Accounting Specialist I/II/III

Annual Salary Range: $ 41,787.20 - $73,694.40
First Review of Applications: January 27, 2025
Expected Start Date: February/March 2025

Overview of Accounting and Finance Department  

SANDAG has great pride in being a fiscally responsible public agency and has implemented rigorous accounting processes and financial reporting procedures to monitor expenses, encumbrances, grant funds, and project budgets, and accurately document various types of financial transactions.  

The department supports the day-to-day business operations of SANDAG through a team organized into two functional areas: Accounting & Finance and Revenue & Project Control. As part of the Accounting & Finance group, this position supports payroll duties and the department plays a critical role in supporting all agency programs. The team is highly regarded for their ability to maintain an exceptional level of accuracy and for providing outstanding customer service. 

Role

The Limited-Term Accounting Specialist position will be a reliable individual who is detail-oriented, organized, and has the flexibility to meet changing priorities and workload demands. This position requires a high-level of initiative in order to gather and verify information, frequent interaction with employees and other customers, and adherence to control processes developed to ensure quality and timeliness of payroll processing. 

The Accounting Specialist is an integral member of the Payroll team that supports a staff group of approximately 400 employees.  This position ensures the timely and accurate processing of bi-weekly payroll for the agency.

This position will be filled as an Accounting Specialist I, II or III depending on experience.

This limited term position is funded for 1 year.

Typical Qualifications

• The minimum education, training, and experience qualifications include a high school diploma or equivalent and one to five years of recent experience providing support for payroll, preferably with a government-related organization. Specialized training or college level course work in accounting, business, finance, or a related field is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience performing payroll duties for a mid-sized organization including processing payroll, auditing payroll reports, processing tax forms, and setting up voluntary deductions; experience using software for the processing of payroll including data entry, analysis, and report generation and generally accepted accounting principles.  Experience with defined benefit plans, specifically, California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) is desirable.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the principles and techniques involved in payroll administration and payroll related accounting practices; awareness of state and federal laws related to payroll practices, record keeping, retirement funds, and garnishments.
• Experience preparing general ledger journal entries is desirable.
• Candidates must pass a pre-employment criminal background check; periodic background checks will be a condition of ongoing employment. The selected candidate also can anticipate a driving record check upon hire, and approximately annually thereafter.

Benefits

SANDAG offers comprehensive benefits, to include health, dental, and vision insurance as well as employee assistance, wellness, and work/life balance programs. Additionally, SANDAG offers the following:

• Hybrid work options
• 9/80 flexible work schedule
• Pay-for-performance merit increases
• Retirement - Defined Benefit Plan with the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS)
• Retirement - 457 Defined Contribution Plan with Voya
• Excellent health insurance options for employees and their eligible dependents
• Free dental and vision insurance for employees and their eligible dependents
• Education Assistance of up to $5,250 a year for regular employees
• Free transit pass for use throughout the San Diego region, bus, Rapid Express, Trolley, and COASTER
• Paid time off including 12 paid holidays, 2 floating holiday days, generous paid time off (PTO) per year, depending on length of service

 Call (619) 699-1900 or visit https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/sandag? for information. First review January 27, 2025. EOE.