Rockford, IL – Payroll Accountant

NATURE OF WORK

This position serves the public by performing a wide variety of payroll, accounting, auditing, and financial record management, ensuring timely and accurate compliance with government regulations and GFOA best practices.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

Work involves maintaining complex payroll, fiscal, and related records, and performing assigned duties where professional accounting skills are required.  Work is performed according to generally accepted accounting principles and within the framework of established laws, regulations, procedures, policies, rules, and procedures governing financial accounting and reporting.

Essential Functions (Illustrative Only)

Manages, maintains, and reviews payroll and accounting systems to ensure timely and accurate processing of payroll transactions including salaries, benefits, garnishments, taxes, and other deductions.

Ensures accurate and timely processing of payroll updates including new hires, terminations, and changes to pay rates.

Prepares and issues W-2 and W-3 forms, and other documents required by state and federal law in conjunction with the payroll system.

Prepares and issues 1099 forms and other documents required by state and federal law.

Administers departmental invoicing process via the financial software of record, ensuring that accounts payable invoices are accurately entered and confirming correct accounting practices are followed in the processing and payment of invoices.

Assists in maintaining and reconciling a complete set of accounts including subsidiary ledger, general ledger, and budgetary and control accounts; allocates shared costs to cost centers; prepares and analyzes trial balance and monthly and yearly financial statements and reports.

Assists in maintaining and monitoring project expenses including capital improvement (CIP) expenses to ensure proper coding, accurate reporting, and conformance with generally accepted accounting principles.  Prepares financial and budget reports balancing and monitoring capital improvement projects including monitoring grants, state funds, and FRSA funding.

Ensures accurate input of general ledger postings by coding journal entries and reviewing account coding before data entry.

Balances and deposits cash receipts; enters data as needed to updated accounts and files; searches for and identifies discrepancies and adjusts accounts appropriately; distributes receipts to proper funds; prepares bank deposits.

Assists in the preparation of comprehensive annual financial statements; administers the reconciliation of accounts.

Assists with the preparation of various work papers, schedules, and financial statements in advance of financial audits by external independent auditors.

Assists with balancing User Fee AR transactions to the GL and User Fee payments to the bank for variances as needed.

Assists with month-end closing processes such as depreciation, running financials, reviewing and creating the reports for the board meeting, and reviewing the month-end checklist.

Provides work processes and rules to FRSA staff responsible for billing, processing payments to vendors, issuing refunds, and maintaining various databases.

Assists with the maintenance and reconciliation of internal expenditure and budgetary control accounts; and prepares a variety of fiscal and accounting data for developing department budgets.

Records and maintains fixed asset accounts; maintains all accounting records, and assists with annual physical audit, and prepares reconciliation schedules and analysis for year-end financial audit.

Assists with the development and implementation and maintenance of financial software applications.

Adheres to all safety procedures, practices, and requirements.

Provides superior internal and external customer service.

Represents Four Rivers Sanitation Authority and its policies in a positive manner internally and externally.

Performs other duties as assigned by Management.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED

Works under the general supervision of the Assistant Director of Management Services or other administrative superior who assigns and reviews the work.    Work is reviewed by observation and in progress for accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and adherence to guidelines and requirements and is subject to periodic external audit.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED

This position provides technical oversight and direction to support staff.

WORKING CONDITIONS & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work is performed primarily in an office setting and is essentially sedentary with occasional walking, standing, bending, and carrying items under 25 pounds.  Work requires periods of extended computer use and performing tasks with set deadlines and volume processing.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES (KSAs)

Extensive knowledge of payroll functions including preparation, balancing, internal control, and payroll taxes.

Knowledge of generally accepted payroll and accounting principles and practices, as applied to general government accounting, and related systems and procedures.

Proven knowledge of electronic payroll and financial systems and their use in assigned accounting systems or subsystems.

Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

Ability to prepare and maintain accurate and complete financial records and reports and prepare records in advance of external financial audits.

Ability to make arithmetic computations and tabulations rapidly and accurately.

Ability to recognize and reconcile discrepancies in financial records.

Ability to apply accounting principles to the development, maintenance, or auditing of fiscal and accounting records.

Knowledge of MS Office Suite or other word processing, spreadsheet, and database software standards that may be adopted.

Ability to work well in a team environment.

Ability to express ideas effectively, orally and in writing to other staff members and the public.

Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects.

Ability to operate a smartphone, to use relevant applications, including monitoring e-mail, and responding to text messaging and phone calls.

Ability to accurately record time and attendance through an electronic timekeeping system.

Must demonstrate excellent internal and external customer service skills.

Ability to understand and enforce all safety practices and procedures as required by the work assignment.

Ability to provide the highest level of internal and external customer service.

Ability to maintain reasonable and customary attendance.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field and 3 – 5 years of increasingly responsible financial payroll, accounting and reporting experience.  Public sector experience preferred.  CPP or FPC is preferential.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Possession of a valid driver’s license from the state of residence at the time of hire with a driving record suitable to the FRSA.

For more information, contact:

Brittany Krutz
bkrutz@fourrivers.illinois.gov