Principal Accountant
April 2026
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT
JOB FAMILY: Finance
EEO CATEGORY: Professionals
FLSA: Exempt
PAY PLAN: Full-Time Pay Plan
UNION STATUS: Represented
PURPOSE STATEMENT:
Under general direction the Principal Accountant organizes, supervises, coordinates, and performs a variety of technical and complex financial duties requiring extensive knowledge of accounting records, transactions, and reconciliations and provides customer service. Coordinates assigned activities with other departments and outside agencies; and provides highly responsible and complex administrative support to respective Manager and Director.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
Exercises direct and indirect supervision over subordinate personnel.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS, DUTIES AND TASKS:
The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices. Duties may include but are not limited to:
• Oversees and reviews the accuracy of invoice payments to vendors and service providers and resolves issues with vendors regarding purchase orders, invoices, and payments. • Coordinate the work of subordinates in the maintenance and reconciliation of a variety of ledgers, reports, and records ensuring accuracy and journal entry postings. • Prepare and coordinate the preparation of a variety of fiscal reports, statements, and schedules. • Reviews budget reports and assists other departments to prepare annual budgets. • Assists external auditors and provides required statements and information for the interim and annual audits.
• Plan, direct, and coordinate, through subordinate level staff, the Finance Department’s work plan; assign projects and programmatic areas of responsibility; review and evaluate work methods and procedures; meet with key staff to identify and resolve problems. • Oversees and provides support to the City’s payroll, accounts payable, and utility billing operation, including utility deposits, receipt, calculation balancing, and posting of utility payments.
• Coordinate maintenance of fixed asset inventory and database. • Functionally supervise and train subordinate staff.
• Train, supervise, evaluate, motivate, and discipline subordinate staff.
Job Classification Description
Equal Employment Opportunity
Principal Accountant
April 2026
• Implements training for new hires and identifies training opportunities for current staff. • Analyze procedures recommending improved methods, resolves and/or recommends resolutions of system and process deficiencies.
• Serve as staff resource providing support assistance to managers and staff. • Conduct special projects and studies.
• Perform related duties as assigned.
KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES, AND SKILLS
(At time of application)
Knowledge of:
• Standard office procedures, methods, and computer equipment. • Fiscal record keeping, payroll, cashiering, journal entries, accounts receivable, accounts payable, transient occupancy tax, and utility billing.
• Accounting and financial record keeping, principles, procedures, and methods and their application to projects, and activities.
• Principles and practices of payroll administration including Federal and State payroll tax reporting requirements, processes, and procedures.
• Principles and practices of employee supervision, training, and evaluation. • Principles and practices of municipal budget preparation and control. • Applicable Federal, State, and local laws, codes, and regulations. • Automated financial management and accounting systems. • Techniques used in dealing with the public and customer service.
Skills and Abilities to:
• Operate office equipment including computers, copying machines, and phone systems. • Independently perform the most difficult technical accounting and financial projects and activities.
• Plan, organize, review the work of, and train and supervise subordinate staff. • Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Interpret and apply policies, procedures, laws, codes, and regulations pertaining to municipal accounting, budgeting, and related functions.
• Analyze problems, identify solutions, project impacts of proposed actions, and impellent recommendations.
• Interpret and apply accounting principles and procedures to maintain control of records, financial statements, and databases; research, collect, compile, and analyze information and data. • Apply accounting principles in the maintenance of governmental financial and accounting transactions.
• Research, collect, compile, and analyze information and data and organize work to meet schedules and timelines.
• Prepare, examine, and verify financial documents, statements, budgeting and forecasting reports, and analyses.
• Communicate both orally and in writing clearly.
• Perform duties of an emergency worker in the event of a natural or other disaster.
Principal Accountant
April 2026
JOB QUALIFICATIONS / REQUIREMENTS
Any combination of education and experience that would provide the required knowledge, abilities, and skills is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the qualifications would be:
BA/BS degree in business, accounting, or a related field and five (5) years of increasingly responsible experience in municipal accounting. CPA is desirable.
LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE
• Valid state-issued Driver’s License and a good driving record preferred.
WORK ENVIRONMENT / PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
(Must be performed with or without reasonable accommodations) • This position works primarily in an indoor office environment. • Positions in this class typically require reaching, standing, sitting, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, gripping, reaching, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, talking, and hearing with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Medium Work: Exerting 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally (up to 1/3 of workday), and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently (1/3 to 2/3 of workday), and/or greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly (2/3 or more of workday) to move objects. Physical Demand requirements are in excess of those for Light Work.