Accounting Specialist I

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION.  The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.  Postmarks are not accepted.  Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Vacancies for this position are currently in the following departments:

HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY:

Alameda County's Health Services Program is administered by the Health Care Services Agency and includes the following program areas: Behavioral Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Health, and Agency Administration/Indigent Health. The ultimate mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents. Health Care Services Agency currently has multiple career opportunities for experienced professionals to become part of a service delivery team dedicated to the optimal health and well-being of Alameda County residents. 

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE:

It is the mission of Behavioral Health Care Services to maximize the recovery, resilience and wellness of all eligible Alameda County residents who are developing or experiencing serious mental health, alcohol, or drug concerns. We envision communities where people realize their potential, and where stigma and discrimination against those with mental health, alcohol and/or drug issues are a thing of the past. Only through exemplifying the following Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services values will we be successful:

ACBHCS

Access - where every door is the right door for welcoming people with complex needs;

Consumer and Family Empowerment - through shared decision‐making best practices, that clinically produce effective outcomes;

Best Practices - business excellence that uses public resources cost‐effectively;

Health and Wellness - by integrating emotional, spiritual and physical health care;

Culturally Responsive - appropriate services built on the strengths and life experiences of culturally diverse consumers and their families;

Social Inclusion - utilizing advocacy and education to eliminate stigma, discrimination, isolation, and misunderstanding of persons with mental illness and substance abuse. For more information about the department of Behavioral Health Care Services, please visit www.acbhcs.org/.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT:

The Information Technology Department (ITD) is the central IT Department for Alameda County. For more than 30 years, ITD has been focused on providing the best technology services and support for Alameda County’s departments and the citizens we serve. For more information about ITD, please visit http://itd.acgov.org/index.page.

THE SOCIAL SERVICES AGENCY:

The Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) is comprised of 2,200 men and women working collectively and in partnership with community-based organizations to serve the needs of the community. Services are provided through four departments: Administration and Finance, Adult and Aging Services, Children and Family Services, and Workforce and Benefits Administration. To learn more about the Alameda County Social Services Agency, please visit the website at https://www.alamedasocialservices.org/.

 

THE POSITION

Under direction, to perform difficult and complex accounting clerical work in connection with the maintenance of financial records and the preparation of financial reports; and to do related work as required.

VACANCY

The current Accounting Specialist I vacancies are located in Alameda County's Health Care Services Agency, Information Technology Department, and Social Services Agency.  However, the eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be used to fill other County vacancies.

In order to participate in the examination process, applicants must qualify through one of the following patterns:

Either Pattern Number I

The equivalent of one year of full-time experience in the class of Account Clerk II or in an equivalent or higher level clerical class, or the equivalent of two years of full-time experience in the class of Account Clerk I in the Alameda County classified service. (Non-classified includes District Attorney’s Office, Hospital Authority, and the Consolidated Courts.)

Or Pattern Number II

The equivalent of three years of full-time responsible financial record-keeping experience. (Completion of a bookkeeping or accounting curriculum in a recognized business or accredited junior college may be substituted for two years of the required experience on a year-for-year basis.)

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidates must possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• The purposes, methods, and practices of financial record-keeping work.
• General governmental accounting and bookkeeping principles and procedures.
• Modern office methods and equipment, including commonly used computer spreadsheet programs.

Ability to:

• Locate and provide basic analysis of data found in large accounting systems, such as those maintained by large County agencies, Auditor Agency, or Treasurer-Tax Collector's Office.
• Prepare periodic and special financial reports.
• Identify and correct errors in a variety of mathematical computations and financial documents.
• Work independently in the absence of specific instructions.
• Operate standard office equipment.
• Apply rules and regulations to specific cases.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relations with the public.

The examination will consist of the following steps:

1. A review of the candidates’ application and supplemental questionnaire to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process;
2. A written test which will be qualifying only;
3. An oral interview which will be weighted as (100%) of the candidates' final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

** CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING
ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. **

 

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components. Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.

Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work. To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Applicants will be informed via e-mail with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

 

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN:

 

Deadline For Filing:	Friday, October 11, 2019
Review of Minimum Qualifications:	by October 22, 2019
Written Test:	Week of November 4, 2019
Civil Service Panel Interviews:	Week of November 18, 2019*** Revised 12/6/2019 Interviews will take place January 7, 8, and 9, 2020

 

 

*WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN*

 

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.