Accountant, Senior - Human Resources

Overview

The City of Seattle believes in the diversity of our people, ideas, and experiences and is committed to building an inclusive culture that is representative of the community we serve. Seattle Human Resources (SHR) provides services for our diverse workforce to ensure employees are recruited equitably, managed fairly, are well-trained, supported, and assigned job duties to accomplish City’s goals. We are looking for a Senior Accountant to join our team with these values in mind.

• Ensuring continuity and accuracy of financial operations
• Maintaining compliance and financial controls
• Effectively managing cash flow, payables, and receivables

• Researching, analyzing, preparing, and reviewing journals for financial transactions within the established guidelines of the Department/City and according to generally accepted accounting practices, procedures, and methods
• Reviewing the work of team members to ensure compliance with appropriate procedures and reporting requirements
• Preparing complex and detailed financial accounting reports, statements, and schedules (i.e. fund reports, etc.)
• Performing and reviewing monthly/quarterly/annual reconciliations; reconciling financial data and accounting systems to other subsidiary systems
• Identifying, researching, and resolving outstanding issues with transactions (invoices, payments, refunds, etc.) through various data sources
• Reviewing, developing, and modifying internal accounting control policies, procedures, and practices
• Performing month-end and year-end reconciliations and correcting journal entries
• Developing, modifying, and implementing accounting systems, standards, procedures, and financial controls
• Performing technical accounting research
• Analyzing complex financial data, including expenditures, revenues, and year-over-year variances
• Assisting management in interpreting and understanding fiscal and accounting policies, procedures, operations, and controls
• Identifying, researching, and resolving problems
• Working on special projects and other duties as assigned

• Strong knowledge of GAAP, GASB, and FASB accounting principles and standards
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel
• Experience in reporting from an HRIS system (preferably Workday)
• Experience with People Soft or other similar software suite
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• The ability to work independently and exercise good judgement under limited supervision
• Excellent communication skills
• Learning mindset with an interest in process improvement
• CPA certification

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, or a related field (requires satisfactory completion of at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter credit units in accounting with no substitution allowed)
• Three years of professional experience in general or governmental accounting, or a related field

• An Associate Degree in Accounting, or a related field (requires satisfactory completion of at least 24 semester hours or 36 quarter credit units in accounting with no substitution allowed)
• Four years of professional experience in general or governmental accounting, or a related field

• This civil-service position is eligible for overtime and is classified as an Accountant, Senior. It reports to the Business Operations Manager. It is governed by a collective bargaining agreement between the City and the union, PROTEC
  17 – Professional Unit. The full pay range for this step-progression position is $48.07 - $55.96 per hour. New employees begin at Step 1 of the step progression series, which is $48.07 per hour. Current City employees’ starting rate of pay will be based on Personnel Rules.

The first round of interviews for this position are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 19, 2026. These interviews are tentatively scheduled to take place in person, but may shift to virtual interviews. Second round interviews are planned for Tuesday, February 24, 2026. These interviews are intended to take place virtually over Microsoft Teams.

We will ensure that individuals with…