Accounting Assistant - Journey

Placer County is comprised of over 1,400 square miles of beautiful and diverse geography, ranging from the residential and commercial areas of South Placer, through the historic foothill areas of Auburn, Foresthill, and Colfax, and to the County's jewel of the North Lake Tahoe basin. Placer is a great place to live, work, play, and learn! For more information about Placer County, please visit www.placer.ca.gov.

Placer County is currently accepting applications for Accounting Assistant/Technician.  Each level in this job series has different minimum qualifications.  To be eligible for more than one level in the series, you must complete and submit separate applications and supplemental questionnaires for each recruitment: 

Accounting Assistant - Journey     #2024-12403-01

Accounting Assistant - Senior        #2024-12404-01

Accounting Technician                   #2024-12406-01

To be considered for the first screening cut-off in this recruitment, please submit your application materials by April 10, 2024 at 5:00pm. 

These classifications are scheduled to receive an increase of 4% in July 2024.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

Click here to view Placer Public Employees Organization (PPEO) benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To perform difficult and responsible clerical accounting and financial work in support of specific assigned functional areas which may include accounts receivable, accounts payable, department payroll processing, treasury, and tax billing and collections; to perform financial recordkeeping and prepare statistical records; to reconcile financial and budget reports with source documents; to process financial and statistical documents; to receive and reconcile revenues and disbursements; and to receive and respond to questions from County staff, outside agencies and the public.

This is the full journey level class within the Accounting Assistant series. This class is distinguished from the Accounting Assistant - Entry by the performance of the full range of duties. Employees at this level receive only occasional instruction or assistance as new or unusual situations arise and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies within the work unit. Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the entry level.

This class is distinguished from the Senior Accounting Assistant level in that the latter is an advanced journey level that provides functional and technical lead supervision over Accounting Assistants and/or performs the most difficult and complex work requiring specialized technical or functional expertise and are assigned specialized duties.

Receives general supervision from assigned supervisory or management personnel and may receive technical and functional supervision from a Senior Accounting Assistant.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform clerical accounting, financial or bookkeeping work associated with the maintenance of journals and subsidiary ledgers, payroll, treasury, tax billing and collections, general ledgers, accounts receivable, accounts payable, fiscal controls and similar financial records.
  
• Prepare periodic statements and analyses of statistical and financial records related to area of assignment.
  
• May process time records and prepare payroll and related records.
  
• Assist in the conduct of accounting and statistical studies and compute cost and revenue estimates.
  
• Classify and post expenditures, revenues or authorizations to the appropriate budgetary or ledger accounts; maintain records of postings; and reconcile to financial reports.
  
• Keep ledger accounts; balance accounts; review, identify and correct irregularities; assist with collections of delinquent accounts.
  
• Receive financial or statistical documents; screen for accuracy and adherence to legal and procedural requirements; carry out proper steps to ensure or authorize payments and delivery; post to records, check and balance totals.
  
• Make computations and changes to financial and statistical data, apply standard formulas or predetermined guides; assemble financial and statistical data from a variety of sources and prepare or assist in preparing financial and statistical reports.
  
• Receive and process a variety of payments at the front counter; review customer information for accuracy and research account status; generate receipt and respond to customer questions.
• Assist with the collection of delinquent accounts.
• Review and process department payroll ensuring accuracy; research and correct errors; process leave requests; and respond to questions from department staff.
• Assist in the conduct of accounting and statistical studies and compute cost and revenue estimates.
  
• Process accounts payable involving the review and coding of invoices to appropriate contracts; verify materials are received and charges are accurate; monitor contracts to ensure sufficient funds for payment.
  
• Track and monitor contracts and insurance; create and/or make changes to supplier records, contract encumbrances and amendments.
  
• Prepare, review and approve cash, credit card and check receipts; perform account adjustments; reconcile and process refunds and overpayments.
  
• Research, verify and process warrant reissues.
  
• Collect and track a variety of data; prepare invoices, billings and/or claims and balance accounts; maintain customer/client accounts.
  Receive and review tax documentation.
  
• Classify and post expenditures, revenues or authorizations to the appropriate budgetary or ledger accounts; maintain records of postings; and reconcile to financial reports.
  
• Keep ledger accounts; balance accounts; review, identify and correct irregularities; assist with collections of delinquent accounts.
  
• May contact other governmental agencies, private agencies and County employees to obtain information for and clarify financial/statistical records and transactions.
  
• Operate standard office equipment including word processing applications as assigned; may perform duties on computer spreadsheet programs; operate stand alone computer software programs as related to assigned area.
  
• Prepare complex financial or statistical reports and summaries independently; recommend improvements in financial recordkeeping procedures and systems.
  
• Assist in preparing budget estimates; prepare trial balances, recapitulations, balance sheets and complex statistical and financial reports.
  
• Meet with the public to obtain data, interpret information and answer questions; prepare routine correspondence to answer questions, request information or provide explanations.
  
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
  
• Perform related duties as assigned.
  

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• May be required to deliver or pick up records, receipts and other information within the County from other departments, divisions or agencies.
• Order and maintain inventories of office supplies

Work is typically performed in an indoor office environment and controlled temperature conditions. Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation. Positions may require traveling to and from other locations in a variety of outdoor weather conditions and lifting materials and supplies of light weight.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: Two years of responsible experience in keeping and reviewing financial records.

Training: Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade.  Additional specialized training in bookkeeping, accounting or a related field is desirable.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of clerical accounting, financial and bookkeeping and statistical recordkeeping.
• Pertinent laws, codes, and regulations

Ability to:

• Independently perform difficult clerical accounting and financial recordkeeping work involving initiative and judgment.
• Maintain of journals and subsidiary ledgers, general ledgers, fiscal controls and similar financial records.
• Review financial or statistical documents; screen for accuracy and adherence to legal and procedural requirements; carry out proper steps to ensure or authorize payments and delivery, post to records, check and balance totals.
• Apply financial and statistical recordkeeping principles to the maintenance of statistical, accounting, financial and payroll transactions.
• Perform quick, accurate data entry.
• Operate a 10-key adding machine by touch.
• Organize tasks and determine priorities in order to meet assigned deadlines.

Online Examination (100%) - Scheduled for the Week of April 22, 2024 and the Week of May 13, 2024. 

After the posted filing deadline, qualified candidates will receive a notification via email when the examination is available. The online examination may include multiple choice, true/false, fill-in, matching, and/or essay type questions directly related to the required knowledge and abilities for this classification.

Note: Candidates will have approximately three (3) calendar days from the date of notification to complete the online examination. Only one attempt will be permitted.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County. Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Preciosa Ayala-Burkhardt, Administrative Technician, at payala@placer.ca.gov or (530) 886-4637.