Truckee Meadows Water Authority Hiring for Accountant (Series) Job at Reno, NV Full Time

Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) is a not-for-profit, community-owned water utility, overseen by elected officials and citizen appointees from Reno, Sparks and Washoe County. TMWA has a highly skilled workforce who ensure the around-the-clock treatment, delivery and availability of high-quality drinking water for more than 400,000 residents of the Truckee Meadows.

Depending on qualifications, an incumbent in the Accountant Series can join at the Staff, Senior, or Principal level. We are looking to hire someone in the Finance department at either the Senior or Principal level.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Under general direction of the Financial Controller, the Staff Accountant will provide professional level technical accounting support to the department in accordance with sound financial management principles and practices. This position ensures the integrity of financial transactions and financial reporting as well as compliance with all Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Governmental Accounting Standards Board statements, Nevada Revised Statutes, internal controls, and other pertinent policies and regulations.

The Staff Accountant must demonstrate a strong desire to learn and possess a high level of accounting acumen. This position will perform analyses and assist with routine tasks related to general ledger accounting, including cash, accounts payable, payroll, fixed assets, and overhead. This position prepares monthly accounting journal entries, reconciliations, and financial statements with guidance from management. The Staff Accountant is also responsible for OPEB accounting, grant accounting, and the unclaimed property process as well as for helping with the budget and year-end processes. This position will utilize strong accounting knowledge, time management skills, and effective problem solving to ensure success.

This position contributes to the success of the organization by providing proactive accounting and support to Finance and other operating departments and agencies. At this level, routine tasks should be completed with moderate oversight. New tasks should be performed with initial direction and frequent oversight from management during the duration.

The Senior Accountant differs from the Staff Accountant in that the incumbent performs significantly more complex professional accounting work with minimal oversight. The Senior Accountant is recognized as having the experience, certifications, and responsibility for making final technical decisions and has influence on the overall outcome of a project or task. An incumbent at the Senior level should be able to identify areas of improvement within accounting processes and internal controls and work with management to develop remedies.

The Principal Accountant differs from the Senior Accountant in that the incumbent performs significantly complex professional accounting work with no active oversight. The Principal Accountant is recognized in the work group as having the highest authority in a group. The Principal Accountant can identify projects and tasks that need to be performed as situations arise without initial direction from management. Incumbents should be able to identify areas of improvement within accounting processes and internal controls and develop remedies independently to be presented to management. An incumbent at the Principal level oversees implementation of projects and is hands on until completion and regularly serves as a project manager.

Progression from one position title, level, or designation is not automatic nor guaranteed and is based in business need.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Works with Financial Controller and CFO to ensure compliance with all Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Governmental Accounting Standards Board statements, Nevada Revised Statutes, internal controls, and other pertinent policies and regulations.
• Assists with the maintenance of the general ledger, including processing and classifying accounting and financial transactions and preparing original and adjusting general ledger and subsidiary ledger journal entries. Analyzes and balances accounts to detailed schedules and subsidiary ledgers to ensure accurate financial statement information.
• Prepares and possesses ownership of assigned account reconciliations and account analyses each period, quarter, or year-end in an accurate and timely manner.
• Records and reconciles cash and investment activity monthly. Works with Customer Service, Finance, third party associates, and vendors to ensure discrepancies are explained and balances are accurate. Investigates and communicates on issues such as customer payments, balancing differences, etc.
• Approves invoices for processing and addresses accounts payable issues as needed. Approves purchases orders as backup.
• Ensures timely and accurate posting of payroll to the financial accounting system and acts as payroll backup.
• Oversees the fixed asset process from entering new assets, capitalizing completed projects, running depreciation, reconciling the subledger to the general ledger, and preparing periodic schedules for review. Works with project managers to maintain an accurate listing of open projects and close/componentize projects when ready.
• Applies a monthly overhead allocation to the organization’s capital and non-capital projects.
• Assists in the development and verification of periodic financial statements and notes. Works directly and independently with auditors during audit fieldwork.
• Maintains records for two OPEB trusts in QuickBooks, processes disbursement checks, attends quarterly meetings, coordinates annual audits and valuations, and occasionally works with outside legal counsel.
• Prepares grant reimbursement requests and documentation for review.
• Manages the annual unclaimed property process and submits all documentation to the State.
• Assists in the development of the annual budget.
• Works with Finance and other operating departments to develop and improve operating processes and internal controls.
• Provides detailed and complex operational analysis when required.
• Carries out scheduled and ad-hoc reporting and analysis as required by operating departments, management, and others as needed.
• Answers accounting and processing policy questions from employees and vendors.
• Acts as a Records Retention Liaison to ensure the Finance department is in compliance.
• Performs as a super user of financial and other organization systems.
• Assists in the implementation and upgrade of organization software.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Experience

