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Finance Operations Specialist

Category:                    Classified

Pay Grade:                  C21      

Job Code:                    18798

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 paraprofessional technical accounting and financial assignments covering a variety of Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court (CCC) office tasks to support operations and for overall maintenance and review of accounting, financial statistical records, payments, receipts, fixed assets administration, and the accountability for County financial operations; supports multiple agencies and departments operations that require centralized and comprehensive services for maintenance and processing of county-wide finance, accounting, reporting, and recordkeeping systems covering major operations and activities including, but not limited to, county-wide payroll, contract administration, purchasing activities, court/judicial finances, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and other complex finance administration and projects; completes regular assignments or projects that require independent judgment in problem solving, researching, meeting critical organization deadlines, and reconciling conflicts and discrepancies with heavy customer contact; reconciles a variety of agency and/or departmental accounts, preparing reports, forms, or formats for reporting plus retaining data and preparing and processing accounting records, statements, or transactions using a variety of accounting support systems and documentation.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS (examples, not all inclusive)

• Performs a combination of regular, highly complex, and advanced assignments for the CCC Finance Division supporting County agencies and departments;
• Prepares, analyzes, and reconciles computerized reports of departments for which the budget expends funds;
• Identifies, documents, tracks, and reports on capital expenses;
• Examines and verifies bank statements and reconciles statements with internal ledgers;
• Reviews and monitors federal and state grant agreements and prepares financial assistance schedule for routine, periodic, quarterly, and annual financial reports; 
• Monitors expenditures for capital outlay, determines entries, sets up books, and recommends fund transfers;
• Develops, prepares, and monitors the department funds, and audits, and approves expenditures;
• May prepare and assist others to prepare purchase requisitions, vendor contacts/relations and prepares detailed bid specifications for capital outlay equipment, service contracts, and agreements;
• Receives and prints vendor invoices;
• Maintains, administers, and operates Oracle and other CCC relational data processing systems, data entry, and retrieval for both routine and highly specialized operations;
• Audits progress payments for construction projects, prepares pay estimates, and progress payment logs;
• Prepares reports on the status of service accounts, bills, invoices, contracts, payments, grants, 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;
• Answers questions that involve searching for and abstracting technical data from sources and systems that require detailed explanations of County policies or procedures referring matters requiring administrative policy decisions with proposed recommendations and solutions to a superior;
• 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 staff in solving, or personally responding to, the more complex and difficult inquiries, trains and orients new staff members, and reviews and corrects work;
• Analyzes and verifies daily edit reports and researches and resolves problems;
• Verifies validated wire transfer slips to journal entries;
• Processes manual and voided checks and prepares back-up documentation for same;
• Oversees the collection, receipt, and disbursement of funds under Florida Statutes, rules, and regulations;
• Oversees or assists others in the processing of liens filed for non-payments;
• Performs reviews and keeps schedules to properly account for transactions on County fixed assets;
• May perform data processing related duties including using available statistical packages or programs, encoding data, data entry, and retrieval to assist in the development, testing, and debugging of new and existing programs;
• Examines and verifies bank statements and reconciles statements with internal ledgers;
• Audits P-Card transactions and summaries and facilitates P-Card training classes;
• Provides technical supervision to staff maintaining and compiling spreadsheets, tracking incoming revenue, auditing and preparing daily deposits and reconciliation and revenue distribution reports, unit budgets, posting, and reconciling funds, department budgets, and revenue ledgers;
• Oversees employee enrollment and participation in the Deferred Retirement Option Program;
• May provide work instructions to subordinate clerical and technical staff involved in payroll preparation, personnel transactions, as well as other administrative support for accounting and finance operations functions; 
• Performs other related job duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience:

Four (4) years of experience in highly technical government accounting, bookkeeping, purchasing or finance support using a personal computer and state-of-the art software applications: or an Associate’s degree (or two (2) years of other related college level education) in accounting, business administration or related field and two (2) years of experience as described above; 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.
• Preference may be given to candidates who successfully completed six or more college level credit hours in accounting and finance related courses.
• Other knowledge, skills, abilities, and credentials required for a specific position.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Knowledge of basic and advanced 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 and general bookkeeping, accounting, and audit methodology, terminology, and standards;
• Knowledge of governmental accounting practices including basic mathematical/fiscal computer applications;
• Knowledge of governmental budgetary procedures, financial accounting, and fund organization;
• Knowledge of personal computer applications, procedures, modern office practices, procedures, and equipment;

• Knowledge of basic and advanced 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, and methods of handling, recording, and controlling monies received and disbursed;
• Ability to analyze data and draw logical conclusions independently and review and evaluate the work of associates;
• Ability to analyze complex transactions and complex reports and make appropriate correcting entries;
• Ability to apply accounting systems as well as to train and guide others on how to 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 establish and maintain effective working relationships with others providing guidance and instruction to others in completion of routine and complex assignments.

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 to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. 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.
• 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 safe and secure work environment that may periodically have unpredicted requirements or demands.