Technical Systems Specialist

Job Duties

• Provides technical guidance to the accounting technical section, including accounting specialists and project specialists.
• Designs, develops, modifies and implements financial/payroll systems reporting tools to meet customer and data specifications; provides documentation of application design and training for users.
• Provides guidance and oversight for a wide variety of technical and specialized accounting and/or payroll tasks and projects such as general and subsidiary ledger reconciliation; review and/or approval of original source entries; organization and monitoring of data sources for financial or fiscal records; provision of financial information for the budget process; research, negotiation and mitigation of accounting dispute resolutions with customers and staff.
• Plans and participates in the implementation, maintenance and upgrade of financial and/or payroll systems and subsystems, including design of application modifications, testing and implementation. Creates relevant training materials and provides training to end users.
• Develops and recommends new and revised policies and procedures and rules; implements, communicates and interprets policies and procedures as necessary; trains county employees in interpreting and using policies and procedures.
• Provides input regarding coordination of the activities of section staff; provides training, information and regulation interpretation; may conduct and facilitate Accounting Support Group Meetings.
• Conducts research, analysis and evaluation of requests for application data integration for external database projects; completes analysis of business functions, work procedures, policies and report requirements for use as project guidelines and/or parameters.

Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, computer science or other directly related field; AND four (4) years of experience in a financial and specialized accounting field; OR, any combination of training and/or experience that provides the required knowledge and abilities.
• Must pass job related tests.

Additional Information

• Knowledge of: personnel management standards and practices, accounting and finance practices and their application in a municipal environment, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), data development, analysis and reporting techniques, relational database tools, desk top computer skills in the areas of spreadsheets, word processing, databases, and presentation graphics, work flow planning, development and monitoring of goals and work plans.
• Ability to: effectively plan, develop and carry out complex projects, gather, evaluate and synthesize a variety of data, create clear, concise training materials and analytical, descriptive and evaluative reports, understand and apply knowledge of user needs to develop systems from existing and new software, design and develop database applications, analyze and resolve operational problems, communicate effectively both orally and in writing, establish and maintain effective work relationships with elected officials, management, consultants, and employees, rapidly learn Washington laws governing local government financial practices and procedures, work effectively and contribute to a team environment, work under pressure, meet deadlines and cope with interruptions, research and apply state and federal statutes and laws, provide feedback of work performance, foster an environment that encourages excellence on the parts of peers, subordinates, and others, apply accounting and finance principles to day-to-day situations and determine the most appropriate course of action given the circumstances, promote organizational objectives and serve on a customer service team, work with minimal supervision, utilize desktop computer applications, such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and other applications as available.