expenditure accruals.
- Serve as the Division's administrator for County’s enterprise financial system (Oracle EBS), and division-wide coordinator for Purchase/Travel cards.
- Maintain policy changes related to County’s procurement and expense authorization systems (iProcurement and iExpense) and provide guidance to users/approvers.
- Provide documentation of division’s financial systems and accounting transactions during internal and external audits.
- Prepare or review accounting transactions to ensure accuracy of financial data.
- Prepare financial reports and submit billings for services and grants (Federal, State & Local).
- Perform monthly and quarterly reconciliations between subledgers within EBS.
- Assist in the annual preparation of the state and federal grants and financial reporting.
- Prepare standard, ad hoc and custom financial reports.
- Answer customer queries related to accounting, grants, or surface water management billings via telephone and email.
- Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Our Ideal Candidate Will Have The Following Competencies:
- Courage: Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
- Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
- Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
- Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
- Values Differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
- Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, OR any equivalent combination of education and experience.
- At least three years of progressively responsible financial/accounting experience; including financial analysis and reimbursement billing experience.
- Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), audit, internal controls, and compliance rules and laws.
- Experience with automated financial management systems.
- Prioritize tasks and work independently; effectively plan, organize, prioritize work on a daily basis, often with conflicting priorities-to meet deadlines.
- Work collaboratively with employees, supervisors and other agencies.
- Interpret laws, regulations, agreements, ordinance codes and resolutions; coordinate and implement routine updates or changes within the division.
- Identify control weakness and compliance issues and communicate to appropriate management.
- Maintain effective working relationships with a variety of individuals representing diverse cultures and backgrounds.
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
- Highly organized with a keen interest in documenting processes and procedures.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
- Proficient with enterprise-wide financial systems and intermediate level skills in use of MS Office productivity suite, particularly MS Excel.
- Knowledge of public sector accounting.
- King County accounting structure, programs, funding sources, policies and requirements.
- Experienced in the use of King County financial systems and tools such as Oracle EBS, BI Insights, BI Publisher, etc.
- Federal, state, and local audit requirements for grant administration.
- Supplemental Information
Application and Selection Process: Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in testing and one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.
- King County application
- Resume
- Cover Letter detailing your background and what you can bring to this position
- Responses to supplemental questions
For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Deena Prasad, Senior Human Resources Analyst
deprasad@kingcounty.gov
206-263-0101Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
As of October 18, 2021, most* King County employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If hired, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination by October 18th. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine. Employees may make requests for a reasonable accommodation based on a medical disability or for sincerely held religious beliefs. Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation.
This directive applies to employees in the Executive branch*, the Assessor's Office, Elections, the King County Sheriff's Office, and the Executive Office.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.
King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage: King County pays 100% of the premiums for eligible employees and family members
- Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
- Retirement: King County employees are eligible to participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
- Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
- 10 paid holidays each year (plus 2 personal holidays)
- Generous vacation and paid sick leave
- Paid parental leave, family and medical leaves, and volunteer leave
- Flexible Spending Account
- Wellness programs
- Onsite gyms and activity centers
- Employee giving program
- Employee assistance programs
- Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
- Training and career development programs
This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event of any incorrect information in this document, applicable laws, policies, rules, CBAs, or official plan documents will prevail.
NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.
For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.
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01Are you applying to this position as an eligible Current or Previous King County Employee Priority Placement Program Participant AND Is this position the same or lower percentage of full-time when compared to the position held at the point of the notification of layoff AND Do you possess the skills and abilities to qualify for this position?
- Yes, I was given a layoff notice from my role at King County AND I am within two years of the effective date of my layoff. AND The position I was laid off from was the same or a higher percentage of FT status when compared to this one.
- No.
02If you answered yes to the question above and you are applying for this position as a Priority Placement Participant, to be considered, you must provide the following three pieces of information in the space provided: 1. The title you held when you received your layoff notice 2. The department you worked in 3. The effective date of your layoff03Describe your experience with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), audit, internal controls, and compliance rules and laws. If you have no experience, write none.04Describe your experience in various automated financial systems and the types of transactions you have performed. If you have no experience, write none.05Describe your grant administration experience associated with federal, state, and local grants? If you have no experience, write none.06Which of the following choices most closely describes your skill level with Microsoft Excel?- None, but willing to learn.
- Very limited. I have completed training, but have not used it much.
- Beginner. I am able to: create, open and save spreadsheets; cut, paste and delete cells; enter numbers; change font size, margins and paper size; print and use the print preview.
- Intermediate. In addition to the beginner-level skills, I am also able to: use the insert and auto-sum function; replace text; change the format of numbers to currency, percentage, etc.; set print areas; protect cells; display charts, audit and validate data; create formulas; set up filters, link data, use statistical functions.
- Advanced. In addition to the beginner and intermediate-level skills, I am also able to: create macros, perform horizontal lookups, create functions and formulas, use pivot tables, use solver, use goal seek.
Required Question