Job Description

ABOUT OUR DISTRICT

The Syracuse City School District is undergoing a new phase of innovation and transformation with the goal of ensuring that all students graduate high school with the skills needed to be ready for college and career. For Syracuse, all means all - including students who fall behind academically or have been considered "hard to support" for a host of reasons. The School Board and Syracuse community have charged the Superintendent with improving student achievement, and he is seeking a dedicated and diverse team of school leaders and teachers to partner with him in moving the district toward its goals. The Syracuse City School District represents 34 schools and 4 alternative education programs, serving 19,000+ students Pre-K-12 of whom 77% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, 18% are served by the Office of Special Education and 78% are students of color.

Location: Accounting Department at Central Office

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS

The work involves responsibility for performing or supervising difficult and specialized clerical work, in maintaining and reviewing a complex set of financial accounts and records. An employee in this class is either responsible for maintaining a complex set of financial records or assisting a supervisor in the maintenance of these records, and in preparing complex and difficult financial and statistical reports. Assignments in this class are based on the complexity and difficulty of records kept the amount of independent judgement exercised and supervisory responsibility of subordinate staff. Work is performed with relative technical independence, and is supervised and reviewed by an Administrative Superior in the verification of financial records and statements, and by annual auditing by local and state auditors. Supervision may be exercised over a small number of subordinate personnel. Incumbents may be required to successfully pass a background check. Does related work as required.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES

• Maintains or supervises the maintenance of accounts and general ledgers in the accounting section of an agency or department.
• Posts or supervises posting entries to cash books, general ledgers, appropriation ledgers, voucher ledgers and subsidiary journals.
• Receives remittances by mail, in person or from cashiers; verifies amounts; issues receipts and posts or supplies totals for posting in appropriate ledger.
• Posts or supervises posting of cash disbursements and reviews transactions for accuracy.
• Checks purchase orders and claims for payment; posts or supervises posting to appropriate ledger.
• Prepares ledger cards for machine or manual posting; checks accuracy of posting.
• Reconciles balances in various ledgers with comptroller's report i.e., disbursements and balances in appropriate codes.
• Prepares or supervises and assists in preparation of payrolls.
• Compiles figures for annual budget preparation, supplying statistics for supervisor or department head.
• May use a personal computer (PC) for filing or obtaining information.

FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Thorough knowledge of bookkeeping principles and practices.
• Thorough knowledge of setting up and balancing ledgers and accounts.
• Good knowledge of office procedures and practices.
• Ability to operate adding machines, personal computers (PCs), calculators and other office machines.
• Ability to make arithmetic computations rapidly and accurately.
• Ability to research financial records, and prepare financial and statistical reports.
• Ability to plan, assign and supervise the work of subordinates.
• Ability to use common office equipment.
• Ability to train new employees in the use of office machines as well as in account-keeping procedures as adopted by the department and agency.
• Ability to apply bookkeeping principles to the setting up and maintenance of fiscal and accounting records.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to perform routine accounting transactions utilizing data processing systems.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Promotion One (1) year of permanent competitive class status in the title of Account Clerk I or Account Clerk-Typist I.

Open Competitive

Two (2) years of account keeping work experience or its part-time equivalent, the major job function of which is

the maintenance of financial accounts, which must have included reconciling and posting to ledgers, journals and other accounting records; or,

Successful completion of 12 semester credit hours in accounting or an associate's degree in accounting from a

regionally accredited college or university or business school or one accredited by the New York State Board of regents to grant degrees; or,

An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

WORKING HOURS: This position will work 40 hours per week, 12 months per year. This position is full-time and is nonexempt.

SALARY: The current starting salary for this position is $46,913 per the Unit 9 contract.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• To be considered, all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications of the position as outlined on the Onondaga County Civil Service job specifications for this title.
• NYS HELPS Program will allow us to hire for this position without participating in the Civil Service exam or being appointed from an eligible list. The selected candidate will serve a 52-week probationary period, and the position will mature into a permanent appointment.
• The successful candidate will be required to pass a fingerprint-based background check, at the cost of $102.50 to the candidate.
• City Residents are encouraged to apply!

The Onondaga County Civil Service job description for this position can be viewed by clicking here.