Accountant II (SR-20) Full Time

Salary rate is determined by collective bargaining agreements or Pay Administration Policy as applicable.

ELECTRONIC MAIL (EMAIL) NOTIFICATIONS: The Department of Human Resources will use ONLY electronic mail (email) to notify applicants of important information relating to the status, processing of their applications, and examination notices.

Please ensure that the email address and contact information you provide is current, secure, and readily accessible to you. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our emails or fail to check your emails in a timely manner.  In addition, please be aware that you may no longer receive notification about applications submitted if you choose to disable the Job Application Emails feature.

Recruitment No.: 2324-006 Open Competitive

Open: Includes all interested individuals including members of the general public

Eligible lists may be used for temporary and permanent vacancies for the class of work during the life of the eligible list.   Temporary appointments may lead to conversion to permanent employment.

Independently performs professional accounting work in the maintenance of an accounting system; analyzes fiscal data; and performs other related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

You must meet all the requirements for the position you are seeking as of the filing date of your application, unless otherwise specified. If you do NOT meet the minimum qualification requirements your application will be rejected.  Therefore, please provide a complete application of all the information you would want considered in our review.  You may request an administrative review to provide clarifying information only on the information that was originally provided on your application at the time of filing; subsequent submittal of missing documents or new information that was not part of your original application submittal will not be considered in the Administrative Review.

Please note that unless specifically indicated, internships that are required for graduation may not be credited for experience. Your possession of the required amount of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for the position. Overall paid or unpaid experience must be of such scope and responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that you have the ability to perform the duties of the position. 

Note: Calculation of experience is based on full-time, 40-hour work weeks. Part-time experience will be pro-rated. Example: Twelve months of experience at 20 hours per week is equivalent to six months of experience. In addition, hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week will not be credited. Example: Twelve months of experience at 60 hours per week is equivalent to one year, not one and one-half years.

Training & Experience:  A combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a baccalaureate degree in accounting or business administration with twelve (12) semester credits or eighteen (18) quarter credits in accounting or auditing courses and: 

Qualifying Professional Accounting Experience:  Responsible experience which involved maintaining general journals, general ledger accounts, and related books and accounts; and preparing balance sheet, profit and loss statements, and related accounting and financial reports.  Experience of this nature may be gained by employees performing duties as a principal bookkeeper, or other responsible work requiring the preparation and/or analysis of financial statements and accounting reports.

Non-Qualifying Accounting Experience:  The following types of experience will not be accepted as the professional experience required for these positions: Experience in positions where the duties did not require full professional knowledge and application of generally accepted accounting principles or auditing standards such as an operator of accounting or bookkeeping machines, or in bookkeeping, or in minor accounting or clerical positions (e.g., time, leave, payroll, voucher, examining, etc.); and experience as an office manager or owner of business who supervises accountants, auditors or bookkeepers but does not participate in the accounting or auditing work with responsibility for its technical adequacy.

Substitutions Allowed:

The following may be substituted for education:

General professional work experience or education credits can be substituted for up to two (2) years of the Bachelor’s degree such as:

• Full time progressively responsible professional, technical, or substantive work experience demonstrating the scope, level, and quality of work comparable to a curriculum leading to an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.
• Successful completion of semester credits in a curriculum leading to a degree or diploma at an accredited community college, trades school, college, or university (15 semester credits = 6 months).

Specialized professional work experience in accounting, business administration or a related field or education credits in accounting, business administration or a related field can be substituted for up to four (4) years of the bachelor’s degree such as:

• Full time progressively responsible professional, technical, or substantive work experience demonstrating the scope, level, and quality of work comparable to a curriculum leading to an associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree.
• Successful completion of semester credits specific to accounting, business administration or a related field leading to a degree or diploma from an accredited community college, trades school, college, or university (15 semester credits = 6 months).

A master’s degree or PhD in accounting, business administration or a related field may be substituted for the education requirement.

The following may be substituted for experience:

• Successful completion of semester credits specific in accounting, business administration or a related field leading towards a Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD degree from an accredited college or university, may be substituted up to one (1) year of the work experience requirement (15 semester credits = 6 months).
• A Master’s degree in accounting, business administration or a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the work experience requirement.
• A Doctorate’s degree in accounting, business administration or a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one (1) year of the work experience requirement.

If a degree is used to substitute for the education requirement, it may not be used again towards the experience requirement. If work experience is used to substitute for education, it may not be used again to meet the experience requirement. If the applicant holds more than one degree, transcripts must be provided, and a thorough review will be conducted by the DHR staff in order for more than one degree to be credited towards the minimum qualification requirements. Additional degrees can be considered if obtained independently through mutually exclusive classes from another degree being considered. Substitutions will be used to the advantage of the applicant.

