DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTING

at City of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Description:

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Director of Accounting

Department of Finance

General Accounting Division (1 position)

Grant and Project Accounting Division (1 position)

Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval

Starting Salary: $103,176.00/annually

Applications for these positions will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on July 25, 2024.

Under direction, functions as a second-level supervisor directing a professional accounting division, and performs related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

· Directs supervisors of accounting units in overseeing professional staff engaged in managing financial accounts and grants management.

· Monitors operations and directs the development of systems and procedures to ensure operational efficiency.

· Develops goals, objectives, and work standards and conducts performance evaluations of supervisory staff.

· Reviews and approves various actions or reports (e.g., program and operational budgets and amendments, audit reports, spending adjustments, fund re-allocations).

· Directs and participates in the design and implementation of new computerized accounting systems to improve the effectiveness of financial reporting.

· Manages and monitors the performance of contractors and vendors.

· Meets with managers to determine fiscal information needs and directs the preparation of financial reports.

· Interprets general accounting principles and financial procedures to management and ensures the City of Chicago maintains compliance with federal and state grant fiscal requirements and regulations, such as the Government Accountability and Transparency Act and Uniform Grant Guidance.

· Oversees the conduct of audits performed by independent accounting firms and regulatory audits, coordinates the preparation of replies to auditors’ findings, and develops processes and procedures to implement audit recommendations.

· Directs staff training and development activities.

· Maintains and updates policies and procedures for use by accounting units, various external reviewers and auditors.

· Provides guidance on accounting-related issues to staff and other City and government agencies (e.g., Office of Budget and Management, City Comptroller’s Office, delegate agencies).

Additional duties may be required for this position.

Location: City Hall, 121 N. Lasalle St.

Days: Monday through Friday

Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM

THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM THE CAREER SERVICE

Qualifications:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in accounting or a directly related field with 15 credit hours in accounting, plus five years of professional accounting experience of which two years are in a supervisory role related to the responsibilities of the position; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience, provided that the minimum degree requirement is met.

NOTE: You must provide your college or university transcripts with 15 semester hours of accounting courses at the time of interview. IF YOU FAIL TO PROVIDE this information at the time of interview, you will not be allowed to proceed with the interview and will no longer be considered for this position .

Preference will be given to candidates possessing the following:

+ Recent experience with GAAP accounting and financial reporting

+ Recent experience in grants management

+ Recent experience with specifically guided and identified federal and state regulations

+ Recent experience with managing third party vendor contracts

+ Recent experience with fixed assets accounting

+ Recent experience preparing financial statements including footnotes

+ Previous experience working in an accounting firm

+ Possession of a CPA, CMA, CGFM or a CGMA license

+ Recent experience managing a team of professional accountants

+ Recent experience with financial systems and associated upgrades

+ Proficiency using Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires applicants to successfully complete an interview which will include a written exercise and/or skills assessment as part of the interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, based on the oral and written parts of the interview will be selected.

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. Department of Human Resource staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow any and all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY: To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practices click here. (https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dhr/provdrs/emp.html)

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago in an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor