Senior Accountant (FT)
City of Brooklyn ParkPosition Summary
The Senior Accountant performs professional and highly technical accounting and analysis duties in the areas of financial reporting, budgeting, and cash management; provides assistance and guidance on accounting policies and procedures; and ensures the integrity and accuracy of the city's reporting and budgeting functions and the safeguard of city assets. This senior-level position is also responsible for leading, managing, and directing finance staff to include training, motivation, program/project and work performance evaluation and review. This is a supervisory position.
The Finance Department is committed to providing quality support services to other departments of the city and excellent customer service to citizens and various customer groups. In addition, the department is committed to the goal of being good stewards of the City's financial resources.
Application Deadline: Recruitment will continue until a sufficient number of qualified applications are received as determined by Human Resources. First review of applications will be on September 29, 2025. If you have interest in this position, it is highly recommended that you apply as soon as possible upon seeing the announcement as the vacancy may close without notice.Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Perform account analysis and prepare account reconciliations and journal entries for assigned areas.
- Review credit card and bank reconciliations for the City.
- Set up projects and run project reports, track project expenditures.
- Prepare quarterly reports and variance analysis for council.
- Prepare arbitrage reports.
- Mentor, train, supervise and assign duties to accounts payable and accounts receivable staff.
- Reconciling, troubleshooting, and communicating with internal customers and residents of the City.
- Prepare audit work papers and assist with the audit process. Serves as liaison with auditors and City staff.
- Prepare and file reports to the Office of the State Auditor and other state and federal agencies as assigned.
- Completes daily, weekly, and monthly accounting functions.
- Assist in the development and preparation of the city budget, serve on finance budget team, schedule meetings with assigned areas, follow through on budget questions, and prepare budget summaries. This includes preparing preliminary budget reports for council and attending council meetings.
- Monitor budgets and assist other departments with finance/budget/accounting questions.
- Prepare the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and the Capital Equipment Plan (CEP) for the City. This includes the preparation for council presentations and creating books to publish.
- Record, track, and maintain data for the Capital Asset System in accordance with City policy.
- Conducts special projects as assigned by the Finance Director and Assistant Finance Director.
- Attend meetings and assist with the Budget Advisory Commission.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
- Perform account analysis and prepare account reconciliations and journal entries for assigned areas.
Minimum and Desired Qualifications
Education
Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
Experience
Five (5) years of accounting or finance experience or equivalent combination.Licenses/Certifications
None.
Equivalency
An equivalent combination of education and experience closely related to the duties of the position MAY be considered.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities- Knowledge of government and generally accepted accounting principles, practices, procedures, and financial reporting.
- Knowledge of the principles, practices, methods, and techniques used in bookkeeping and accounting.
- Ability to perform account analysis and reconciliations.
- General knowledge of relevant IRS rules and Minnesota sales tax laws.
- Demonstrated experience with budgets, preferably municipal budgets and reports (e.g., GAAP and GASB).
- Ability to do administrative and accounting work of considerable difficulty, including composing memorandums, tables, spreadsheets, procedures, etc.
- Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written and/or verbal form.
- Ability to work under limited supervision with general autonomy in ensuring objectives are achieved.
- Ability to apply a variety of procedures, policies and precedents using moderate analytical ability to adapt methods to fit facts and conditions.
- Advanced level of proficiency in Excel to include pivot tables, linking, and formulas.
- Proficient in managing grants and other forms of government funding, including understanding compliance requirements, reporting standards, and restrictions associated with grant funds.
- Effective verbal and written communication with attention to detail and follow up.
- Skilled in problem solving and decision making.
- Ability to create effective working relationships with a variety of people and maintain a positive professional manner while resolving customer issues.
- Proven ability and demonstrated commitment to an inclusive workplace related to racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Demonstrated cultural competence and comfort with supporting the city’s strategic objectives for advancing racial equity.
- Provides a level of customer service that meets or exceeds customer expectation and satisfaction.
- Embraces and engages in cultural shift toward Continuous Improvement.
Desired Qualifications- Municipal government finance or experience performing accounting or finance functions for a small organization or nonprofit agency.
- Exhibits strong organizational and time management skills. Prioritizes and completes work accountabilities in an efficient manner.
- Self-motivated, works independently, and demonstrates willingness to assume new and challenging assignments.
- Demonstrates ability to work well under pressure while effectively utilizing resources.
- Maintains a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
- Demonstrates the ability to think proactively, anticipate potential challenges, and provide workable solutions.
- Develops and maintains strong working knowledge of job responsibilities and procedures.
- Previous experience with Capital Assets and Capital Asset Management.
- Master's degree in Accounting, Finance or related field.
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO).
- Previous experience working with people from various cultural, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds.
- Fluency in Spanish, Hmong, Lao, Russian, Somali or Vietnamese language(s).
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to fully and safely perform the essential duties.- Core business hours are set by departments based on operational needs. Alternative schedules can be arranged but must comply with the City’s Alternative Work Arrangement policy.
- This is a full-time, non-union, exempt position that will work a standard schedule of 40 hours per week Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. May require extended work hours to complete projects and/or attend evening meetings.
- Work is performed in an office setting.
- Headaches, eyestrain, and other related occupational hazards reflect the most common potential for injury in the office.
- Work is light duty and sedentary with ability to lift, carry or push up to 20 pounds.
- Extensive keyboarding may put incumbent at risk for repetitive motion injury or eyestrain.
Background Check
The City has determined that a criminal background check and/or qualifications check may be necessary for certain positions with this job title. Applicants may be required to sign an informed consent form allowing the City to obtain their criminal history and/or verify their qualifications in connection with the position sought. Applicants who do not sign the informed consent form will not be further considered for the position.
Selection Process & Testing
The selection process will consist of one or more of the following steps: a rating of relevant education and experience and/or an oral examination (100%). It is important that your application show all the relevant education and experience you possess. This information will be used to determine which candidates will proceed in the selection process. A submitted application is also used to verify the answers to any supplemental questions. Only those candidates who attain a passing score (70%) on each step in the selection process will be placed on the eligible list. Human Resources Department reserves the right to limit the number in any phase of the selection process.
Brooklyn Park is a thriving northwestern suburb of Minneapolis and the sixth largest city in the state with over 86,000 residents and 30,000 jobs. As the 6th fastest growing city in Minnesota, the city has become even more vibrant because of our remarkable racial and cultural diversity. Approximately 60 percent of our residents are people of color, 22 percent are foreign-born, and more than a quarter speak a language other than English at home.
Our Vision, Values and GoalsAdditional Information
Department/Division: Finance Department/Financial Services Division
Anticipated Hiring Wage: Depends on qualifications, but position is budgeted between $86,548 - $101,000 and will receive a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in July 2025.
We welcome applications from all individuals, including (but not limited to): people of all abilities, persons of color, Veterans, LGBTQ+ and women. If you need these materials in an alternate format or if you have a disability-related need and need assistance with the application process, please contact Human Resources at either 763-493-8016 or via e-mail at HumanResources@brooklynpark.org.