Accountant

Position Description ------------------------

About Harris County Housing & Community Development: Harris County Housing & Community Development provides life-enhancing projects and programs to residents of Harris County.

Our services include spurring community investment through the provision of homebuying programs, partnering with community members and housing developers to build diverse housing options that uplift communities and offer other assistance that support community building. The position requires the performance of a wide variety of daily accounting duties and analyses associated with subrecipient contracts/agreements.

Accountant Overview

Accountants in the Housing and Community Development Department are assigned with a variety of accounting duties associated with the control of grant and sub-award project and program accounting and budgetary tracking during the full life cycle of each grant (HUD, FTA, FEMA).

The Accountant I, performs entry-level professional accounting work such as preparing journal entries, reconciling accounts and sub-grantee budget reconciliations.

The primary responsibilities of the Accountant I position includes the creation of contract-based requisitions/purchase orders, the processing of sub-recipient invoices that seek reimbursement of expenditures, and the processing of draws from the state and federal granting agencies while monitoring grant budgets.

This position, under the guidance and supervision of senior accountants and managers, applies basic accounting principles and procedures.

This position requires a person who understands and can practice routine accounting for program and project activities, analyze the financial transactions in compliance with the contract and can provide general, but sound financial feedback and guidance to sub-recipients in order to assist in ensuring compliance with grant restrictions and financial guidelines, regulations and statutes.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Prepares and processes budget transfers and related transactions after review and approval by senior accountants or managers.
• Assists with the review and processing of reimbursement requests from the granting agency and prepares appropriate and necessary journal entries.
• Prepares and processes requisitions/POs for sub-recipient and vendor agreements in STARS.
• Performs reconciliations of budgetary and reimbursement request information.
• Ensures all accounting transactions are supported with adequate description and support documentation.
• Tracks progress of projects and activities to ensure the accuracy of financial systems and ensure budgets are adhered to.
• Maintains various in-house spreadsheets and logs supplemental to the department's accounting systems.
• Coordinates with other divisions and responds to requests for information.
• Works with Harris County Auditors department counterparts to ensure accurate and timely invoice coordination and vendor credit/debit memo postings.
• Assigns and utilizes the various account code structure applications for a variety of programs, services, and fund types, working with Harris County Auditors and Purchasing departments to process and monitor procurement activities.
• Other duties as assigned.
• This Job Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position.
• Management may, at its discretion, assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email [email protected]. This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

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Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance from an accredited college or university

OR

• Associates degree in Accounting or Finance from an accredited college or university
• Two (2) years of accounting/financial analyst experience

OR

• High school diploma or GED equivalency
• Four (4) years of accounting/financial analyst experience

Licensure:

• Valid Driver's License (Texas upon hire)

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Thorough working knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for governmental and not-for-profit entities
• Strong understanding and working knowledge of job/project ledger accounting and budgeting and its correlation to the general ledger
• Strong knowledge of grant requirements with an emphasis on knowledge of 2 CFR 200 and HUD CDBG-DR regulations
• Ability to plan and organize work, perform under pressure, and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency in the use of MS Office
• Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external sources and keep management informed

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

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Preferred Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with a large complex accounting system; preferably PeopleSoft.
• Experience with Pivot Tables and V-Lookup functions.

General Information

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Position Type, and Typical Hours of Work:

• Full-Time | Grant-funded
• Monday - Friday | 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Work Environment:

• The work is primarily sedentary with occasional required travel to training events or meetings.
• The job is performed in a professional office environment.
• No special safety precautions are required.

Physical Demands:

• This is primarily a sedentary role; however, working with files is required.
• This would require the ability to lift up to 10 pounds and bend and stand as necessary.

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards. Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan.

The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular(full-time) positions:

Health & Wellness Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave*
• Sick Leave

Retirement Savings Benefit

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:

• Professional learning & development opportunities
• Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
• Flexible work schedule*
• METRO RideSponsor Program*
• Participation may vary by County department. The employee benefits plans of Harris County are extended to all eligible participants across various departments with the exception of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, for which the cited Health & Wellness Benefits are administered through the State of Texas.

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website:

www.benefitsathctx.com