Accounting Assistant

City of Salem • 440 Church St. SE Salem, OR

9d • Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Financial Services Manager, this role handles the accounts payable duties for the Community Planning and Development Department. It also involves providing analytical duties related to two federal housing programs, purchasing activities, and departmental and project budgeting. The Accounts Payable duties require matching invoices with purchase orders for processing payments, obtaining approvals, entering payment information (often involving split funding), and processing payments timely. Data analysis involves organizing, analyzing, and matching financial disbursements with reimbursements between a federal database and the City’s financial records. The role also supports budgeting and purchasing activities through data analysis and calculations. This position offers an opportunity to process critical payments and disbursements that fund City operations and community improvements, and to research and analyze data in support of the department. The Accounting Assistant will also learn and become proficient in the City’s new enterprise management system, Workday.

Requirements

• Graduation from high school or G.E.D.
• Supplemented by courses in accounting and government accounting.
• Two years of experience in accounting procedures, experience with governmental fund accounts, cash handling, or any equivalent combination of experience and training.
• Knowledge of accounts payable processes including the use of purchase orders.
• Knowledge of general purchasing procedures and methods including bids, sole source justifications and requests for proposals.
• Attention to detail and a propensity for working with numbers.
• Experience with the use of electronic spreadsheets, enterprise systems and word processing for analysis and tracking.
• Ability to review and interpret contract agreements and evaluate contract compliance.
• Ability to analyze, review and organize sources of revenue and expenditures.
• Good organizational and time management skills.
• Effective written and verbal skills.
• Must pass the pre-employment background check.
• May require an Oregon Driver's license and a driving record that meets the City of Salem's driving standards.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual skills preferred.
• Experience in accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash handling, or collections.
• Exercising good judgement and working independently to accomplish assigned responsibilities, determining correct procedures, rules, and regulations to be followed when preparing billings, posting payments, reconciling account information, receiving payments, and processing delinquent accounts.
• Ability to organize and track work assignments involving multi-step processes to meet deadlines and ensure accurate, timely completion of processes; re-prioritize tasks and reply to requests for information on short notice on a daily basis.
• Ability to make accurate arithmetical computations.
• Review, interpret, and apply relevant laws, rules, and regulations.
• Computer operation skills and experience with a variety of financial and billing systems used to perform assigned job functions (Elite, Paylease, banking web sites, etc.).
• Respect, seek to understand, and value individual differences to foster and support a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees and the public.
• Excellent communication.

Responsibilities

• Process accounts payable duties for the department, including matching invoices with purchase orders, obtaining approvals, entering payment information, and processing payments timely.
• Organize, analyze, and match financial disbursements with reimbursements between a federal database and the City’s financial records.
• Perform data analysis and calculations in support of budgeting and purchasing activities.
• Review, validate, and pay all invoices for the Community Planning and Development Department, ensuring adequate documentation and approvals.
• Receive, track, and process invoices for payment.
• Receive documents authorizing grant disbursements and process for payment.
• Obtain account coding and approval for processing payments from division heads and other personnel.
• Review and validate documents for mathematical or content accuracy and resolve discrepancies.
• Review and understand City purchasing and payment processes to determine proper payment processing.
• Perform credit card reconciliations in support of monthly credit card payments.
• Process and track federal program disbursements to facilitate monthly reconciliations.
• Train in the new Workday system and share knowledge with colleagues.
• Collaborate with Financial Services Manager and Administrative Analyst for information sharing and cross-training.
• Prepare spreadsheets for tracking payments and reimbursements, calculating cost allocations, and other data analysis.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your family.
• Paid vacation and sick leave.
• Competitive pay.
• Retirement pension through participation in the Oregon PERS system.
• Opportunity for voluntary pre-tax contributions to a 457b retirement account.
• Health care and dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Standard and voluntary life insurance.
• Voluntary long-term care insurance.
• Employee wellness program.
• Employee assistance program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED