FINANCIAL SPECIALIST
DEFINITION
This position under general supervision performs a variety of clerical accounting duties involved in the developing, processing, and maintaining of financial records, including in the areas of payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. One of the primary functions will be the generation, collection, auditing, coding, and processing of time cards and extra assignment sheets. Additional functions include absence tracking, handling employee deductions, and responding to informational requests. This position requires considerable discretion, professionalism, initiative, accuracy, attention to detail, organizational skills, ability to multitask within strict timelines, and effective communication skills.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED
May exercise technical and functional supervision over student assistants.
EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES
Processing of payrolls including data collection, time card verification, audit hours, vacation, sick leave, and workers’ compensation including the coding of payroll.
Balance payroll comparing inputs with outputs; audit final payroll and distribute.
Act as internal consultant/support to management and staff on issues of payroll and accounts payable and receivable.
Receive calls, visitors and mail; respond to complaints and requests for information.
Ensure all sites have correctly completed and sent in their documents by the payroll deadlines.
Validating absence tracking documents versus generated extra assignment sheets.
Checking personal leave balances before allowing payment for time not worked.
Participate in coordinating, organizing, and maintaining the workflow of the payroll/fiscal services department and provide training to assigned staff.
Respond to and assist in resolving difficult and sensitive requests; apply policies, including District and Bargaining Unit policies; procedures and employee contracts; work with district and site personnel concerning contract sections and employee reporting.
Maintain payroll/fiscal information system records and generate reports as needed; examine and correct accounting transactions to ensure accuracy; prepare journal vouchers to adjust and correct errors in accounting records; participate in the preparation and recording of journal entries with appropriate supporting information.
Process accounts payable documents on a timely basis; evaluate and check invoices against purchase orders to ascertain relative charges; analyze and assign correct account classification and vendor codes; compute extensions and prepare invoices for payment; prepare warrants; file checks; mail checks to payees.
Receive, code, post, and monitor accounts receivable records; process incoming checks.
Monitor and balance various accounts verifying availability of funds and classification of expenditures; research and analyze transactions to resolve problems.
Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.
JOB RELATED AND ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Knowledge of:
Principles, procedures, methods, practices, and terminology used in payroll and financial record keeping.
Methods and techniques of data collection, analysis, and report preparation.
Mathematical principles.
Intermediate level MS Office Suite or equivalent.
Federal and state Labor Law, Ed Code, Butte County and CUSD employment policies.
Collective Bargaining Agreements and Merit System Rules.
Skill to:
Operate 10-key by touch.
Create documents, databases, spreadsheets, and reports using MS Office Suite.
Type or operate a keyboard at a level proficient for successful job performance.
Enter data and create reports using payroll information systems.
Conduct and interpret research on pay related topics.
Ability to:
Demonstrate exceptional customer service and respond to requests and inquiries for information regarding payroll.
Multitask in a timeline driven environment.
Maintain confidentiality of employee information.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills and exercise sound judgment, flexibility, creativity, and sensitivity in response to changing situations and needs.
Perform mathematical computations quickly and accurately.
Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
Work independently in the absence of supervision
Work effectively and efficiently under pressure with constant interruptions.
Maintain a professional environment within the office and district.
Stay abreast of changes with employees, employment contracts, labor law, or other factors that may impact this function.
Experience and Training Guidelines
Any combination equivalent to experience and training that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities could be found in the following areas:
Experience:
Two years’ experience in payroll operations, preferably in a public sector environment.
Two years of increasingly responsible experience in the maintenance of financial or statistical records, preferably including some experience in the specific area of assignment.
Training:
Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by specialized training or course work in accounting, financial record keeping, or a related field.
Education:
AA/AS degree or higher with focus in accounting.
Additional appropriate college level coursework.
Special Requirements:
Essential duties require the following physical skills and work environment:
This type of work requires occasional or frequent standing, walking, sitting, and reaching for extended periods of time.
Ability to work in a standard office environment.
Ability to sit at a desk, conference table, or in meeting rooms of various configurations for extended periods of time.
Facility to see and read, with or without vision aids, a computer screen and printed matter, and to distinguish colors.
Sufficient hearing to understand speech at normal room levels, and to hear and understand speech on the telephone.
Manual dexterity to operate a telephone and enter data into a computer using both hands.
Ability to speak in an understandable voice with sufficient volume to be heard in normal conversation and on the telephone.
Ability to exert up to 20 pounds of force to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
Ability to work overtime on evenings and weekends, as needed.