Principal Accountant - Birmingham

Job Summary

The City of Birmingham is seeking a well-qualified Principal Accountant to provide strategic direction and oversee the daily financial operations of a department. Principal Accountants perform or supervise a variety of accounting functions, including accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), banking, general ledger (GL), grants, and budgetary accounts, while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and accounting standards, including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements.

Incumbents may prepare and substantiate financial statements and oversee internal and external audits of financial records. Work is performed primarily in an office setting and may include direct supervision of Accounting Assistants, Accountants, and Senior Accountants.

06/29/2026

Grade 27

Full time

The City of Birmingham provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more.

Pay range: $63,502 - $98,508

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration.
• Experience leading the accounting functions for a department or organization such as preparing general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial statements, payroll, or budgets.
• Experience with periodic financial reporting (e.g., balance sheets, income statements, transaction process reports, daily cash reports) for oversight, compliance, and/or to fulfill legal requirements.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration.
• Experience as a Senior Accountant in the Merit System.

• Oversees the Accounts Payable (AP) and/or Accounts Receivable (AR) process by entering requisitions and payments, generating invoices and account statements and reconciling funds using accounting software in accordance with professional standards to maintain finances for a department or jurisdiction.
• Oversees internal and external audits of financial records by acting as the point of communication, distributing audit‑related tasks, and implementing changes identified during the audit consistent with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and auditor transaction testing techniques to maintain compliance with professional standards and regulations.
• Oversees the maintenance of banking records by researching banking and account information to provide recommendations to the department or jurisdiction regarding which banking institutions to utilize.
• Prepares, monitors, and administers departmental or organizational budget by reviewing spending trends, expenditure reports, analyzing financial data and ensuring expenditures are within annual budgetary limits.
• Performs the financial closing process at the end of an accounting period (i.e., monthly, quarterly, yearly) by analyzing account balances and performing balance sheet reconciliations to ensure compliance with federal, state and local guidelines and laws.
• Oversees the maintenance of the general ledger (GL) by reviewing and approving journal entries, auditing the GL for accuracy, creating journal entries and general ledger adjustments, and reconciling the general ledger to other financial records to ensure completeness of information and compliance with federal, state and local guidelines and laws.
• Oversees the maintenance and reporting of confidential governmental financial records according to federal, state, and local guidelines and laws (e.g., Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)) by reviewing financial data and reports and preparing documentation related to financial activities to ensure organizational compliance.
• Monitors agencies’ use of grant funds by verifying compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) to ensure that grant funds are used for their intended purpose.
• Oversees the accounting and processing of…