SANTA CLARA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION

CLASS SERIES TITLE: Accounting Specialist I/II

To distribute revenue from Federal, State, and/to local agencies to school districts within Santa Clara County in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; to perform highly responsible technical accounting functions in the maintenance, reporting, report generation, verification and reconciliation of specialized accounting and payroll records, reports and/or services, and to perform related duties as assigned.

The Accounting Specialist I and Accounting Specialist II (ASII) serve as an alternate class series. Persons may be initially employed at either level depending upon their qualifications. Persons employed in the entry-level classification may reasonably expect to be reassigned to the journey level classification upon the recommendation of the hiring authority. It is expected that a person employed as an Accounting Specialist I will be prepared for reassignment to Accounting Specialist II within a two-year period.

The alternate class series of Accounting Specialist I/II exercises responsibility for the accurate data collection and processing and completion of technical accounting functions and income generating reports according to established laws, codes, regulations and standards.

The Accounting Specialist I is the entry level of the alternate class series. Persons appointed to this classification receive training to learn the applicable codes, rules, regulations. Employees in this classification receive general supervision within the framework of defined rules and procedures and are initially assigned limited responsibilities which are expanded in size and complexity as their job knowledge increases.

The Accounting Specialist II is the journey level of the alternate class series. Persons appointed to this classification demonstrate excellent communication, time management, organization, and problem solving skills as well as subject matter expertise in budgeting, governmental accounting, and fiscal solvency. Employees in this classification receive limited supervision within the framework of defined rules and procedures.

ESSENTIAL/TYPICAL DUTIES: The following duties are examples of assignments performed by incumbents in this classification. It is not a totally comprehensive list of duties, nor is it restrictive regarding job assignments.

• Prepares and processes journal and budget entries for revenue and expense transactions, interest, taxes, and/or apportionments as well as the appropriate exhibits and correspondence

• Performs financial analysis and balancing, report corrections, analysis of revenue and expenditures and prepares year-end accounts payables and accounts receivables for district revenues

• Prepares various district payroll related functions including, but not limited to, calculating employer and employee retirement contributions, taxes processing wage garnishments, W2 and quarterly tax reporting and employee wage reconciliation

• Electronically transfer or prepare accounts payable transactions for employer and employee tax withholding and retirement contributions to requisite agencies; transfers garnishments to requisite agencies or other employee deduction payments

• Reviews and monitors financial statements of school districts in accordance with assigned functions

• Interprets codes, rules, regulations, and/or instructions and reconciles with payroll and financial data of school districts

• Serves as a liaison between Federal and State agencies for school districts as assigned

• Collects, reviews, and analyzes financial and payroll data as needed

• Reconciles cash in County Treasury for various district accounts; processes electronic deposits for dependent districts; issues stop payments electronically; processes warrant cancellation requests from districts

• Uses internal accounting information systems, desktop hardware and software, including spreadsheet and word processing programs and related systems, creating spreadsheets, and performing routine equipment maintenance as needed

• Participates in the development and implementation of County Office and State automated financial reporting systems

• Trains, assists, and provides advice to County Office and district staff as needed

• Performs related duties as assigned.

Possession of:

• A valid California Driver's License

• A driving record which meets the County office of Education's Insurance requirements

Knowledge of:

• General principles and procedures accounting, auditing, budgeting, bookkeeping, and fiscal record keeping

• Principles of internal fiscal controls and policies

• Appropriate laws, codes, standards, and fiscal reporting requirements applicable to education and school districts

• Desktop computer operations, including software, and hardware used in the performance of accounting, budget analysis, and fiscal reporting responsibilities

• Modern office methods, practices, procedures, and equipment

• Proper English usage including, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure.

Ability to:

• Make arithmetical calculations quickly and accurately and identify and correct errors in arithmetical calculations made by others

• Monitor, audit, reconcile and balance a variety of financial data and transactions

• Perform highly responsible and complex accounting, budget, and finance activities related to fund apportionment, revenue limits, and Federal and State education programs (ASII)

• Analyze, interpret, and apply pertinent codes, laws, rules and regulations (ASII)

• Understand and apply internal fiscal controls in the performance of work assignments

• Plan, organize, and prioritize work assignments to meet timelines and facilitate workflow

• Identify problem areas or situations, evaluate problem causes, and take appropriate action to resolve identified problems (ASII)

• Prepare, audit, compile, analyze, research and/or maintain account balances, complex financial data, summaries, reports, and records (ASII)

• Work under limited supervision (ASII)

• Effectively operate standard office equipment, including but not limited to microcomputers, calculators, typewriters, printers, copiers, and fax machines

• Effectively use accounting information systems as well as spreadsheet and word processing software

• Effectively communicate both orally and in written form

• Effectively represent the County Office in working with external internal/external customers (ASII)

• Establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.

Accounting Specialist I: Generally, any combination of training and experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities is considered qualifying. A typical qualifying background would include education equivalent to an Associates degree from an accredited college or university with coursework in accounting, budgeting, business law or a related field and one year experience in public accounting, finance or fiscal record-keeping.

Accounting Specialist II: Generally, any combination of training and experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities is considered qualifying. A typical method of demonstrating these qualifications would include education equivalent to an Associates degree from an accredited college or university with coursework in accounting, budgeting, business law or a related field and two years of experience in public accounting, finance, or fiscal record-keeping.

BARGAINING UNIT: Office, Technical and Business Services (OTBS)

WORKING CONDITIONS: Generally, duties are primarily performed in an office environment while sitting at a desk. Incumbents are subject to contact with or constant interruptions by staff, employment candidates and/or employees.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Hearing and speaking to exchange information in person and on the telephone; seeing to read, prepare and proofread documents; sitting for extended periods of time; dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard and other office equipment; kneeling, bending at the waist, and reaching overhead, above the shoulders and horizontally, to retrieve and store files and supplies; lifting light objects.

Bargaining Unit: Office, Technical, and Business Services (OTBS) Unit
Approved by the Personnel Commission: 08/01/84
Revised: 07/02/85, 10/24/89, 01/91, 06/21/01. 03/18/2010

Former Class Title: Accounting Specialist
Former Class Title: Payroll Audit Specialist

Approved by the Personnel Commission: 02/26/98
Revised: 06/21/01, 03/18/2010