Principal Accountant
County of Riverside
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Senior Accountant (County Promotional Only)
County of San Mateo
Public Works Administration
Location
Redwood City, California, 94063-1663
Salary
$54.45 - $68.10
per hour
Type
Full Time
More Finance & Accounting jobs →Closes
February 10, 2026
Job Description
Summary
This senior accountant role at the County of San Mateo involves overseeing accounting tasks for public works projects, such as tracking expenses, managing budgets, and preparing financial reports to ensure everything stays on track financially.
It also includes supervising and training staff while handling complex tasks like reconciliations and audits.
A good fit would be someone with a few years of accounting experience who enjoys leading teams and working with government finances.
Key Requirements
- Graduation from a four-year college with major coursework in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field
- Completion of at least 12 semester units of college-level accounting coursework
- One year of journey-level accounting experience
- Knowledge of principles and practices of general, fund, and governmental accounting
- Familiarity with budgeting, auditing, and financial reconciliation methods
- Basic supervisory principles for directing and evaluating staff
- Understanding of applicable laws regulating public fiscal operations
Full Job Description
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The Department of Public Works is seeking highly motivated individuals to join our team as a Senior Accountant.
Under direction, plans, oversees, coordinates, and monitors a significant accounting functional area; may assign, direct, review and evaluate the work of accounting professional and support staff; performs complex professional accounting work relative to either centralized and/or departmental County accounting procedures and records.
The Senior Accountant will be responsible for providing accounting services for capital projects, including reviewing and approving invoices, processing journal entries to collect reimbursement revenue, monthly tracking of project expenses, and ensuring that expenses posted to projects do not exceed project budgets.
Requirements
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.
- Apportion monies, including secured, unsecured, impounded, redeemed and other taxes.
- Review and claim for referral of tax, 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 modifications to accounting systems and procedures; upon approval, implement new or modified systems and procedures.
- Perform related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
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.
Additional Information
County Promotional. Only current County of San Mateo or County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees 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 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.
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 (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 Timeline:
Final Filing Date: Monday, February 9, 2026 at 11:59 PM PSTApplicant Screening: Tuesday, February 10, 2026Panel Interviews: Week of February 16, 2026 About the CountySan Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay.
With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse communities.
The County of San Mateo is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment.
The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.
Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.
The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community.
HR Contact: Sarah Huynh (012626) (Senior Accountant - E007)
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