Accountant I​/II - Department of Finance; Payroll

Accountant I/II

The Finance Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Accountant I/II vacancy in the Accounting Division. If you are interested in this position, please apply!

The mission of the Finance Department is to manage, protect, and report on City of San José financial resources to enhance the City's financial condition for residents, businesses, and investors.

The Finance Department works in partnership with the departments of Human Resources, Information Technology, and Public Works as the City's Strategic Support City Service Area to effectively develop, manage, and safeguard City fiscal, physical, technological, and human resources to enable and enhance the delivery of City services and projects. The Finance Department has a $27.6 million operating budget and 126 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

The City of San José Finance Department is seeking to hire one Payroll Accountant to perform critical payroll accounting functions within the Accounting Division. This position is responsible for ensuring all payroll transactions and related activities are accurately recorded in the City's general ledger to support timely and accurate financial reporting. Responsibilities include monitoring and reconciling payroll taxes, retirement contributions, employee benefits, and other payroll deductions between the City's Oracle People Soft Payroll System and the City's Financial Management System (FMS), while ensuring compliance with applicable accounting standards, policies, and reporting requirements.

The Accountant performs a variety of professional accounting duties, including but not limited to:

• Assist Payroll Accountants and Accounting Technicians with payroll processing in the Oracle People Soft Payroll System while supporting continuous improvement of payroll operations.
• Review payroll-related accounting entries prepared by Accounting Technicians to ensure proper GASB classification, accuracy, completeness, and timely recording in the City's general ledger.
• Manage federal and state payroll tax reporting, including bi-weekly tax deposits, quarterly filings, year-end reporting, and related journal entries.
• Maintain the retirement expense tracking worksheet, analyze retirement costs, recommend rate adjustments, and approve journal entries related to prepaid retirement expense accounts.
• Administer executive special pay programs, including relocation reimbursements, moving expense payments, and vehicle allowances for the Mayor, City Council, and executive staff.
• Prepare and maintain bi-weekly executive compensation comparisons for Payroll Management review.
• Administer the annual vehicle take-home imputed income program.
• Process and reconcile Workers' Compensation payroll adjustments and resolve related payroll issues.
• Review and validate individual retroactive payroll payments for accuracy and compliance.
• Reconcile payroll liability accounts, research discrepancies, and prepare recommendations for adjusting journal entries.
• Assist the Senior Accountant with military leave reconciliations and related payroll accounting activities.
• Prepare, reconcile, and submit CalPERS payroll reporting in accordance with established requirements.
• Respond to payroll-related inquiries from City employees and provide guidance regarding payroll policies, procedures, and transactions.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

(These qualifications are typically required. An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to satisfactorily perform the duties of the job may be substituted.) Education and Experience Accountant I Completion of a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Accounting or related field, which must include twelve (12) semester units in accounting subjects. Accountant II Completion of a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Business, Accounting or related field, which must include eighteen (18) semester units in accounting subjects AND two (2) years of progressively responsible accounting or auditing experience.

Acceptable Substitution Accountant I Experience in the maintenance of financial records, systems or…