Quality of Experience:  Possession of the required number of years of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for a position. The applicant’s overall experience must have been of such scope and level of responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that he/she has the ability to perform the duties of the position for which he/she is being considered.

License Requirement:  At the time of appointment, the candidate selected may need to possess a valid motor vehicle operator’s license if the position requires it.

Knowledge of:  Principles and practices of commercial accounting; preparation and analysis of financial statements and reports; fiscal administration including budgeting and financial reporting; office practices and procedures.

Ability to:  Devise and install accounting methods, techniques, and procedures; prepare complete and accurate reports and standards; analyze data, detect errors, and correct inconsistencies in accounting records; maintain effective working relationships with others.

Test:  Applicants may be required to qualify on an appropriate examination.

Health and Physical Condition Requirements:  Persons seeking appointment to positions in this class must meet the health and physical condition standards deemed necessary and proper to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodations.

Physical Effort Grouping: Light

Required Forms and Documentation:

1. Evidence of education (degree or transcript).  A legible photocopy of an official transcript will be accepted. DHR reserves the right to request for an official copy.

Note: Transcripts downloaded from the internet are not acceptable. Copy of your education degree or transcripts must be submitted in order to be given credit.  Copies will not be returned.  Supporting documents must be attached to the application postmarked or dropped off to: Department of Human Resources, 4444 Rice Street, Suite 140, Lihue, HI 96766 or emailed: [email protected] within 10 calendar days from filing the application. Office hours are Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Examination:  The examination may consist of a written test, training and experience evaluation, or any other examining technique. Be certain to list all pertinent training and experience, as this may be important in determining your examination score. It is essential that the applicant describes fully the duties and responsibilities of each position held, specify the date of each position held (from and to, month and year), and indicate the number of hours worked per week. Candidates may be examined for their knowledge and abilities as mentioned above.

• When attending the exam, please be prompt.  There will be no admittance once the door is closed.  

For further information about Equal Employment Opportunity, the Merit Civil Service System, Citizenship and other requirements, Reasonable Accommodation, Veterans Preference, Examination Requirements, and the Internal Complaint and Merit Appeals Board Processes please visit our website at www.kauai.gov.

NOTE: Persons selected for employment will be required to pass a suitability background investigation which may include, but not limited to, an oral interview, reference check, drug screening, pre-employment medical exam, psychological assessment, polygraph test, as applicable to the position to their employment.

Benefits: As a civil service, full-time position, this position comes with the following 

BENEFITS and associated deductions:

• Pay Raises: Pay raises are negotiated by the respective union for this position. This position is part of bargaining unit 13, Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA).
• Paid Vacation Time: Employees start accruing paid vacation time immediately upon hire!  14 hours are earned after a full month of service which means 21 days per year!
• Paid Sick Leave Time: Employees start accruing paid sick leave time immediately upon hire!  14 hours are earned after a full month of service which means 21 days per year!
• Paid Holidays: The County recognizes 13 holidays per year as well as General Election Day every other year.
• Retirement: This position is eligible to participate in the State sponsored defined benefits retirement plan. The State of Hawaii Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) is the current retirement plan which requires employees to contribute a portion of their earnings to the retirement plan. Currently, most employees must contribute 8% of their pay to the retirement system.  However, there are exceptions, for example Police Officers and Fire Fighters contribute 12.2 to 14.2%. Please see the ERS website at https://ers.ehawaii.gov/members/active for more information.
• Health Insurance: The County pays a portion of the premiums for employee’s enrollment in a State sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Adult Dental Plan. This is managed through the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF).  Please see the EUTF website at https://eutf.hawaii.gov/ for current employee contribution rates.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Employees can increase their take-home pay by having the County deduct the cost of health care premiums, medical and dependent care expenses before payroll taxes are withheld.
• Group Life Insurance: The County provides a free life insurance policy (currently worth $38,505) for active employees for those employees who pass away while employed. For more information, go to the EUTF website https://eutf.hawaii.gov/health-life-insurance-providers/securian/active-benefits/ for more information. Age reductions apply and coverage decreases beginning at age 65. 
• Deferred Compensation (IRC Section 457 Plan): Employees are eligible to join the State of Hawaii Island Savings Deferred Compensation Plan and defer portions of their income taxation on retirement savings into future years. Please refer to the Island Savings website at https://islandsavings.preparewithpru.com/index.html for more information. 

PLEASE NOTE: Benefits are subject to legislative and negotiated changes.