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Principal Account Clerk (Department of Finance)

City of San Jose
San Jose, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 4/18/2026 CLOSED ON 4/22/2026

What are the responsibilities and job description for the Principal Account Clerk (Department of Finance) position at City of San Jose?

The Finance Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Principal Account Clerk 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 has five core divisions:

  • Accounting
  • Administration
  • Debt & Treasury Management
  • Purchasing & Risk Management
  • Revenue Management

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 $27.4 million operating budget and 128 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

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 $27.4 million operating budget and 128 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

The Principal Account Clerk position provides Accounts Payable support to the City of San José. The essential duties of this position include:

  • Provide customer service to departmental fiscal staff and walk-in customers. 
  • Perform p-card audits, review policies, and ensure compliance. 
  • Process refunds under $5,000. 
  • Review and approve p-card transactions. 
  • Review and approve purchase order payments, batches, p-card edit lists, and refund edit lists. 
  • Review and approve employee reimbursements. 
  • Process voided checks and canceled invoices. 
  • Void and reissue checks and ACH transactions. 
  • Cover the Accounts Payable front counter and answer incoming calls. 
  • Distribute daily mail. 
  • Review and approve petty cash transactions. 
  • Perform month-end cleanup. 
  • Collect and update Signature Authorization Forms. 
  • Perform additional Principal Account Clerk duties, as needed
(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
Completion of high school, General Educational Development (GED) Certificate, or
California Proficiency Certificate AND three (3) years of accounting clerical experience, including one
(1) year in the performance of reviewing and balances ledgers, processing and reviewing revenues, payments, or requisitions, or serving as a timekeeper and processing payroll.
 
Acceptable Substitution
A bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for the required experience.

Competencies:

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Reliability - Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.

Social Awareness -  Demonstrates the ability to read or sense other people’s emotions and how they influence the situation of interest or concern; demonstrates empathy and organizational awareness.

The salary range for a Principal Account Clerk is $80,196.48 - $97,624.80 Annually. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience. Employees in the Principal Account Clerk classification shall also receive an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay, which is included in the range above.

Selection Process: 

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific supplemental questions. You must answer all the following supplemental questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews. 



Salary : $80,196 - $97,625

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