Accounting Manager I - Austin Financial Services

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Austin Financial Services

Our department provides a variety of financial services and programs. Austin Financial Services (AFS) serves residents, vendors, and City departments.

Our mission is to serve as a trusted steward of public resources with integrity and accountability to ensure a fiscally sound city.

Our staff supports a wide variety of financial processes, including preparing the annual budget and annual fiscal report, procurement processes, franchise agreements, real estate transactions, and overseeing the City’s investment portfolio and debt management.

As an internal support function within the larger City organization, AFS is proud to serve and act as a leader in financial management to its partner departments.

 

Job Description:

Accounting Manager I - Austin Financial Services

Purpose: 

This position directs the activities of a division and/or section of professional accountants and clerical personnel engaged in preparing and maintaining financial accounting records and reports within a Department and/or Corporate Accounting function of the City.

Duties, Functions and Responsibilities: 

Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.

• Manages staff involved in preparing and/or reviewing financial transactions (or may prepare and/or review financial transactions) to ensure that transactions are processed in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), City policy, applicable laws and regulations, and sound business practices. 

• Reviews, analyzes, and evaluates financial and accounting transactions, documents, reports, and statements for internal and/or external department staff. 

• Reviews and/or prepares periodic internal and external financial statements, supporting schedules, and related notes, and periodic reports to regulators to ensure accuracy and compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and regulatory requirements.  

• Manages section activities to provide coordination of year-end close, audit plans, schedules, and workpapers in preparation of the annual external audit, including preparation of the City’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), Schedule of Expenditures of State Awards (SESA), and other regulatory required reports. 

• Reviews and/or prepares financial summaries and periodic reports for Budget Office.  

• Provides expert assistance to department staff and other customers in designing automated or manual systems, implementing internal controls and accounting/ reporting procedures, designing/ preparing special reports, and interpreting financial data.  

• Projects costs and revenues to determine appropriate rates and fees. 

• Develops, reviews, and/or evaluates fiscal impact statements. 

• Explains City policy and procedures to auditors and regulators and resolve audit differences.  

• Researches special topics, including new accounting standards; prepares reports or presentations and develops recommendations for implementation of new accounting standard requirements.  

• Carries out work plans to achieve program or section goals. 

• Develops Conducts fiscal reviews; develops and reviews financial indicators for various funds. 

• Analyzes market and economic conditions. 

• Analyzes data to discover patterns and/ or discrepancies. 

• Writes technical reports. 

• Develops financial forecasts for department and/or City, including revenue/ expenditure/ cost estimates. 

• Provides assistance in the issuance of debt and ensures transactions are recorded in accordance with GAAP, including long-term, short-term, and refundings. 

• Provides assistance in the development of the Official Statement, rating agency materials, and debt schedules. 

• Calculates/ monitors debt related ratios.

Responsibilities - Supervisor and/or Leadership Exercised: 

Responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 

Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

• Knowledge of the preparation process of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles. 

• Knowledge of accounting practices and financial reporting concepts.

• Knowledge of preferred business practices.

• Knowledge of manual and automated financial systems.  

• Knowledge of the concepts for review and evaluation of internal control systems and auditing procedures.  

• Knowledge of supervisory and management theory and techniques. 

• Skill in analyzing, preparing, reviewing, and balancing routing fiscal transactions and general ledger accounts.

• Skill in managing large volumes of numerical data. 

• Skill in analyzing/ interpreting complex financial data and proposing viable solutions.

• Skill in effective oral and written communication. 

• Skill in resolving problems or situations requiring the exercise of good judgment. 

• Skill in the application of cost benefit analysis, present value theory, and computer fundamentals.

• Skill in determining needs, gathering, analyzing, and presenting data to provide accurate information for management use.

• Skill in anticipating and accurately predicting the results of alternate courses of action. 

• Skill in compiling division reports.

• Skill in preparing accurate and complex financial statements.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to Accounting twenty-four (24) hours in accounting, plus five (5) years of accounting experience which includes one (1) year of lead/supervisory experience.  

• Graduation with a Master's degree in Accounting or Business Administration may substitute for one (1) year of the accounting experience.  

• A CPA may substitute for the education requirement.

Licenses and Certifications Required: 

None.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in preparing and reviewing complex, consolidated financial statements

• Experience researching accounting topics, implementing accounting standards, and presenting recommendations and guidance to senior management and staff

• Experience managing external audits, ensuring compliance and accuracy.

• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and Access

• Ability to travel to more than one work location

 

Notes to Candidate:

Position Overview:

This Accounting Manager I position is responsible for reviewing staff work and designing systems and internal controls. It supervises financial transactions and reporting within the Enterprise Accounting group of Austin Financial Services.  Duties include:

• Manages staff involved in preparing and/or reviewing financial transactions (or may prepare and/or review financial transactions) to ensure that transactions are processed in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), City policy, applicable laws and regulations, and sound business practices.

• Reviews, analyzes, and evaluates financial and accounting transactions, documents, reports, and statements for internal and/or external department staff.

• Explains City policy and procedures to auditors and regulators and resolve audit differences.

• Researches special topics, including new accounting standards; prepares reports or presentations and develops recommendations for implementation of new accounting standard requirements. 

Pay Range: $91,080.00 - $117,000.00

Hours: Monday – Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Telework opportunities may be available after an initial training period. Work schedules are implemented to meet the requirements of the department and are subject to change based on business needs.

Staff eligible to telework must be in the office for at least 60% of their scheduled work week.

Location: 721 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704

Application Details: 

• Please be aware that the Job Posting Close Date reflects the final day to apply, but the posting will close at 11:59 PM the day before the date listed. All application steps, including attachments and submission, must be fully completed before that time.

• A detailed, complete COA employment application is required. It helps us to better evaluate your qualifications and will be used to determine your salary if you are selected for this position. 

• Please be sure to detail on the application all previous employment that you wish to be considered as part of your qualifications. 

• For each position, please describe your specific experience as it relates to the minimum and preferred qualifications.  

• A cover letter is required. In the cover letter candidates should describe, in concise detail, their interest in this position and highlight any prior experience that is relevant to this position. 

• A résumé is also required but will not substitute for a complete COA employment application. Resumes are not accepted in place of a completed online application. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the detailed and relevant work experience, which would qualify them for the position.   

• Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

• Each individual who submits an Application as provided in the Municipal Civil Service Rules and meets the Minimum Qualifications for a Competitive Position shall be considered a Candidate for that Position. Employees, in Good Standing, who are candidates within the Department or division that the Position resides in and who meet the Minimum and Preferred Qualifications (if any) of the Position will be included in the initial interview. 

• Use of AI is strictly prohibited to respond to the application and during the interview process.

Additional Details: 

• Austin Financial Services may close this job posting at any time after it has been advertised for seven (7) days, please apply as soon as possible if interested.

• This position may require a skills assessment. 

• If you are identified as a top candidate, verification of your education, which may include High School graduation or GED equivalent, undergraduate and/or graduate degrees, will be required. 

• This position will require a pre-employment Criminal Background Investigation (CBI). 

• If you are selected as the top candidate for a position, we may contact your current and former employer.

• If you are identified as a top military candidate or a veteran, you must provide a copy of your DD-214. 

 

EEO Statement for City of Austin:

The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual's AIDS, AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.

City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.