State of Maryland

An Accountant Lead is the lead level of work examining, analyzing and interpreting accounting systems, records and reports by applying generally accepted accounting principles in order to modify and maintain accounting systems, prepare financial reports or statements, and give financial advice to management. Employees in this classification assign, review and approve the work of and train lower-level Accountants. Employees in this classification do not supervise. 

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from an Accountant Supervisor or other designated administrator.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology. The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of a class specification.

The Accountant Lead is differentiated from Accountant II in that the Accountant Lead assigns, reviews and approves the work of and trains lower-level Accountants while the Accountant II performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision. The Accountant Lead is differentiated from the Accountant Advanced in that the Accountant Advanced performs advanced duties in the areas of cost accounting, systems accounting, federal fund accounting or bond and loan accounting. The Accountant Lead is differentiated from the Accountant Supervisor I in that the Accountant Supervisor I has full supervisory responsibility for lower-level Accountants.

Assigns, reviews and approves the work of lower-level Accountants;

Trains lower-level Accountants;

Provides advice and guidance to lower-level Accountants on the resolution of complex problems in examining, analyzing and interpreting accounting systems, records and reports;

Modifies and implements manual and automated systems to meet the specific fiscal requirements of the agency;

Interprets and applies pertinent laws and regulations to fiscal and accounting operations;

Develops and revises accounting policies to improve accounting controls and efficiency;

Formulates internal controls to ensure the reliability and security of funds and records;

Reviews and authorizes financial transaction records for submission to fiscal control agencies;

Performs reconciliations of entire accounts by determining the materiality of exceptions, selecting the proper accounting treatment, gauging the effect of adjustments on the entire system and maintaining documentation for audit trails;

Prepares financial reports and statements by ensuring that accounting records provide a reliable and adequate basis for required reports, developing and implementing procedures to produce reports and analyzing and interpreting the reports;

Assists with close-out by ensuring that items are properly accrued and adjusted at fiscal year end;

Advises management on the status of accounts and recommends alternatives to improve the agency's financial position;

Participates in the audit process of agency fiscal operations by providing auditors with explanations of accounting procedures, providing documentation of fiscal transactions and assisting in the formulation and implementation of corrective action plans precipitated by audit exceptions;

Acts as liaison with information processing and fiscal control agencies to resolve accounting records and systems problems;

Adapts procedures and formulates reporting techniques to comply with statewide fiscal requirements and special requirements of other funding sources;

Performs other related duties.

Class Descriptions are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.  

A Class Description provides information about the Nature of Work, Examples of Work, General Requirements and Acknowledgements for a classification in the Skilled Service in which all positions have been designated Special Appointments.  Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities, specific  Minimum Education and Experience Requirements; Special Requirements; and recruitment and testing procedures are set by the using agency.  

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit, as indicated by the designation of S (Supervisor), M (Manager), T (Agency Head), U (Board or Commission Member), W (Student), X (Used by Agency or Excluded by Executive Order), or Z (Confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, Annotated Code of Maryland, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.