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Accounts Payable Contracts Analyst

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Accounts Payable Contracts Analyst

Salary

$75,660.36 - $129,463.29 Annually

Location

Ventura County Government Center, CA

Job Type

Full-Time Regular

Job Number

0921AUD-24AE (EO)

Department

Auditor-Controller

Opening Date

12/10/2024

Closing Date

Continuous

• Description

• Benefits

• Questions

Description

WHAT WE OFFER

• General Salary Increase - 3.50% effective 12/22/2024.

• Educational Incentive - An educational incentive of 2.5% for completion of an associate's degree, 3.5% for completion of a bachelor's degree, OR 5% for completion of a graduate's degree.

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Incentive – An incentive of five percent (5%) of your base salary may be paid for an active CPA Certification. This incentive may not be combined or in addition to the educational incentive.

• Bi-lingual Incentive - Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational needs and certification skills.

• Annual Leave – 208 hours per year, increasing to 288 hours after 5 years of service.

• Annual Leave Redemption – The ability to "cash in" or redeem up to 100 hours of Annual Leave per year after using 80 hours in the preceding twelve months.

• Deferred Compensation - Eligible to participate in the County's 401(k) Shared Savings Plan and/or the Section 457 Plan. This position is eligible for up to a 3% match on your 401(k) contributions. Following five (5) years of continuous County service, and an additional 2% non-elective contribution will be made to the 401(k) plan.

• Health Plans – You are afforded a flexible credit allowance for purchasing medical, dental, and/or vision insurance from a group of authorized plans. For Plan Year 2025 tier one for employee only is $509 per pay period, tier two for employee plus one is $779 per pay period and tier three for employee plus family is $983 per pay period.

• Flexible Spending Accounts - Choice of participation in the Flexible Spending Accounts which increase spending power through reimbursement of pre-tax dollars for IRS approved dependent care and health care expenses.

• Pension Plan - Both the County and employees contribute to the County's Retirement Plan and to Social Security. If eligible, reciprocity may be established with other public retirement systems, such as CalPERS.

• Holidays - 12 paid days per year which includes a scheduled floating holiday.

  THE AUDITOR-CONTROLLER'S OFFICE

By State Law, the Auditor-Controller is charged with the responsibilities normally associated with that of the Chief Financial Officer. The office is charged with the establishment and supervision of the accounting and financial operations of all activities under control of the Board of Supervisors. The Auditor-Controller provides the County with professional fiscal leadership to protect the interests of the citizens of Ventura County; promotes public oversight; and provides accountability. These services are performed in a customer oriented, efficient, economical, and effective manner.

THE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE SECTION

The Accounts Payable team is responsible for the centralized review, final approval, and processing of all payments for goods, services, and other expenses for the County (purchase orders, claims, contracts, employee reimbursements). These responsibilities include the review and approval of Board letters and contracts presented to the Board of Supervisors, working with various levels of personnel County-wide to address comments and edits, if necessary. Our goal is to ensure accurate and timely vendor disbursements in compliance with County established policies and procedures, government code and rules and regulations of Federal, State, and Local agencies. We provide timely, accurate preparation and submission of IRS Form 1099, quarterly reporting of Sales and Use Taxes, statutory State and Federal reports, and public records requests.

THE POSITION

Under general supervision (I), direction (II), or under general direction (Senior), of the Auditor-Controller Accounting Manager, the Accounts Payable Contracts Analyst performs a variety of professional and supervisory duties related to the Accounts Payable section, as described above, with a primary responsibility for the Board letter and contract review and approval process; evaluates existing fiscal controls, accounting standards, accounting systems, financing requirements, and/or legislative impacts as it pertains to accounts payable; researches and develops recommendations/strategies to address impacts to accounts payable; serves as the subject matter expert for system process and applications to assist with system changes/upgrades and provide Countywide trainings.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree in accounting, business, finance, or a related field; a detail-oriented professional with experience in the areas of financial systems, accounts payable, contracts, and mentoring; proficient in reviewing and approving board letters and contracts, ensuring alignment with regulatory and policy requirements and organizational objectives; familiar with the County's procurement process and possess exceptional negotiation and communications skills, enabling them to effectively collaborate with all stakeholders; demonstrates strong leadership, decision-making, and the ability to implement and enforce policies and procedures; experience in project management with the ability to act as a team lead of a large project implementation; proactive, adaptable, and committed to continuous improvement, ensuring excellence in service delivery and financial accountability.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Each successive level in the Finance Analyst series is distinguished by the scope of independence and responsibility with the level being commensurate with the complexity of tasks, special projects and studies assigned.

Finance Analyst I

At the entry level, the emphasis is on learning the operations and processes related to conducting simple to moderate fiscal studies that are limited in scope and complexity. Work typically involves a well-defined segment of a major program or is guided by well precedented projects. As experience is gained, and over a period of time, incumbents will assume the increasingly responsible duties associated with the full journey level of the series; however, formal assignment to the journey level is at the discretion and approval of management.

Finance Analyst II

This is the fully experienced journey-level competent to independently perform the full range of duties assigned and conducts fiscal studies that are difficult in nature requiring an in-depth and practical knowledge and skill in applying this knowledge to the analysis and development of new solutions, methods, approaches or procedures.

Senior Finance Analyst

This is the advanced journey level and conducts the most complex fiscal studies that require a significant level of independent judgment requiring a specialized technical or functional expertise including performance of duties in a project management capacity.

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

PAYROLL TITLES AND APPROXIMATE ANNUAL SALARIES:

Finance Analyst I: $75,660.36 - $103,465.48

Finance Analyst II: $84,067.08 - $117,693.89

Senior Finance Analyst: $92,473.78 - $129,463.29

The Financial Analyst I is a Management non-exempt classification and eligible for overtime compensation. The Financial Analyst II and Senior Finance Analyst are Management exempt classifications and not eligible for overtime compensation.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

OPENING DATE: Tuesday, December 10, 2024

CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs.

REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: Applications will be reviewed on a weekly basis beginning the week of December 16, 2024.

Examples Of Duties

Duties at the level I are limited in nature, initially under close supervision, relate to routine tasks and include assisting and/or learning about the fiscal policies, procedures, systems, operations, and functions in the Accounts Payable section. At the II and Senior levels tasks are more complex and performed with more independence.

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Conducts complex and time-sensitive review of vendor contracts and Board letters;

• Regularly interfaces with vendors, contractors, and department accounting staff to resolve conflicts and make decisions;

• Manages and evaluates daily, monthly, and annual work processes, systems, and procedures for efficiency of workflow and conformance to accounting principles which may include manual and automated accounting systems, budget projection systems, as well as e-commerce platforms;

• Assists departmental management in the ongoing maintenance of accounting information systems;

• Prepares comprehensive calculations, evaluations, and data analysis of accounts payable transactions and makes recommendations to management;

• Develops reports of accounts payable system transactions and statistics;

• Evaluates internal controls and security of new and existing automated accounting systems to ensure adherence to internal control standards;

• Assists in development and implementation of new/upgraded systems to ensure proper integration with other financial accounting systems or compliance with Federal and State standards;

• Interacts with centralized information technology staff to resolve issues and problems related to accounts payable accounting transactions;

• Researches and analyzes changes in legislation, Internal Revenue Service, Franchise Tax Board, Employment Development Division, and California Department of Tax and Fee Administration guidelines to determine accounts payable system changes required to remain compliant;

• Trains County department employees in the operation of accounts payable accounting systems;

• Evaluates and reviews accounts payable accounting policies and reporting systems for large County agencies or groups of agencies for compliance with regulations and reporting requirements;

• Performs other duties as required.

In addition to the above duties, the Senior Finance Analyst may also perform the following duties:

• Plans, supervises and reviews the work of assigned accounts payable accounting and programming staff in managing, developing or modifying systems or procedures;

• Coordinates the development of accounts payable system transactions, and statistics reports, written policies, procedures and desk manuals, and develops training materials; conducts most advanced training for department employees;

• Evaluates countywide fiscal/accounting impact and recommends accounts payable policies, systems and procedures to implement the changes to ensure adherence to internal control standards and changes in legislation and federal and state guidelines conducting research to remain current;

• Advises and coordinates with departments/agencies on new accounts payable accounting structures, interval controls, and reporting requirements; directs ongoing maintenance of accounts payable information systems.

