Accountant, Financial Reporting, Financial Compliance

The Accountant position performs professional accounting, financial reporting, reconciliation, and internal-control duties in support of the municipality’s financial operations. The position maintains general ledger accounts, prepares journal entries and financial reports, reconciles financial records, assists with monthly and fiscal year-end closing, and prepares documentation for the annual financial audit.

This position also serves as a designated backup for payroll, accounts payable, cash receipts, and routine purchasing functions. Backup responsibilities are performed when the primary employee is unavailable, during periods of increased workload, or as otherwise assigned. All duties are performed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, governmental accounting standards, applicable laws and regulations, municipal policies, and established internal controls.

The position requires sound professional judgment, attention to detail, the ability to meet recurring deadlines, and the ability to safeguard confidential financial, payroll, banking, employee, purchasing, and vendor information.

Work is performed under the general supervision of the Assistant Director of Finance or other designated supervisor.

The set starting range for this position is $66,368.00 to $69,049.00 annually.

The Town of Blacksburg is an EEO Employer M/F/D/V

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Maintains general ledger accounts and supporting financial records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable governmental accounting standards.
• Prepares and posts recurring, correcting, adjusting, accrual, allocation, reclassification, and year-end journal entries.
• Reviews journal entries and other financial transactions for accuracy, completeness, supporting documentation, proper account classification, and required authorization.
• Reconciles general ledger accounts, subsidiary ledgers, bank accounts, investment accounts, pooled cash accounts, receivables, liabilities, payroll accounts, and other assigned financial records.
• Researches and resolves accounting discrepancies, posting errors, unreconciled transactions, unusual balances, and differences between subsidiary systems and the general ledger.
• Reviews revenues, expenditures, transfers, receivables, liabilities, and fund balances for proper accounting treatment and fiscal-year recognition.
• Assists with monthly and fiscal year-end closing procedures, including account analysis, accruals, cutoff procedures, reconciliations, and preparation of closing work papers.
• Monitors assigned funds, departments, grants, capital projects, and special programs for appropriate accounting treatment, budgetary compliance, and financial reporting.
• Reviews financial transactions for compliance with adopted budgets, municipal policies, grant requirements, contracts, and other applicable restrictions.
• Assists departments with account coding, budget availability, transaction research, financial system corrections, and interpretation of accounting procedures.
• Prepares financial analyses, account schedules, reconciliations, and management reports as assigned.
• Assists with the development, documentation, and implementation of accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls.

• Assists with the preparation of interim and annual financial statements and other required financial reports.
• Prepares schedules, reconciliations, account analyses, confirmations, and supporting documentation for the annual external audit.
• Responds to auditor inquiries and assists with researching and resolving audit questions and proposed adjustments.
• Assists with preparation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report or other annual financial reporting document.
• Assists with preparation of state, federal, grant, debt, and other regulatory financial reports.
• Maintains organized accounting records in accordance with applicable records-retention requirements.
• Assists with implementation of new governmental accounting standards and financial reporting requirements.

Serves as a trained backup for payroll processing when the primary payroll employee is…