Two (2) to ten (10) years (depending on the level of accounting work performed) of increasingly responsible experience involving professional financial accounting work in one or more of the following areas: general ledger, payroll, accounts payable, fixed asset accounting, and reconciliation of accounts, month end closing, financial statement preparation and assisting during annual financial audits.

Staff Level Accountants will generally have two (2) to four (4) years’ of experience in performing professional level financial accounting work. Senior Level Accountants will generally have five (5) or more years’ of increasingly responsible financial accounting experience. Principal Level Accountants will have greater than nine (9) years’ increasingly responsible financial accounting experience.

Other combinations of education/experience may be considered.

Education & Training

A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, or Bachelor’s Degree with related accounting and finance experience is required.

Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing and speaking.

Conditions of Continued Employment

CPA is preferred but not required.

A valid driver’s license and the ability to meet TMWA Dept. of Motor Vehicle report criteria.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of:

• Technical and comprehensive knowledge of all functional areas of accounting.
• Provisions and pronouncements of accounting standards, including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statements, and Nevada Revised Statutes.
• Principles, practices and terminology of general, fund and governmental accounting, including financial statement preparation and methods of financial control and reporting.
• Principles and practices of cost accounting.
• Grant accounting/reporting requirements.
• Internal control and audit practices and procedures including Statements of Auditing Standards (SAS).
• Principles and practices of automated financial/accounting systems, data processing, particularly related to the processing of accounting information and interpretation of input and output data. The organization uses Microsoft Dynamics 365.
• Principles and practices of customer information and utility billing systems. The organization uses enQuesta.
• Accounts payable, accounts receivables and purchasing policies and procedures.
• Vendor access and communication channels.

Skill/Ability to:

• Intermediate to advanced proficiency with Excel and accounting software. Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Outlook and MS Office.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal, communication and organizational skills as well as the ability to work with customers and all levels of the organization.
• Demonstrate strong quantitative, analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Recognize the need for innovative or unique approaches and bring about desired results. Find better and more efficient ways of doing things for all involved.
• Analyze problems and make decisions/recommendations
• Provide guidance and direction to supervised employees to achieve departmental objectives.
• Be creative, flexible, and possess a willingness and ability to drive and guide change
• Manage multiple projects and situations, ensuring follow-through and meeting of strict deadlines
• Possess uncompromising business ethics
• Be punctual regarding work hours established by TMWA.
• Be mentally and physically alert. Have a good attitude. Be willing to work as part of a team.

TMWA is an equal employment opportunity employer who develops and maintains a work environment that values the dignity of each individual, utilizes human resources to their fullest potential and ensures a high quality workforce which reflects the diversity of the community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.

All decisions affecting any terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, assignment, training, compensation, promotion, salary, disciplinary action and an employee’s caregiving responsibilities, will be made without regards to race (including traits associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), religion, creed, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), gender, (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender individual), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age (40 years and above), physical or mental disability, citizenship, genetic information, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, marital or domestic partnership status, domestic violence victim status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.