Typical Qualifications

These are entrance requirements to the examination and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on the eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING and EXPERIENCE

Considerable education and experience which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. An example of qualifying education and experience would be:

• Bachelor's degree with at least eighteen (18) combined semester units of accounting and business coursework; and

• Six (6) units of upper-division coursework in the business, finance, or accounting field.

AND

Finance Analyst I

Four (4) years of progressively responsible professional experience as an accountant, auditor, or analyst which included responsibilities for accounts payable, contracts, and related duties as described.

Finance Analyst II

Five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience as an accountant, auditor, or analyst which included responsibilities for accounts payable, contracts, and related duties as described; OR one (1) year as a Finance Analyst I for the County of Ventura.

Senior Finance Analyst

Six (6) years of progressively responsible professional experience as an accountant, auditor, or analyst which included responsibilities for accounts payable, contracts, and related duties as described with one (1) year of which must be at the Project Leader level; OR two (2) years as a Finance Analyst II for the County of Ventura.

Verification of the required college degree and 18 semester units of accounting coursework is required. Transcripts from an institute of higher learning recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation which include your name, grades, units per class, and that the courses were completed is to be submitted to County Human Resources within three (3) business days of applying to this recruitment. If they are not submitted, your application may be screened out and you may not be allowed to continue in the process. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. If you need additional time to submit transcripts, please contact the recruitment analyst referenced near the bottom of this bulletin.

If the name on the documentation is different from the name on your application, include documents that show the name change.

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING: Applicants who attended a college or university that is accredited by a foreign or non U.S. accrediting agency must have their educational units evaluated by an educational evaluation service.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENT

• Experience with purchase orders and contracts.

DESIRED

• Experience in Accounts Payable in a public sector environment.

• Experience in project management.

• Experience with using an Enterprise Resource Planning system.

• Well-developed skills in time management, setting priorities, planning and organizing work and delegating when necessary.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES

Considerable knowledge of:

• Large financial systems

• Accounts Payable operations and activities including purchase orders and contracts;

• Laws and regulations affecting governmental accounts payable operations;

• Fiscal monitoring and control methods, budgeting methods, techniques and processes;

• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles;

• Project management.

Skill in:

• Applying financial principles and regulations within Accounts Payable;

• Reconciling financial statements;

• Developing clear and concise fiscal reports and related documents;

• Use of computers, Microsoft Office applications including Excel and Word and related technology including Enterprise Resource Planning system, multiple governmental, banking and large automated financial systems, and County software applications specific to work performed;

• Time management, setting priorities, planning and organizing work and delegating when necessary.

Ability to:

• Address and resolve conflicts between contract, Board actions and County policies;

• Learn and perform complex analytical and critical examination of accounts payable operations and activities;

• Exercise sound judgment;

• Understand interrelationships among financial records and documents;

• Analyze financial/accounting data and draw logical conclusions;

• Analyze and evaluate administrative and abstract accounts payable accounting concepts and procedures;

• Understand, interpret, and apply professional and procedural requirements;

• Interpret and apply professional principles and standards;

• Evaluate and reconcile financial data from multiple accounting systems;

• Communicate effectively both orally an in writing;

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with a diverse group of people and work effectively with accounting staff Countywide;

• Conduct meetings to obtain agreement, resolve issues and transfer knowledge in areas of responsibility;

• Train users in the operation of financial systems;

• Review, analyze and interpret changes in legislation;

• Provide effective customer service.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: This is a continuous and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at www.ventura.org/jobs. A paper application can be obtained by calling (805) 654-5129. Our address is County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here (http://vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/HR/docs/Lateral_Transfer.pdf) (Download PDF reader) (https://get.adobe.com/reader/) for additional information.

Note to Applicants: Sufficient information must be provided under the Education/Work Experience portion of the application and supplemental questionnaire to thoroughly and accurately demonstrate your qualifications to determine eligibility. A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above-referenced sections; however, it may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – qualifying

All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from further consideration. It is highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence. Responses such as "See Resume" are not acceptable and may disqualify an applicant from further consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION – qualifying

All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Applicants meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the next step in the recruitment process.

TRAINING and EXPERIENCE EVALUATION: A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.

NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded by or replaced with a score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities.

