Accounting Technician 1 or 2*

General Description

This is journey-level paraprofessional accounting work and highly responsible administrative and financial work which involves the following functions:

• Prepare, maintain, and balance numerous account balances of operating funds, or similar fiscal appropriations;
• Prepare reports of these accounts as needed;
• Provide cost projections to determine anticipated year-end for various accounts;
• Approve purchases based on appropriate budgeted amounts;
• Calculate and process disbursements;
• Communicate and work with command staff to comply with all purchasing requirements;
• Assist in the development and/or maintenance of complex computerized accounting systems, equipment database, and an asset register;
• Participate in routine internal and external audits;
• Gather and review pertinent data; and
• Prepare standardized reports on financial and operational information.

Additionally, this position provides input and general oversight to Program Assistant and Administrative Clerk positions as needed; assists in the annual budget development process for operating budgets; assists with year-end closing; and performs related duties as assigned. Work is generally performed with a high degree of independence within established guidelines, under the supervision of an Accountant.

The successful candidate will be placed at the Accounting Technician 1 (starting salary $59,979.92) or Accounting Technician 2 (starting salary $61,662.90) level based upon experience; to be determined at the time of hire depending upon the candidate's relevant work experience and overall qualifications. 

Employees are expected to progress from an Accounting Technician 1 to an Accounting Technician 2 as a function of increased experience and independence of action.  Work at the Accounting Technician 3 level is job-specific and advancement is normally accomplished through a position study or a competitive process.

This position is based at the Madison Police Department's Central District.

This position is regularly scheduled for 38.75 hours per week. Standard work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

 

Employees may be eligible for loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

The City of Madison is an equal opportunity employer functioning under an affirmative action plan. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, trans, nonbinary, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply!

Examples of Duties and Responsibilities

Purchasing Functions

• Oversee, approve, and coordinate the purchasing process for the entire Madison Police Department (MPD), including all satellite districts.
• Coordinate department purchases from operating budget, grants, segregated funds, capital budget or similar fiscal appropriations.
• Approve credit card purchases for the entire department. Oversee the department’s credit card program (ensure card holders are aware of and follow department and City Finance guidelines, assist with enrolling new card holders, removing previous card holders, addressing fraudulent charges, etc.).
• Negotiate and manage contracts.
• Develop and apply in-depth knowledge of the City Travel/Training policy and procedures, internal policies and procedures, union contracts of all commissioned officers, City Purchasing procedures and guidelines, Administrative Procedure Memoranda, and Madison General Ordinances related to finance and purchasing.
• Use independent judgment to ensure all purchase and service requests are approved based on availability of funds and internal policies and procedures.
• Oversee vendor selection for purchases to ensure competitive pricing, optimum performance. Identify options for cost savings. Coordinate with City Purchasing for Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for purchases over $50,000.
• Track purchase orders and contracts from initial request to execution. Follow up with delayed shipments, deviations from requests, missing invoices, etc.
• Process invoices from vendors, monitor for duplicate invoices, and verify that goods were received/services were rendered and that the captain or manager responsible for the purchase approves payment.
• Work directly with vendors in regard to contract compliance, bids, and/or other purchasing issues.

Accounting Support

• Prepare, maintain, manage, and balance all accounting of actual and anticipated operating expenses. Record and update planned expenses, verify account balances against the City’s financial system, and generate various financial reports.  Provide reports for command staff, as needed, in regard to these various operations.

Budget Support

• Assist the MPD Finance Manager in the annual budget development process for operating budgets. Calculate salaries with prescribed formats, procedures, and formulas for all commissioned and non-commissioned employees in the department. Compile financial information and analyze data. Provide budget information to various command staff as needed for budget management.
• Provide cost projections to determine anticipated year-end for various accounts, and to ensure funding is available within those specified budgets.

Miscellaneous

• Oversee the maintenance of the process related to logging and sending records storage requests to the State Records System, utilizing a State of Wisconsin database program, for the Finance/Executive Office.
• Fill-in as a backup to the Program Assistant positions; and provide general consultation to clerical staff on related policies, procedures, and accounting standards.
• Oversee the department notary public program, including coordinating bonding/licensing, as well as maintaining a database of notaries and expiration dates.
• Administer the department gas card, IPass, and carwash programs.
• Oversee MPD’s tuition reimbursement program and the Educational Incentive Pay program, ensuring compliance with union contracts and City Finance policies. Coordinate department-wide application process for officers pursuing Bachelor’s degrees or Master's degrees. Review requests for reimbursement for compliance with department and City Finance standards. Ensure that all officers are paid at the appropriate rates considering years of service, education level attained, etc.
• Perform related work as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three (3) years of advanced level accounting clerical or bookkeeping experience.

-OR-

• Four (4) years of experience applying the following:
  • Bookkeeping and accounting principles, practices, procedures, and terminology;
  • General office practices;
  • Related recordkeeping principles and systems (both manual and automated); AND
• One (1) year of experience applying the following:
  • Computer software applicable to the duties of the position, including Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Access (or similar database software).

-OR-

• Associate's Degree in Accounting from an accredited college or university; AND
• One (1) year of advanced level accounting clerical or bookkeeping experience.

-OR-

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Mathematics, or a closely related field.

The City of Madison strives to provide exceptional customer service to all its residents and visitors. Therefore successful candidates will have demonstrated ability to effectively work with multicultural communities.  Candidates must also maintain confidentiality within their work.
 
For the complete list of the knowledge, skills, and abilities, please reference the Accounting Technician 1 and Accounting Technician 2 classification specifications.

Special Requirements

Physical Requirements:

Work in this position is primarily sedentary, requiring the ability to sit/stand at a desk, work on a computer, and use a monitor for extended periods of time under varied and occasionally stressful situations. 

*Payroll title for this position will be either Accounting Technician 1 or Accounting Technician 2