Accounting Assistant I/II - Fixed Term

Summary/Class Characteristics

Accounting Assistant I/II - Fixed Term

The Finance Department is looking to fill one (1) fixed term vacancy at the Accounting Assistant I or Accounting Assistant II level, depending on the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate. This recruitment will remain open until filled and may close at any time. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply early for first consideration. Please note this position is full time and fully benefited for a term of 2 years.

SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE
SALARY RANGES :

• Accounting Assistant I: $52,977.60 - $64,396.80 (+3% COLA in July 2025)
• Accounting Assistant II: $58,489.60 - $71,136.00 (+3% COLA in July 2025)

FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING:

• MEDICAL INSURANCE: Choice of a variety of CalPERS Health Plans. City pays ~95% of the Bay Area Kaiser premium for employee & eligible dependents; or alternative option to receive Medical Cash Back (if you have medical coverage elsewhere). Please see the 2025 Health Plan Contribution Memo .
• DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE: Coverage for employees & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
• LIFE INSURANCE: Competitive life insurance & Long-Term Disability benefits. Option to purchase additional life insurance.
• EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Support and benefits, for you & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
• WELLNESS BENEFIT: $500 annual allowance (subject to the annual budget approval process and may change in the future)

FOR YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:

• CALPERS RETIREMENT PACKAGE
  • 2% at 60 for Classic CalPERS members
  • 2% at 62 for PEPRA CalPERS members
• DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: voluntary participation in your choice of three plan offerings.

FOR YOUR WORK / LIFE BALANCE (annual amounts):

• Vacation: 80 Hours, increasing with years of service
• Sick Leave: 96 hours
• Holidays: 12 fixed days
• Personal Leave: 8 hours

• Other Benefits:
  • Paid Parental Leave - up to 8 weeks of paid time for qualifying family bonding
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Employer

The Accounting Assistant I/II classification is represented by AFSCME. Please refer to the Memorandum of Understanding for Unit 3 and the Employee Benefits website for additional details.

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A City that Works for Everyone

Our City has an enormous amount of civic pride which celebrates multiple approaches and points of view. When we say we are a City that Works for Everyone we mean everyone. To do that well, we’re creating a workforce that is inclusive and listens to the multitude of voices and views of our employees. Diversity is an integral part of our organizational identity. Inclusion is the way we treat and perceive our differences. Equity is treating all our employees fairly and acknowledging that everyone has value. This drives our innovation, motivation and connects us even closer to our community.

Summary

Provide a variety of specialized clerical duties that emphasize financial, statistical, and accounting customer service support; may perform general office support duties including typing and record keeping.

Class Characteristics

Supervision is provided by a higher level supervisor or manager. Duties may be assigned in accordance with one or more areas of financial responsibility such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, utility services, and/or general accounting. May provide indirect supervision to lower level clerical support staff on a project or assignment basis.

Accounting Assistant I
This is the entry-level class of the Accounting Assistant series. Initially under close supervision, incumbents learn office and City procedures, including accounts receivable and payable, utility billing and customer accounting, payroll, business license, and cashiering functions. As experience is gained, incumbents work with greater independence of action within established guidelines. This class is alternately staffed with Accounting Assistant II and incumbents may advance to the higher level after gaining experience and demonstrating proficiency that meets the qualifications for the higher-level class.

Accounting Assistant II
This is the journey-level class of the Accounting Assistant series. Incumbents work under general supervision and are fully competent to perform a variety of clerical financial and accounting office support duties with some independence.

Both of these classes may be distinguished from the higher-level class of Accounting Technician in that Accounting Assistants perform work that is within well-defined and established parameters whereas Accounting Technicians perform more complex technical accounting tasks requiring some knowledge and application of general accounting principles as well as governmental accounting regulations and practices.

Duties

Collect fees and other monies for various City services; issue receipts and balance account records on a regular basis.

Explain utility billing procedures to the public; contact customers to affect collections on returned check or delinquent accounts; apply penalties on delinquent accounts and report/send delinquent accounts to pertinent agencies as necessary; receive customer information to establish or discontinue utility service.

Receive checks by mail; process and balance accounts accordingly; monitor and post payments; reconcile with various accounts receivable records.

Respond to customer inquiries, maintain customer accounts, and process applications for service; prepare adjustments to accounts as authorized.

Maintain records and prepare billings for City utility, licensing, and other services; process claims and bills.

Review and post deposits and journal entries; reconcile deposits or statements on assigned accounts.

Generate and process purchase orders and provide information to vendors regarding invoices and purchase orders.

Process all invoices for payment; match invoices and other requests for payment with purchase order or contract documents; issue checks; receive and review payment reports to ensure accuracy, proper authorization, and compliance with City policies and procedures.

Input information or prepare forms to produce warrants; reconcile and prepare payment requests for non-purchase order expenditures, including utility and telephone payments.

Reconcile and compute payments due for various benefit program providers.

Compose simple memoranda, letters, or schedules to send to customers, vendors, and others.

Perform a variety of general office support duties such as typing, proofreading, filing, answering the telephone, and preparing periodic and special reports.

Enter and retrieve data from a computer system and produce standard reports.

Answer questions regarding City financial policies and ordinances.

Assist with training less experienced staff as assigned; direct the work of subordinate staff on a project basis.

Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other City employees, and the public using principles of good customer service.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

Basic practices and procedures of financial record keeping and bookkeeping.

Standard clerical principles and practices, including filing.

Business arithmetic as applied to accounting and auditing office support functions.

Correct business English usage and the standard format for typed materials.

Principles and practices of area of assignment.

Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Education and Experience

Any combination equivalent to the education and experience likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to gain such knowledge and abilities would be:

Accounting Assistant I/II

Education:

Equivalent to graduation from high school, supplemented by some course work in bookkeeping or basic accounting.

Accounting Assistant II

Experience:

Two years of bookkeeping, financial clerical, or office assistant experience.

Physical Demands and Working Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use the computer keyboard and mouse, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear; and stand, walk, and stoop, or crouch. The employee will occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Duties require the ability to work in an office environment where the noise level is usually moderate.

The City of Petaluma offers a wide-ranging, comprehensive benefit package including CalPERS retirement, medical, dental, vision, life, LTD, etc. For moreinformation regarding the benefits associated with this position, visit our website: https://cityofpetaluma.org/employee-benefits-information/

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• City of Petaluma

• 707-778-4534

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