Accountant III

The City of Portland is recruiting to fill current and future Accountant III vacancies across the city.

Accountant III positions perform work in the following bureaus:
Bureau of Environmental Services, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Portland Parks and Recreation, Portland Permitting & Development, Public Safety Service Area, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Portland Water Bureau.

Job Appointment: Full time, regular

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8am-5pm. Alternate schedule may be available.

Work Location: Work locations vary by bureau/office.

• Public Safety Service Area: Hybrid. Employees are expected work on site 50% of the time. In-person work will be conducted at 1120 SW 5th Avenue, Portland, OR. Remote work must be performed within Oregon or Washington.
• Office of the Chief Financial Officer: Fully remote.

Benefits: Please check our benefit tab for an overview of benefit for this position.

Union Representation: This classification is represented byAFSCME-189. Applicants start at the entry salary rate. If you are a AFSCME represented employee, see labor agreement for additional information or talk to your union representative. You can view the labor agreement here:
Current City Labor Agreements

Language Pay Premium Eligible: This position is or may be eligible for Language Pay Differential for qualifying employees.

The Accountant III positions typically perform the most responsible accounting-related functions and have a substantial impact on the integrity of financial systems, reporting, and management decision making. The Accountant III is responsible for accounting, reporting, and financial analysis and is significantly relied upon for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness by City management for decision making purposes.

• Financial reporting & analysis: Gathers and verifies data from financial systems, performs analysis (Excel/statistical tools), and produces reports, charts, and leadership presentations, including ad-hoc requests.
• Forecasting & trend analysis: Develops long-range financial projections and analyzes expenditures, revenues, variances, and trends to support management resource allocation.
• AP management: Reviews and validates vendor invoices, ensures proper coding/approval routing, and maintains accurate records.
• Compliance & audit readiness: Conducts monthly audits of financial documentation and maintains documentation of methodologies/data sources used.
• Year-end auditing & reporting: Reviews and closes project accounts, reconciles cost accounting across systems, produces capital asset/funding reports, and manages year-end processes (journal entries, stakeholder deadlines, meetings) to ensure timely submission.
• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) & Guideline Development: Develops and recommends modifications of accounting control policies, procedures and practices; implements and updates accounting policies and procedures

The current vacancy exists in the Public Safety Service Area (PSSA). As the Accountant III, you will serve as the bureau's primary cashier and accounts receivable specialist. This position is responsible for processing customer payments for permits, fees, and other bureau services while providing exceptional customer service to the public and internal stakeholders. The Accountant III works closely with customers at the Development Services Center and collaborates with bureau staff to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant financial transactions.

In addition to the bullet points listed above, the PSSA Accountant III will also be responsible for:

• Collections & write-offs: Evaluates uncollectible receivables, manages write-off approvals, and leads delinquent account collection efforts.
• AR management: Tracks project revenues against contracts, monitors aging reports, reconciles payments, and follows up on discrepancies or overdue balances.
• External billing: Independently creates and issues customer invoices in SAP, verifies accuracy against contracts, and coordinates with City staff to gather billing data.
• Billing follow-up & process improvement: Monitors outstanding invoices, follows up on payment, escalates…