Accountant III

The City of Portland is recruiting to fill current and future Accountant III vacancies across the city. 

Accountant III positions perform work in the following bureaus: Bureau of Environmental Services, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Portland Parks and Recreation, Portland Permitting & Development, Public Safety Service Area, Portland Bureau of Transportation, and Portland Water Bureau.

• Public Safety Service Area: Hybrid. Employees are expected work on site 50% of the time. In-person work will be conducted at 1120 SW 5th Avenue, Portland, OR. Remote work must be performed within Oregon or Washington. For more information, click here.
• Office of the Chief Financial Officer: Fully remote.

The Accountant III positions typically perform the most responsible accounting-related functions and have a substantial impact on the integrity of financial systems, reporting, and management decision making. The Accountant III is responsible for accounting, reporting, and financial analysis and is significantly relied upon for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness by City management for decision making purposes. 

The current vacancy exists in the Public Safety Service Area (PSSA).  As the Accountant III, you will serve as the bureau's primary cashier and accounts receivable specialist. This position is responsible for processing customer payments for permits, fees, and other bureau services while providing exceptional customer service to the public and internal stakeholders. The Accountant III works closely with customers at the Development Services Center and collaborates with bureau staff to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant financial transactions.

In addition to the bullet points listed above, the PSSA Accountant III will also be responsible for:

• Collections & write-offs: Evaluates uncollectible receivables, manages write-off approvals, and leads delinquent account collection efforts.
• AR management: Tracks project revenues against contracts, monitors aging reports, reconciles payments, and follows up on discrepancies or overdue balances.
• External billing: Independently creates and issues customer invoices in SAP, verifies accuracy against contracts, and coordinates with City staff to gather billing data.
• Billing follow-up & process improvement: Monitors outstanding invoices, follows up on payment, escalates significant delays or disputes, and identifies efficiency improvements while maintaining documented work instructions.
• Capital asset tracking & systems: Develops and maintains project accounting systems, and capital asset tracking; oversees asset acquisition, maintenance, and disposition; leads internal audits/reconciliations to verify records, ownership, and depreciation. Reviews, validates, analyzes and records capital project costs, working closely with project managers and other departments to ensure all transactions are recorded accurately.

1. Experience applying Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), and government GAAP as dictated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
2. Experience extracting detailed financial information from an ERP system (currently SAP) for accounting and financial reporting, assembling financial data, and preparing clear, concise, and comprehensive technical documents, reports, illustrations, and other written materials.
3. Experience effectively communicating both verbally and in writing with all business partners, regardless of their varying levels of accounting knowledge.
4. Experience applying financial analysis techniques. 
5. Ability to collaborate effectively as a team member while also being capable of working independently without guidance.
6. Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a customer-focused environment

• Resume
  • Note: Do not include your age, date of birth, or the dates you attended or graduated from school. Only provide this information if it is specifically requested to meet job requirements or to follow federal, state, or local laws or rules.
• Answer to the Supplemental Questions (click on the Questions tab to preview the questions)

• Veteran documents to request for Veteran Preference (ex, DD214-Member 4, VA Benefit Letter, etc.) 
  • Effective January 1, 2026, the State of Oregon law ORS 408.225 - 408.238 is amended to expand eligibility for Veterans’ Preference to current and former Oregon National Guard service members. If applicants are existing state or former Oregon National Guard servicemembers, they are encouraged to attach appropriate documentation to their future recruitment applications.
  • Update: As of March 3, 2025, if you have already submitted veteran documents and qualified for preference, you do not need to resubmit them for future recruitments.
  • To update or remove veteran preference for this recruitment or from your profile, contact the recruiter listed in the job announcement.

Application Tips:

• Your responses to the supplemental questions should include details describing your education, training and/or experience, and where obtained, which clearly reflects your qualifications for each of the numbered items in the "To Qualify" section of this announcement.
• Your resume should support the details described in your responses to the supplemental questions.
• How We Determine Pay: The City of Portland is covered by the Oregon Equal Pay Act. Your salary is determined based on the experience listed in your resume that is directly related and equivalent to the position for which you are applying.  It is strongly encouraged to include any transferable experience (paid or unpaid regardless of how recent) to ensure your offer is reflective of all your relevant experience.
• Do not attach materials not requested. 
• All completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than on the closing date and time of this recruitment.  
• All applications must be submitted via the City's online application process.  E-mailed and/or faxed applications will not be accepted.    
• You can use AI tools to assist with your job application, but please make sure to personalize your responses to supplemental questions. Avoid copying and pasting; instead, use AI to generate ideas and then tailor them to reflect your own experiences and skills.

• An evaluation of each applicant's training and paid and unpaid experience, as demonstrated in their resume and supplemental questions, weighted 100%.
• Your resume and responses to the supplemental questions will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Incomplete or inappropriate information may result in disqualification.
• You have 14 days from the notice of the minimum qualification evaluation results to let us know if you like to review and discuss your evaluation result. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01 for complete information.
• Additional evaluation may be required prior to establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.

• Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list.

• Hiring bureau will review and select candidates to interview.

• A start date will be determined after all conditions of employment have been met.

• Veteran Preference
• ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations 
• Work Status
• Equal Employment Opportunity