Accountant

Summary of Duties

Performs varied bookkeeping and financial functions, including monitoring daily activity of City bank accounts, reconciling and reviewing financial transactions, and coordinating similar transactions and record keeping with other City staff.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs routine general accounting activities, including collecting, interpreting, and analyzing financial data as well as performing account reconciliations and preparing a variety of financial reports;
• Reconciles bank transactions to cash receipt, accounts payable, payroll and investment transactions as well as researching and correcting unreconciled transactions and maintaining cash receipt and depository files;
• Reviews, verifies, and posts account transactions to journals, ledgers, and other applicable records, and prepares and records adjusting and closing journal entries;
• Monitors daily bank activity, downloading information using both paper and online banking portals, researching, distributing, and notifying appropriate departments, reconciling transactions and amounts, verifying check clearances, research stale outstanding checks, places stop payments on checks and reissues checks as applicable, and reviewing timing and amount of transactions;
• Assists Finance Manager in preparing investments on a regular basis
• Assists Finance Manager with annual audit including research, preparation of financial files and capital entries;
• Provides back up support to Accounting Specialist on business licenses and maintains access to the City’s license management system;
• Provides back up services to Finance Clerks for any or all duties such as customer billing and payments of services including utility billing, accounts payable and procurement card purchase review, etc. and performs adjustments and journal entries for internal utility payments;
• Sets up customer ACH draft requests, initiates drafts, and maintains confidential files;
• Compiles, prepares, and verifies data and reports regarding billings, payments, and other financial transactions and transfers, performs a variety of research to obtain information, enters and checks account information and customer data into established spreadsheets, databases or computer systems, and tabulates batch totals and balances transactions;
• Prepares and generates reports related to financial transactions and coordinates record keeping and data entry with staff of various departments within the City;
• Maintains and balances cash drawer, prepares daily deposit for counter and mail payments, records deposits from other departments, and maintains deposit log;
• Maintain procurement card system including functions such as ordering/canceling cards, enters purchase and limit exceptions and reports fraud.
• Maintain fleet fuel card system including access, cards and analysis.
• Processes and distributes accounts payable payments for utility, rent, reoccurring disbursements, employee reimbursements, rush and contract payments;
• Processes, compiles, and researches information and statistics, prepares and verifies data, reports, correspondence, and other documents, utilizing applicable software and systems as well as independently running reports, identifies potential errors or omissions, researches and resolves incomplete information;
• Uses a wide variety of office machines such as printers, personal computers, facsimile machine, postage machine, adding machine, scanners, and copiers;
• Explores and brings forth new ways to improve efficiency in the workplace;
• Assists with special projects and performs other similar duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None

Budgetary Responsibilities

None

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in finance, public administration, business administration or related degree required, as well as experience in or knowledge of municipal government operations preferred. Minimum of two years of related experience required.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Competencies

• Proficiency in English grammar, spelling, punctuation, and simple mathematical functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, ratios, etc.;
• Knowledge of governmental and fund accounting
• Knowledge of bookkeeping and generally accepted accounting principles, terminology, procedures, theory, and practices;
• Knowledge of (or ability to learn) City ordinances, City organization and functions, as well as the processes, policies, codes, regulations, and protocols related to the essential duties and responsibilities;
• Knowledge of (or ability to learn) online banking procedures, rate tables, sales tax rules, billing processes, bill calculation procedures, fund allocations, and similar concepts;
• Proficiency in use of personal computer software, including spreadsheet development and word processing;
• Ability to provide appropriate customer service and interact effectively with individuals who may be confused, upset, or irate;
• Ability to remain calm and level-headed during times of high pressure or stress;
• Ability to learn how to use software applications and systems related to the essential duties and responsibilities;
• Ability to comprehend, process, and apply both verbal and written skills appropriate to the job;
• Ability to detect errors, determine causes, and make corrections as appropriate;
• Ability to operate modern office equipment such as personal computer, facsimile, copiers, scanners, and telephones;
• Interpersonal skills necessary to develop and maintain effective and appropriate working relationships with customers, co-workers, and representatives of other agencies, including individuals with various educational, lingual, and economic backgrounds;
• Skilled in researching and resolving customer questions and problems;
• Ability to develop, layout, and implement clerical procedures and operations from general instructions;
• Ability to explain departmental policies, processes, and services in layman’s terms;
• Ability to accurately organize and maintain paper documents and electronic files;
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of information and professional boundaries;
• Ability to meet deadlines under time constraints and multi-task;
• Ability to use City resources effectively and efficiently.

Work Environment, Physical Demands, and Other Requirements

Work is performed in an office environment; May be required to reach with hands and arms, sit, stand, talk and hear, and use hands and fingers to handle or feel; May be required to lift/move up to 25 pounds (such as a box of paper).

Please apply via the following link:

The City of North Kansas City, MO is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO) and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, race, color, creed, mental or physical disability, religion, national origin, familial status, sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income, or any other status protected by local, state, or federal law, in the admission or access to, or employment in, its programs or activities. All interested parties are encouraged to apply!