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Accounting Specialist

Category: Classified 
Pay Grade: C23
Job Code: 23044 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.  

JOB SUMMARY 

Performs highly responsible technical accounting and financial work performing a variety of accounting duties in the maintenance, review, and analysis of complex accounting, financial, and statistical records; maintains and processes accounting or financial matters and statistical records that are part of a more complex computer automated recordkeeping system; processes accounting and financial transactions that require independent judgment in researching and reconciling discrepancies and may include heavy customer contact assignments; maintains accounts or ensures accounts are in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations; performs computerized processing (ex. TaxSys, ABRA, Great Plains, FRVIS, FDLIS). 

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS (examples, not all inclusive) 

• Prepares purchase requisitions, reports on the status of service accounts, bills, invoices, contracts, payments, fee receipts, entitlements and reimbursed programs, accounts receivable, accounts payable, trust accounts, and regular reports of revenues and expenditures submitted from a wide range of sources;  
• Reconciles payroll earnings, deductions, and payments to the general ledger;
• Oversees the collection, receipt, and disbursement of taxes and fees in accordance with Florida statutes, rules, and regulations; 
• Analyzes and verifies daily edit reports and researches and resolves problems;  
• Examines and verifies bank statements and reconciles statements with internal ledgers; 
• Verifies validated wire transfer slips to journal entries; 
• Processes manual and void checks and prepares back-up documentation for same; 
• Monitors and verifies data entered and ensures accuracy of data for reports produced (IRS, FRS, DL, and DMV reports); 
• Processes accounts receivable work including invoicing and receipting;  
• Answers questions that involve searching for and abstracting financial data from sources and systems that require detailed explanations of County and state policies or procedures referring matters requiring administrative policy decisions to a superior;  
• Maintains financial records; 
• Develops or assists in efforts to collect and manipulate accounting data and fiscal information, prepares spreadsheets compiling revenue activity and trends for management use, and reformats data or creates specific reports, charts, or graphs; 
• Assists in the maintenance of accounting records, posts entries, makes adjusting entries, and prepares statements from accounting records for review; 
• Assists staff in solving, or personally responds to, the more complex and difficult inquiries, trains and orients new staff members, and reviews and corrects work;  
• Serves as back-up to co-workers and higher-level employees and assists in training new employees; 
• Directs various levels of personnel within the County structure as to correct methods and procedures to follow (points of contact for all Branch/Tax/Processing Operations staff);  
• Maintains weekly and monthly distribution of funds to taxing authorities; 
• Tracks incoming revenue and bank deposits, audits daily deposits reconciliations, prepares reconciliation and revenue distribution reports, and posts to general ledgers; 
• Processes and tracks refunds to taxpayers and assists in the verification and mailing of refund checks; 
• Follows up on dishonored checks and invalid e-checks by sending letters and making phone calls and may contact State Attorney’s office to aid in repayment; 
• Assists in the review and audit of expenditures (payments, invoices, CWP, Birth Certificates); 
• Performs computerized maintenance of schedules to properly account for transactions concerning the departments’ fixed assets;  
• Assists with technical guidance to staff on proper Tax Collector accounting practices; 
• Performs data processing related duties including using available statistical packages or programs, encoding data, data entry, and retrieval and assists in the development, testing, and debugging of new and existing programs; 
• Oversees handling and follow up of unclaimed funds and performs related research; 
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.  

QUALIFICATIONS 

Education and Experience: 

Five (5) years of experience in technical accounting work; or an Associate’s degree in accounting, finance, business (or two years of related college level education) and three (3) years in technical accounting work; or a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, or related field and one (1) year of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education, training and/or experience. 

Special Qualifications (May be required depending on area of assignment): 

• Florida Driver’s License or Florida Commercial Driver’s License and endorsement, if any. 
• Assignment to work a variety of work schedules including compulsory work periods in special, emergency, and/or disaster situations. 
• Other knowledge, skills, abilities, and credentials required for a specific position. 

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:  

• Knowledge of basic accounts receivable and accounts payable business practices and procedures including accounting systems, procedures, regulations, and source documents including expenditure, revenue, general ledger, and related accounting procedures and the interrelationship of internal and external record keeping systems, general bookkeeping, accounting, and audit methodology, terminology, and standards;  
• Knowledge of modern office practices, procedures, and equipment; 
• Knowledge of basic mathematical/fiscal computer applications; 
• Knowledge of governmental accounting practices, budgetary procedures, financial accounting, and fund organization; 
• Knowledge of personal computer applications, procedures, and equipment; 
• Knowledge of basic methods, practices, and terminology of fiscal record keeping, basic business mathematics, checks, money orders and other common negotiable instruments and their proper validation and endorsement, common methods of balancing cash and checks against records of receipt, methods of handling, recording, and controlling monies received and disbursed; 
• Ability to analyze transactions and reports and make appropriate correcting entries; 
• Ability to learn County accounting systems, apply computer applications and software to prepare and process data in proper format for data entry, understand and maintain financial accounting files or other record systems, recognize and correct computational errors, accurately compare, post, and transfer numbers, understand transactions in terms of accounting codes and classifications, prepare routine and special financial reports, and communicate effectively by phone or in person; 
• Ability to analyze data and draw logical conclusions and review and evaluate the work of associates; 
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others; 
• Ability to make arithmetical computations quickly and accurately, operate standard office equipment that may include computers, calculators, cash registers, adding machines, and duplicating machines, and read, understand, and follow written and oral instructions; 
• Ability to perform a wide variety of difficult and responsible financial/accounting duties involving a broad range of technical/complex and/or specialized transactions and review and consolidate records from multiple sources and summarize reports, abstracts, and other accounting documents. 

PHYSICAL/MENTAL DEMANDS 

The work is sedentary work which requires exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly.  Additionally, the following physical abilities are required:  

• Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling. 
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles. 
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction. 
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.  
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles. 
• Visual ability: Sufficient to effectively operate office equipment including copier, computer, etc.; and to read and write reports, correspondence, instructions, etc. 
• Hearing ability: Sufficient to hold a conversation with other individuals both in person and over a telephone; and to hear recording on transcription device. 
• Speaking ability: Sufficient to communicate effectively with other individuals in person and over a telephone. 
• Mental acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes. 
• Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly. 
• Repetitive motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers. 
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another. 

WORKING CONDITIONS 

Work is performed in a relatively safe, secure, and stable work environment.