Accountant

Come on down to the Vernon Hiring & Post-Secondary Education Expo on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the Prestige Vernon Lodge & Conference Centre | 3914 32 Street, Vernon, B.C. Come dressed for success with your resume in hand for an opportunity to meet a live recruiter. Free Admission and Open to the public. ACCOUNTANT Competition #:JR-2024-239 Accountant (Regular, Exempt) Annual Salary:$89,033.79 - $104,745.64 About Vernon: Welcome to Vernon and the sunny North Okanagan, where our casual lifestyle matched with spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities has led Vernon to become one of the most diversified communities in BC. The community is surrounded by three lakes; Okanagan, Kalamalka and Swan in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, one of the most desirable regions in Canada in which to live. The community is located approximately 4 1/2 hours by car from Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean, and 3 hours north of the US border at Washington State. Vernon is the hub of the North Okanagan and has a population of over 45,000. Vernon provides an exceptional quality of life with a mix of urban amenities, world class resorts, amazing recreational opportunities all situated in a natural setting. Vernon is a great place to live, work, visit or invest. Just ask any one who lives in the region. About the Position: Reporting to the Manager, Financial Planning and Reporting (Deputy Chief Financial Officer), this position assists with the review and analysis of a variety of financial accounting functions. This includes assistance with creating the annual five-year financial plan, assistance with completion of the year-end audit and other statutory reporting processes; maintenance of the General Ledger accounting structure (Foundation Data Model), accounts payable transaction review, commodity tax administration, and departmental cost allocations in order to achieve accurate and complete financial information and compliance with policies and external legislation. Duties Include: * Assists with the creation of the five-year financial plan annually by evaluating budget inputs for reasonability, and reviewing capital projects with funding options for the capital plan. * Responsible for creating salary forecasts in the budgeting software for each cost centre, incorporating inflation rates and assumptions agreed to by Council. * Reviews biweekly payroll transactions completed by Human Resources staff to ensure reasonableness and accuracy. * Acts as a Signing Officer of the City for the purpose of binding or obligating the City in connection with its accounts and transactions with the bank or other financial institutions. * Responsible for the review and approval of accounts payable invoices prior to approval for cash disbursement, insuring costing by managers is consistent with legislative and reporting requirements. * Assists the manager in the development of a strong team through the use of coaching, mentoring and providing individual support if needed. * Participates in the hiring of departmental in-scope staff. * Backup to Manager when the Manager and Director are away. Responsible for the reporting of and submission of commodity taxes including preparing periodic tax returns and assisting in providing tax advice to other staff in order to ensure legislative compliance. * Liaises with Infrastructure staff periodically to insure tangible capital assets are appropriately accounted for. * Through periodic reviews of cost recovery centres, insures cost allocations and cost recoveries are completed throughout the year. * Responsible for the preparation and posting of journal entries to insure compliance with financial reporting requirements and accuracy of the transactions. * Responsible for administration of discretionary grant process. * Reviews project grant claims prepared by project managers to insure accuracy. * Prepares periodic variance reports and analysis for Council that provides relevant and timely information for decision-making. * Responsible for the preparation of year end working papers as required for audit purposes and by outside grant agencies. * Liaises with designated auditors through scheduling, coordination and review of information and documents from staff necessary for year-end audit purposes. * Acts as a subject matter expert in the ERP Financials system (Workday) including accounts payable transactions, budgeting and general ledger including the use of various reports. * Maintains the general ledger accounts (Foundation Data Model) to ensure all elements are available for responsible budget managers, responding to changing reporting needs of the City managers as required. * Assists with project management on Financial Planning & Reporting projects as required. * Prepares and analyzes key performance indicators and statistical information for publication in the Annual Report in order to enhance public transparency. * Provides training for City staff on the use of financial and budgeting software. * Liaises with software suppliers as required relating to routine processes for accounts payable, budgeting, general ledger, tangible capital assets and financial reporting. * Assists with liability insurance and property insurance coverage, including annual review of City assets and appropriate premium allocations. * Reviews and recommends revisions to policies, procedures and bylaws that support the financial planning and reporting functions of the City. * Performs other duties as required. The above statements are a general description of the principle functions of the job identified and shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be inherent in the job. * All persons employed by the City of Vernon will be required to assist the City in providing emergency services. Duties assigned during an emergency may differ from regular duties. Required Education and Experience : * Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus on Accounting, or equivalent. * Minimum five years’ progressively responsible experience in an accounting setting. * Demonstrated experience with Public Sector Accounting Standards and preparation of financial statements. * Valid BC Driver’s Licence Class 5. Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: * Adopts professional values consistent with the City including honesty, integrity, ethics, due care in work completion, objectivity, independence in mental attitude and professional skepticism. * Maintains confidentiality and avoids conflicts of interest. * Familiar with legislation and bylaws related to finance that must be complied with by the City, including, but not limited to, the Community Charter and Local Government Act. * Good understanding of accounting principles and recording routine financial transactions. * Familiarity with accounting policies and procedures necessary for effective internal controls and efficient account processes. * Good understanding of commodity taxes in British Columbia (PST) and Canada (GST). * Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite applications. * Good understanding of financial software systems used in a municipal finance department, especially related to budgeting and financial reporting. * Good understanding of effective problem-solving processes. * Demonstrated ability to analyze and summarize quantitative and qualitative data, resulting in information that assists management in making decisions. * Effectively communicates with others, verbally and written, to obtain and give accurate and relevant information. * Works effectively as a team member demonstrating commitment to team success and providing timely and constructive feedback as needed. * Demonstrated ability to manage conflict between individuals and across teams. Preferred Education and Experience: * Preference given to candidates with BC local government experience. * Preference given to candidates with a CPA designation. To Apply: Please submit your resume, quoting the appropriate competition number to: Human Resources, City of Vernon, usingoneof the following methods: * Online at www.vernon.ca by selecting “apply” and creating a candidate profile. * By Fax: (250) 550-3551Internal Applicants: * Internal applicants are asked to apply using their worker profile. * By making application, you are authorizing the City of Vernon to verify, through whatever means deemed appropriate, any information included in your applicant profile.The City of Vernon wishes to thank all applicants; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Apply to: https://www.vernon.ca/government-services/careers Company: City of Vernon Salary: $89,033.79 - $104,745.64 / year Contract: PERMANENT