Position Summary

Performs specialized accounting work in the areas of financial reporting to create comprehensive reports, guide management in financial decision making, and ensure compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Denver Water policies. Makes decisions related to the correct transactional accounting and financial statement reporting based on expertise interpreting GAAP regulatory standards and specialized knowledge of reporting within multiple basis of accounting.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position does not have formal supervisory responsibilities over other employees.

 Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Compile quarterly financial statements and the Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports, including the audited financial statements, independently ensuring that the reported results comply with GAAP standards, Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) requirements, financial reporting standards, and Denver Water policies. This includes balance sheets, income statements, statements of cashflow, required supplemental and statistical schedules.
• Work directly with external auditors to provide information and reports and to review conclusions from independently derived decisions on accounting treatment for new and/or complex GAAP standards.
• Research and interpret GAAP standards to evaluate and determine impacts on accounting processes and financial statements.
• Provide expertise and training in the implementation of new GAAP standards with stakeholders at all levels within the organization.
• Review and evaluate all Denver Water contractual agreements and terms for financial and reporting implications and determine GAAP standard applicability. Collaborate with General Counsel on contractual terms with financial implications to address financial statement effects preemptively.
• Decision maker as the subject matter expert on recording transactions to accurately reflect reporting on different basis of accounting (GAAP, Budget basis, cash). Provide guidance and training on recording transactions and reporting between different basis of accounting, including reconciliations between the different basis of accounting.
• Lead, year-end reporting processes, calendars and project plans, and audit schedules due from groups outside of finance. Work with the internal business groups to identify items that may need to be accrued prior to close of the fiscal year and make the determination as to the correct reporting period based on GAAP standards.
• Research and analyze complex accounting issues and trouble shoot complex recording errors or discrepancies. Independently guide stakeholders and management through options for resolving the issue and/or correcting the discrepancy, using technical expertise to incorporate applicable GAAP standards and Denver Water policies in the assessment.
• Design, lead and/or support finance and organizational special projects and initiatives regarding processes and systems that target accounting transactions. Perform process needs assessments, work with stakeholders to determine information requirements and accessibility, test and evaluate outcomes, streamline processes, perform complex financial calculations, recommend improvements, prepare options and recommendations for management review that consider both the upstream and downstream impacts, and implement changes in processes and systems.
• Support highly technical accounting and finance functions and provide technical expertise and direction on questions pertaining to correct transactional accounting including accurate interpretations of GAAP standards and the correct use of the internal chart of accounts structure.
• Perform related work as required.