Senior Accountant (Departmental Promotional Only)

The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office is seeking a highly motivated team player and ambitious leader to join its Fiscal Services Bureau as a Senior Accountant.

The Sheriff's Office provides services to the community with commitment, public trust, and organizational excellence.  The Senior Accountant position offers an exceptional opportunity to be a part of an Office that is committed to public safety, ethics, equity and excellence in accountability.  

Under the direction of a Management Analyst, the incumbent will assign, direct, review and evaluate the work of professional and support staff while performing complex professional accounting duties, to include special projects, in support of the Fiscal Services Bureau. This individual may also assist with budget development and monitoring.  

The ideal candidate will have:

• Ability to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing with staff within the Sheriff's Office, other County Departments, and external stakeholders.
• Experience in Day-to-day governmental accounting and reporting. 
• Experience supervising fiscal staff.
• Experience with project management.
• Ability to identify and implement process improvements.
• Extensive experience with OFAS, Coupa, and ServiceNow.
• Ability to work independently, problem-solve, and exercise sound judgment within established guidelines.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Provide direction, supervision, training, work review and/or evaluation to assigned professional and fiscal support on a project or ongoing basis.
• Provide input into selection decisions and disciplinary matters.
• Prepare and maintain control and subsidiary accounting records involving a variety of transactions and accounts; prepare trial balances and financial reports.
• Coordinate and calculate month-end and year-end closings.
• Prepare journal entries and periodic reconciliations of general ledger, journal, subsidiary accounts and bank statements.
• Compile and prepare financial statements, general and subsidiary ledgers and supporting schedule; maintain expenditure and budgetary control accounts.
• Review, analyze and adjust budgets for County funds.
• Maintain varied departmental cost accounting records, disbursing funds to various accounts and/or billings for reimbursement as required.
• Provide technical support to internal auditors and governmental program auditors.
• Review and claim grant or other monies and prepare claims for reimbursement from various State or funding agencies and/or programs.
• Analyze programs and legislation to determine fiscal and budgetary impact; prepare budgetary appropriation transfers and supplemental budgets.
• Review and recommend improvements to accounting systems and procedures; upon approval, implement new or modified systems and procedures.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Experience and Education:

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and skills is:
 
 Equivalent to graduation from a four-year college or university with major coursework in accounting, finance, business administration or a closely related field and one year of journey-level accounting experience. This classification requires the successful completion of a minimum of twelve semester units of college-level accounting coursework.
 
Knowledge of:

• Basic supervisory principles and practices.
• Principles, practices and terminology of general, fund and governmental accounting.
• Principles and practices of business data processing, particularly as related to the processing of accounting information.
• Principles of public finance.
• Applicable laws regulating public fiscal operations.
• Budgeting principles and terminology.
• Auditing and financial reconciliation principles and methods.

Skill/Ability to:

• Plan, direct, review, and evaluate the work of assigned support staff.
• Train others in work procedures.
• Review, analyze, post, balance, interpret and reconcile complex financial data and accounts.
• Develop and implement accounting systems and procedures.
• Verify the accuracy of financial data and information.
• Ensure proper authorization and documentation for disbursements.
• Interpret and apply complex financial procedures and legal documents.
• Exercise sound independent judgment within established policy guidelines.
• Prepare and direct the preparation of clear, concise and complete financial reports and statements, audit reports and audit work papers.
• Make accurate mathematical and statistical calculations.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations.

Departmental Promotional Only. Only current County of San Mateo employees in the Sheriff’s Office with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra help/limited term position prior to the final filing date may apply.  
 
Responses to supplemental questions on the online application is required and must be submitted.  A resume or reference to a resume will not be accepted as a substitute for your responses to these questions or the standard online application. 
 
The examination process will consist of an application screening (weight: Pass/Fail) based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview, which may include a written examination (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire. 

Tentative Recruitment Schedule:
Final Filing Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST
Application Screening: Week of September 21, 2026
Panel Interviews: TBD

County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.