ORAL EXAMINATION – 100%: A job-related oral examination may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating candidates' knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score of seventy percent (70%) will be assigned to each application, and each applicant will be placed on the eligible list.

ELIGIBLE LIST

Applicants successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular, Temporary, Fixed-term, Intermittent, or Extra Help vacancies for this position only within the Auditor-Controller Department. There is currently one (1) Regular vacancy within the Accounts Payable Section. The position may be filled at the Financial Analyst I, II or Senior level depending on the qualifications of the individual selected and the business needs of the department.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post-offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, criminal background information, and driving record may be required for this position.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Esmeralda Oseguera via e-mail at Esmeralda.Oseguera@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 477-7268.

YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE

MANAGEMENT

To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.

• Benefits website (https://hr.ventura.org/benefits) or you may call (805) 654-2570.

• Retirement FAQ's (https://vcportal.ventura.org/CEO/benefits/docs/RETIREMENT%20-%20FAQs.pdf)

• Memorandum of Agreement

Union Codes: MB3, MB4, MS, MT, MCC, MU

01

You are required to submit transcripts to verify the successful completion of the required coursework for this recruitment. Please indicate the method of submission by selection one of the options below.

• Copies of my transcripts are attached to my online application.

• I will deliver or email copies of my transcripts to Esmeralda.Oseguera@ventura.org within three (3) business days of applying to this recruitment, as outlined in the job bulletin.

• I cannot provide copies of my transcripts, and understand this will prevent me from proceeding in the process.

  02

  Which statement best describes your full-time progressively responsible professional experience as an accountant, auditor, or analyst, or equivalent which involved contracts and accounts payable?

  NOTE: Full-time experience is defined as 40 hours or more per week. If you work part-time, your work experience will be prorated based on the number of hours you work per week.

• I do not have this type of experience.

• 3 years or less

• More than 3 years but less than 4 years;

• More than 4 years but less than 5 years;

• More than 5 years but less than 6 years;

• 6 years or more

  03

  Please indicate from which employer(s) listed in the Work Experience section of your application you gained the work experience reflected in your answer to question 2.

  Include a description of the duties you performed which demonstrates your related experience.

  If you do not have this experience , please type, "No Experience."

  04

  Describe your Accounts Payable experience, including your experience working with purchase orders and contracts. Include the following information.

  A) Employer(s) name (indicate public or private sector)

  B) Time frame (start and end dates in mo/yr format)

  C) Hours worked weekly

  D) Job title(s) and description of duties

  Employer(s) where you obtained the experience must be included in the previous work experience section to be considered qualifying.

  If you do not have this experience, please type, "No Experience."

  05

  Describe your experience working with large automated financial systems. Include the following information:

  A) Name of employer(s) and your job title(s) where you obtained this experience

  B) Time frame (date and length of time you performed these duties)

  C) Types of transactions processed, reports used, and analytical procedures applied using the system

  Employer(s) where you obtained the experience must be included in the previous work experience section to be considered qualifying.

  If you do not have this experience, please type, "No Experience."

  06

  Describe your experience researching and applying financial principles and regulations. Include the following information:

  A) Name of employer(s) and your job title where you obtained this experience

  B) Time frames (dates and length of time you performed these duties)

  C) Specific duties and examples which demonstrate the scope of your responsibilities in this area

  Employer(s) where you obtained the experience must be included in the previous work experience section to be considered qualifying.

  If you do not have this experience, please type, "No Experience."

  07

  Describe your work experience in analyzing financial/accounting data and drawing logical conclusions. Include the following information:

  A) A financial project assigned to you that required analytical thinking

  B) What steps did you take in the analysis, and what was your conclusion

  Employer(s) where you obtained the experience must be included in the previous work experience section to be considered qualifying.

  If you do not have this experience, please type, "No Experience."

  08

  Describe your experience in time management, setting priorities, planning and organizing work, and delegating work when necessary.

  Employer(s) where you obtained the experience must be included in the previous work experience section to be considered qualifying.

  If you do not have this experience, please type, "No Experience."

  Required Question

Agency

Ventura County

Address

800 S. Victoria Avenue LOC. #1970 Ventura, California, 93009

Phone

(805) 654-5129

Website

http://hr.ventura.org

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