Senior Accountant

Job Description:

Senior Accountant

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at [email protected] .

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility - offering hybrid work and alternative work schedules in select roles. Additionally, the City offers excellent health and pension benefits, as well as 15 paid holidays!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

Position Duties

Salary Range: $118,460.16 - $144,318.72 annually
This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. Actual salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.
Bargaining Unit: City Association of Management Personnel (CAMP)

The Environmental Services Department is seeking to fill two (2) full-time Senior Accountant vacancies :

Administrative Services Division (ASD) - Fiscal and Accounting Team
Location: 200 East Santa Clara Street, San José, CA 95113

Regional Water Facility (RWF) - Fiscal Team
Location: 700 Los Esteros Road, San José, CA 95134

Administrative Services Division (ASD)

The ASD team provides essential fiscal, operational, and strategic support to ESD staff, programs, and utilities. Team members support the department by facilitating workforce trainings, managing information technology data and services for more than 500 employees, delivering quality customer service in utility billing, supporting recruitment and promotions, and overseeing budget planning and fiscal management for a variety of special funds that advance ESD’s mission. By providing behind-the-scenes support, the ASD team plays a critical role in the department’s success.

Reporting to the Principal Accountant, the Senior Accountant in ASD supports reporting and auditing requirements related to bond and commercial paper financing mechanisms used to fund capital improvements at the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (RWF) and the Municipal Water System.

Typical duties of this Senior Accountant ASD team position may include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for bond compliance reporting for external agencies and bond auditing operations, including the annual Single Audit and financial statement preparation
• RWF cash position accounting for the Tributary Agencies
• Oversee Wastewater Revenue Note draws and debt service
• Oversee future bond issuance operations, including the anticipated bond draw in 2025-2026
• Oversee cash positions for Municipal Water System funds (Water Utility Fund, Water Utility Capital Fund, and the Major Facilities Fund)
• Supervise an accounting team, including an Accountant I/II, an Analyst I/II, and/or other accounting clerical staff; supervise additional accounting staff as needed
• Attend Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) trainings on annual Generally Accepted Accounting Principles/Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GAAP/GASB) updates
• Perform accounting for fixed assets, debt service, accounts payable, and accounts receivable
• Participate in year-end close activities and year-end financial audits
• Cross-train with other Senior Accountants on unit duties to provide coverage and build institutional knowledge
• Perform other ad hoc or modified accounting assignments as needed

Typical duties of this Senior Accountant RWF team position may include, but are not limited to:

• Lead and manage the RWF Fiscal Unit, consisting of six (6) team members
• Train and mentor employees at the RWF to support succession planning and “build the bench”
• Provide timely performance feedback and conduct performance reviews for the RWF Fiscal Unit
• Facilitate the development of the annual Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget
• Prepare budgetary and accounting information for TAC and TPAC
• Oversee the ESD timekeeping function for approximately 600 employees
• Administer grant accounting for the RWF
• Lead accounting services at the facility
• Manage customer and vendor accounts and relationships to ensure timely payments
• Manage the Mitchell-Humphrey accounting system for RWF fixed assets
• Oversee preparation of the Fixed Asset Roll Forward Schedule for SC-SJ fixed asset allocations
• Lead the RWF CIP Engineering Team through multiple capital budget scenarios during the planning process
• Lead the RWF annual year-end audit process and coordinate with MGO auditors
• Assist with the AWTF/SBWR audit
• Lead the team in delivering excellent customer service

Minimum Qualifications

Education

Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Business Administration, or related field, including at least 18 semester units in accounting subjects.

Experience

F our (4) years of experience at the working level of a professional accountant.

Acceptable Substitution

None

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Analytical Thinking - Approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Fiscal Management - Understands the relationship of the budget and resources to the strategic plan.

Planning - Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered, or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews, one of which may include a practical/writing exercise.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third-party job board application system. To apply, applicants must complete an application via the City of San Jose’s website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers. You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Irina Orozco at [email protected].

Additional Information:
To apply, please complete an application via the City of San Jose’s website at www.sanjoseca.gov/citycareers. The application deadline is on May 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM. Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email [email protected] and we will research the status of your application. Please contact Human Resources at (408) 535-1285, or [email protected] if you have any questions.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email [email protected] and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 5/11/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$118,460.16 - $144,318.72 Annually