Location
Description
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT:
The Community:
The Town of Hillsborough (pop. 11,574) is a residential community located in San Mateo County, midway between San Francisco and San Jose.
Incorporated in 1910, the Town provides a full range of essential municipal services including police and fire protection, land use planning, building permitting and inspection, maintenance of roads, and water, sewer, and storm drainage infrastructures. The Town operates with a Council-Manager form of government with five elected Council Members. The Town is known for its rural charm and the academic excellence of the public and private schools. The Town has no commercial zoning; the only non-residential properties are the town's four public and three private schools, town facilities, a golf course, a country club, small parks, and open space. With an area of approximately 6.2 square miles, the Town is characterized by its hilly topography, winding roads, beautiful trees, and commitment to architecture. For additional information, please visit the Town’s website.
The Organization:
The Town is a general law city operating with a Council-Manager form of government. Policy-making and legislative authority are vested in the governing City Council which consists of a Mayor, a Vice Mayor, and three Councilmembers. Council members are elected to overlapping four-year terms in even-numbered years and the members select the Mayor and Vice Mayor annually. Among other things, the City Council is responsible for passing ordinances, adopting the budget, appointing committee and board members, and hiring the City Manager and the City Attorney (on contract). The City Manager is responsible for carrying out the policies and ordinances of the City Council, overseeing the day-to-day operations, and appointing department heads. The Town’s Fiscal Year 2024-25 Adopted Budget is $75.9 million with a General Fund Reserve of $30.7 million. The Town’s staff of 99 FTEs support the residents through the five departments: City Manager’s Office, Finance, Police, Building & Planning, and Public Works.
The Department:
The Finance Department is responsible for the overall financial management of the Town. The Department’s core mission is to maintain a sound and secure financial position by providing administrative and technical support to the Town’s management, City Council, staff, and the public. The Finance Department provides support services to the Town departments and citizens. Support services include budgeting, accounting and financial reporting, treasury, and revenue management, purchasing and accounts payable, payroll, debt management, financial analysis, and other administrative functions. Services provided to customers include water, sewer and storm drain utility billing and customer support, alarm billing, business licensing, Town main phone line reception and other services.
The Position:
Under general supervision, plans, organizes, and performs professional accounting duties in the preparation, maintenance, and processing of accounting and financial transactions, general accounting, budgeting, and financial reporting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and governmental accounting standards; develops and implements fiscal policies, procedures, and internal controls; and performs related duties as assigned.
Receives general supervision from the Assistant Director of Finance or Director of Finance. Exercises technical and functional direction over and provides training to lower-level staff.
Ideal Candidate
The Ideal Candidate:
This is the advanced journey-level classification in the Accountant series responsible for planning, organizing, and performing the most complex professional accounting duties. Incumbents regularly work on tasks which are varied and complex, requiring considerable discretion and independent judgement. Positions in the classification rely on experience and judgement to perform assigned duties. Assignments are given with general guidelines and incumbents are responsible for establishing objectives, timelines, and methods to complete assignments. Work is typically reviewed upon completion for soundness, appropriateness, and conformity to policy and requirements. This class is distinguished from the Assistant Finance Director in that the latter is responsible for managing all financial operations.
Competencies
The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:
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. Technical competence in the accounting field, including knowledge and application of accounting theory, generally accepted accounting principles and practices, governmental accounting standards, and financial statement preparation.
Financial Systems Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with standard financial systems, Microsoft Excel, and other databases and online tools.
Analytical Thinking - Approaching a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.
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.
Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
Fiscal Management - Understands the relationship of the budget and resources to the strategic plan; complies with administrative controls over funds, contracts, and procurements.
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.
Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
Education and Experience:
Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, finance, or related and four (4) years of increasingly responsible experience in general accounting. CPA a plus; local government finance experience a plus.
Benefits
The annual salary for this at-will position is up to $141,366 depending on qualifications. The Town is currently conducting a class and compensation study review which could potentially result in a salary increase and adjustments of job responsibilities.
Town of Hillsborough offers an excellent benefits including:
- 2% @ 60 retirement benefit for Classic PERS members, 2% @ 62 benefit for New PERS members
- The Town offers a choice of medical plans available through CalPERS. The Town contributes up to the Blue Shield family coverage rate
- Cash in lieu of medical for eligible employees of $300/month
- $2500 per family member per year for dental
- $350 per family member per year for vision
- The Town contributes between 2-4% of base salary per month towards a Retirement Health Savings Account
- Participation in Social Security
- 100% Town-paid long-term disability insurance
- Town-paid life insurance
- Ten to twenty-five days annual vacation, based on length of service
- Eleven paid holidays per year, including one floating holiday
- Fourteen days sick leave per year
- 40 hours per year of administrative leave
- Employee Rental Moving Assistance Program
- Town contributions toward cell phone
- Up to $600 per year towards Employee Wellness Program
- Other programs include: Employee Assistance Program, Flexible Spending (Section 125) plan, Deferred compensation, Tuition reimbursement, credit union membership
Special Instructions
The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to the Job Specific Questions. Only the 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.
Search Schedule:
Application submission deadline: Friday, August 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Panel Interview: Thursday, August 29, 2024
Finalist Interview: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
**These dates have been confirmed, and it is recommended that you plan your calendar accordingly.