Accountant IV (1657)

Company Description

The San Francisco Planning Department is recruiting for one (1) Temporary Exempt (TEX) 1657 Accountant IV position in our Finance Division.

Specific information regarding this recruitment process are listed below.

• Application Opening:  June 28, 2023
• Application Deadline:  Applicants are encouraged to apply immediately as this recruitment may close at any time, but no earlier than July 13, 2023.
• Recruitment ID:  RTF0137127-01154621
• Analyst:  Zoey Feng

Appointment Type:  Temporary Exempt (TEX)
This position is exempt from Civil Service Commission rules pursuant to the City and County of San Francisco, Charter Section 10.104, and incumbents serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer.  The duration of the appointment shall not exceed 36 months.

It is the intent of the Planning Department to fill this position as Permanent Civil Service (PCS) when the 1657 Accountant IV eligible list is available.  The candidate selected for this TEX position must participate and be successful in a Civil Service Examination process for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for a PCS appointment.

The Department
The San Francisco Planning Department (CPC) plays a central role in guiding the growth and development in our City. The Department works with other City agencies and the community to help achieve great planning for a great city.   

Our Mission
The mission of the San Francisco Planning Department, under the direction of the Planning Commission, shapes the future of San Francisco and the region by: generating an extraordinary vision for the General Plan and in neighborhood plans; fostering exemplary design through planning controls; improving our surroundings through environmental analysis; preserving our unique heritage; encouraging a broad range of housing and a diverse job base; and enforcing the Planning Code. 

Our Racial and Social Equity Vision 
The Department’s racial and social equity vision is:  

• We envision inclusive neighborhoods that provide all with the opportunity to lead fulfilling, meaningful, and healthy lives. We envision a city where public life and public spaces reflect the past, present and future of San Franciscans. We envision a city where a person’s race does not determine their lives’ prospects and success.  
• We envision an inclusive Planning Department and Commissions that represent and engage the communities we serve. We envision a Department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in both internal operations and external Planning work. Together, we are reimagining what the Planning field is and can be – inclusive, diverse and one that centers racial and social equity both as a practice and as an indicator of success.  
• In order to achieve this broader city vision, we must do our part and address racial and social equity within the Planning Department’s policies and practices.  

Job Description

The 1657 Accountant IV performs highly complex accounting duties including to, serve as the Department's lead on accounting processes and requirements; implement all accounting and fiscal procedures for the Planning Department; recommend and implement proper reporting and internal controls; supervise accounting staff; provide directives and training to all department staff on accounting/financial requirements to enhance operational inefficiencies; oversee the posting of all accounting transactions; initiate, oversee and perform analyses for year-end close; monitor department expenditures; prepare and present management with financial reports; present and explain accounting activity to financial and non-financial managers, and co-workers in the Department; identify and prepare processing and reporting requirements for financial systems; issue guidance and instructions to all department staff on accounting matters; actively manage all work order budgets and transactions.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Perform highly complex accounting functions,
• Delegate assignments to staff,
• Provide back-up in absence of finance operations staff,
• Participate in the departmental budget development, implementation, and review,
• Perform complex analysis and reconciliation of fiscal and accounting records and reports to communicate with department managers, department directors and other management staff,
• Provide contracts and budget support during vacancies in the Contracts Analyst position and the Budget Analyst position,
• Supervise subordinate accounting staff and accounting interns.
• Supervise the finance department in absence of the Finance Manager, when needed.
• Coordinate and respond to all information requests,
• Develop and communicate a variety of financial reports to management,
• Review, analyze, and process invoice payments, purchase orders, travel, and other reimbursement requests,
• Review and update all administrative and financial policies and procedures,
• Perform quarterly workorder processing,
• Review, prepare, and submit all required fiscal year end accounting transactions and coordinate year end processing,
• Act as back up for other finance team members, and
• Perform other special projects and duties, as required.

Qualifications

1. Requires a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, preferably with major course work in accounting, finance, business administration or a closely related field. Such education must include at least eighteen (18) semester units or twenty-four (24) quarter units of coursework in accounting; AND
   
   Six (6) years of professional accounting experience which includes analysis or problem solving. Experience must include: Working with automated financial system (preferably a government system), performing difficult and responsible accounting and reporting work, preparing financial records, reports, and financial statements, in compliance with General Accepted Accounting Principles. Experience must include two (2) years of verifiable experience supervising subordinate staff. OR
    
2. City and County of San Francisco Employees with six (6) years of professional accounting experience including experience as a 1652 Accounting II or 1654 Accountant III. Experience must include two (2) years of verifiable experience supervising subordinate staff.

Substitution:  A Master’s degree in accounting, business administration, computer information systems, public policy, or a closely related field may be substituted for one year of work experience.

Verification of Education and Experience:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Additional Information

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

How to Apply:

To be considered, please submit a SmartRecruiters application and attach to your application:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Having Trouble? If you are having trouble with the application, please visit Smart Recruiter's FAQs or email [email protected]  It is suggested you use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge web browser to submit the application. 

Questions:  If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Zoey Feng by telephone at 628-652-7628, or by email at [email protected]

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.