Accounting & Fiscal Management Compliance Consult

BASIC FUNCTION
Provide accounting oversight and fiscal management consulting and training to client departments. Perform professional-level accounting including a lead role the in preparation of complex financial reports including the annual CAFR. Act for and on behalf of the Assistant Controller or Controller as assigned.

STATEMENT OF ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

1. Responsible for oversight and/or project lead of accounting and financial compliance activities for several county departments; helps ensure that client departments financial activities strategies policies and procedures are in compliance with legal and internal policy parameters; that client departments key accounting compliance issues are understood managed and appropriately monitored. Determines appropriate audit methods.
2. Advises client departments staff on accounting reporting and fiscal management policy issues; advises and assists client departments in developing fiscal policy compliance practices and procedures; recommends a course of corrective action as needed.
3. Identifies critical financial compliance issues confronting client departments and the County as a whole; works closely with client departments to develop operational and technological solutions and monitors implemented solutions for current and long-term results.
4. Provides concise written or verbal analysis of complex accounting reporting and fiscal management issues that have fiscal and/or legal implications; provides alternative solutions and recommendations.
5. Maintains awareness of new and emerging accounting/reporting standards as assigned; determines and presents to the Assistant controller and/or Controller the impacts of new/changed standards and develops findings conclusions and implementation recommendations.
6. Creates and provides training to client departments one-on-one or in county-wide groups regarding complex accounting/reporting standards that may impact them; in regard to fiscal management policies; and in regard to grant compliance requirements.
7. Participates in the modification development and installation of client departments and/or countywide automated accounting systems as assigned; detects and defines systems problems; works with client departments and department of information services staff to arrive at solutions recommends new and changed methods and procedures as appropriate; trains users including client departments staff in the use of automated accounting systems. May serve as systems module lead.
8. Designs develops and implements database applications and solutions to improve accounting and/or compliance operations as assigned.
9. Prepares management information reports as requested; develops report formats.
10. Advises and assists departments with debt management; working with the controller ensures county-wide compliance with debt management legal requirements.
11. Prepares written and oral responses to inquiries by division and other county managers state auditors and council staff as requested.
12. Advises and assists departments in monitoring funds and fiscal health and aids fund managers from a financial accounting and budgetary perspective to meet their operating objectives; includes making recommendations on rates cash flow investments and debt timing.
13. Develops and establishes countywide fiscal management policies and procedures as assigned.
14. Maintains general and subsidiary automated and manual ledgers; reviews and/or approves original source entries; provides financial information for the budget process; prepares/reviews year-end accruals; researches and mediates accounting dispute resolution with client departments.
15. Mentors advises assists and trains subordinate-level employees as assigned; Reviews work of subordinate level employees as assigned; resolves technical problems encountered in the work; may make recommendations regarding the hiring termination and discipline of subordinate-level employees; provides input for subordinate-level employees performance evaluations.
16. In the absence of the Assistant Controller or Controller acts for and on behalf of the Assistant Controller or Controller in a limited capacity as requested by the Controller or Director of Finance.

1. Performs related duties as assigned.

• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS)
• Washington State Budgeting Accounting and Reporting System (BARS)
• Principles theories and practices of governmental accounting
• Federal state and local laws rules and regulations governing public sector financial reporting
• COSO and other internal control compliance requirements
• principles and practices of budgeting and financial management as applied to public jurisdictions
• debt instruments appropriate accounting treatment and compliance requirements
• cost accounting methods and techniques
• rate setting practices and procedures
• research methods and techniques
• workflow planning development and monitoring of goals and work plans
• computer skills in automated accounting systems spreadsheets word processing databases and presentation graphics

• work independently with a minimum of supervision
• plan and manage complex projects; measure work accomplishments per stated objectives and timelines
• plan and organize work meet deadlines and manage several projects simultaneously
• evaluate and interpret complex financial data and relevant legal requirements including ever-changing and increasingly complex reporting standards requirements
• analyze and effectively present asset liability revenue expenditure and fund balance data and take effective action to resolve problems

• maintain necessary records and prepare required reports
• exercise initiative and judgment and independently make decisions within scope of assigned authority
• assess the relative advantages and disadvantages of alternative courses of action
• organize facts and present findings conclusions and recommendations in a clear concise and logical manner to a variety of audiences and in a variety of formats
• communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• relate to communicate effectively with and gain the cooperation of people of all ages and from a variety of cultural economic and ethnic backgrounds
• display strong customer service ethic with the ability to listen to client departments staff and respond to their needs
• effectively schedule organize monitor and review the work of subordinate level employees
• foster an environment that encourages excellence on the parts of peers subordinate level employees and client departments staff
• timely inform supervisor of unresolved problems
• effectively lead project teams
• participate effectively as a team member
• establish and maintain effective work relationships with client departments staff project managers managers elected officials associates subordinates and the general public