Accountant Journey

Performs routine professional accounting for operations, maintenance and capital expenditures; ensures accurate recording, classification, allocation and reporting of costs in compliance with applicable SMUD policies and state and federal regulations and guidelines; maintains the integrity of the general ledger and processes timely tong-term debt accounting and payment documents.

There are three (3) levels in this job classification series that have similar job content but with progressively more challenging degrees and levels of skill, responsibility, knowledge, experience and qualification requirements:

Flex Classifications (that permit progression from lower-level classes to higher level classes without examination based upon assessment of an individual's experience and performance) within the series:

• Entry: Incumbent acquires knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the tasks associated within the series but are not yet demonstrating these at the Journey level.
• Journey: Incumbent is demonstrating the required skills and knowledge to independently perform the full scope of the job.

Non-Flex Classification (that promotes from lower-level classes to a higher level class and requires an examination, such as an interview, based upon individual experience and performance) within the series:

• Senior: Advanced journey level resource who is responsible for advanced assignments, as dictated by the work needing to be performed; may serve in a lead capacity.

• Entry to Journey: Incumbents at the entry level are required to successfully "progress" to the journey level within 60 months of appointment to remain within the job series.
• Seniors must be hired through a promotional process and do not automatically progress from lower levels in the series.

• Performs standard and specialized accounting activities for recording and reporting costs relating to property/capital and operation/maintenance expenses; ensures records are accurate and current; oversees the transfer of completed capital costs from in progress to in service; prepares and maintains source and input documents to update property and general ledger accounts; prepares, distributes and explains project cost reports; provides training and task oversight to others in the accounting unit.
• Maintains integrity of the general ledger by verifying, classifying and recording SMUD transactions in accordance with FERC and GAAP.
• Monitors, reviews, interprets, and applies SMUD and state policies and procedures and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requirements and guidelines related to definition of costs, methods of cost collection, procedures for recording and reporting costs and authorizations for purchases or payments in all aspects of SMUD's property and expense accounting.
• Ensures completion of special accounting projects/assignments; establishes work plans and provides information, training, and expertise on accounting practices and the accounting system to work groups, SMUD entities and cost-initiating areas; establishes, monitors, and reports project status and facilitates review and revision of work plans.
• Establishes review methods to ensure accuracy, thoroughness and consistency of accounting records end reporting of project costs by conducting systematic reviews of source documents; maintains ongoing review of final classifications of all property; ensures controls on accuracy and thoroughness of data entering the accounting system; resolves discrepancies in cost classifications through processing adjustments in accordance with SMUD policies and state and federal regulations.
• Maintains timely and accurate debt service payments by preparing and maintaining debt service records and reviewing compliance with bond covenants.
• Provides support for management decision making by responding to requests for information, developing, producing and distributing accounting reports and serving on project teams as an accounting resource.
• Assists in planning, reviewing and conducting work activities and researching required project information associated with department internal/external projects in accordance with established task objectives end schedules as outlined in the project plan/contract.
• Performs other related duties as needed to include working outside of typical business hours when necessary.

Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting, finance or a closely related field. Progressively responsible experience in accounting processing, compiling, reconciling, analyzing and reporting financial information may substitute for education on a year for year basis.

At least three (3+) years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in accounting analysis, including one year of experience using an Enterprise Resource Planning system, i.e. Oracle, SAP, WorkDay, etc.

Fundamentals and practices of public agency financial management including general and governmental accounting, budgeting, auditing, and reporting functions as well as GAAP, GASB and FASB guidelines; standards, systems and concepts related to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) accounting; fundamentals and practices of automated financial systems; federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations related to accounting, financial reporting and rate regulation issues; fundamentals and procedures of record keeping; fundamentals of business letter writing and report preparation; office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases; English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Perform professional accounting assignments; examine and verify financial documents, reports, and transactions; prepare a variety of budgets, financial statements, reports, and analyses in conformance with GAAP and established policies and procedures; analyze, post, balance, and reconcile financial data, ledgers, and accounts; analyze and interpret financial data and recognize accounts that need investigation; perform mathematical calculations; understand, interpret, and apply general departmental policies and procedures as well as applicable federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations; prepare clear and concise reports; plan and organize work to meet changing priorities and deadlines; operate office equipment including computers and supporting word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications; communicate effectively orally and in writing internally/externally; establish and maintain effective working relationships internally/externally.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting
• Work experience in Accounting systems, procedures and financial reporting
• Strong Excel and analytical skills.