ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR

2A15

PAY RANGE: N25

GENERAL DEFINITION

This is supervisory level accounting systems work directing daily accounting system operations, biweekly payroll reconciliations and maintaining the integrity of the City’s financial management information system and fringe benefit systems and financial warehouse. The employee in this class is responsible for directing the activities of a staff responsible for administering, monitoring and analyzing the City’s financial accounting systems and posting the City’s accounting transactions. Serving as the key point of technical reference and support to City departments and resolving user problems related to financial accounting systems is a significant aspect of the work. The employee in this class reports to the Accounting Manager.

ALLOCATING FACTORS:

1. The position must direct the activities of a staff responsible for administering, monitoring and analyzing the City’s accounting and payroll systems and posting the City’s accounting transactions.

2. Only one position will be allocated to this class in the Finance Department.

TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF WORK (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)

Supervises accounting personnel engaged in administering, monitoring, analyzing and reconciling the City’s financial accounting and payroll systems including the financial warehouse, posting the City’s accounting transactions both online and batch transactions from various departments and entities; monitors and reviews work for completion and conformance with established policies and procedures; establishes priorities and deadlines; provides technical reference and support for users of the City’s financial accounting systems.

Participates in the development, implementation and maintenance of City-wide accounting information management systems; ensures proper execution of procedures related to computerized financial accounting systems; oversees system testing; researches and resolves output problems; consults with the City’s central technology office to troubleshoot and resolve complex issues necessary to ensure system integrity, accuracy and proper controls.

Monitors and verifies proper execution of programs; maintains the integrity of the City’s financial accounting management information system, the financial data warehouse, and payroll system; ensures secure transference of all financial systems data from one fiscal year to the next and payroll from one calendar year to the next; oversees the security of data files; supervises batching, entry and verification of a large volume of accounting transaction data from various departments; verifies the accuracy of postings from the fringe benefit and payroll systems; monitors and controls the computerized accounting and payroll systems and diagnoses production issues related to the maintenance of financial accounting and payroll information systems.

Maintains the financial warehouse files on both production and test servers on a daily basis and ensures that daily, nightly and weekend processes and load timelines are followed.

Supervises the preparation of biweekly payroll reconciliation, verifies and inputs pension repurchase adjustments, issues tax forms such as 1099-Misc and W-2 and develops and sends data files to state and federal agencies to meet necessary filing deadlines; investigates and resolves complaints/issues received from payees.

Develops user manuals and ensures the documentation of procedures and policies; liaises with City departments to computerize municipal revenue and accounts payable systems; supervises the creation and maintenance of files pertinent to the city-wide financial accounting information system.

Continually monitors system performance and conducts appropriate research and recommends improvements related to: general overall system performance, changes in accounting rules/guidelines, changes in business procedures or policies, or advances in computing technology; participates in meetings pertaining to changes, and new requirements of the system and the associated manual procedures; reviews proposed system solutions and educates management and users in systems capabilities and requirements; ensures the continued documentation of all new procedures developed.

Participates in the hiring, orientation and training of new personnel; evaluates staff training needs; establishes and monitors in-service training for staff in new methods and techniques; directs and participates in the development of technical training material; trains city agency officials to evaluate the system’s effect on their personnel, budget and organization.

Supervises and participates in the preparation of ad-hoc reports and statements on municipal financial activity and account statuses; attends user group meetings.

Performs related work as required.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

KNOWLEDGE OF:

· computer equipment and software, including operating systems, applications, programming languages related to financial information systems

· the principles, practices and procedures used in the analysis, development, implementation and maintenance of accounting systems, methods and procedures

· local area networks, mainframe connectivity methods, data management software, system development and maintenance technologies

· the techniques, practices and proper applications of systems and procedures related to public accounting

· concepts related to data warehousing

· the principles and standards of general accounting and budgetary practices

· the standards, guidelines and requirements for governmental accounting as established by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board

· supervisory methods and techniques

· report writing tools such as Easytrieve, COGNOS, and OBIEE

ABILITY TO:

· learn IRS reporting rules and regulations related to the City’s accounting function

· establish and maintain effective working relationships with City departments

· plan, assign, review and evaluate the activities of a staff of employees

· troubleshoot, analyze and resolve output problems

· analyze and resolve complex accounting systems problems

· monitor and ensure proper execution of procedures related to financial information systems

· formulate recommendations based on changes to financial information systems

· present ideas and complex technical information clearly, both orally and in writing

· ensure and maintain the security of fiscal data files

· utilize computer software for accounting and financial reporting

MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE (The following statement represents the minimum training and experience standards that will be used to admit or reject applicants for tests. Applications submitted by candidates for this class will be reviewed based on training and experience requirements as approved on 9/18.)

EDUCATION:

Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Accounting, Information Technology or Management Information Systems.

AND

GENERAL EXPERIENCE:

Five years of experience performing accounting work or information systems development and maintenance work.

AND

SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE:

OPTION 1: Finance Department

Two years of experience as a Financial Accountant Specialist in the City’s central finance agency.

OPTION 2: All Other City Departments

Four years of experience with primary responsibility for ONE of the following:

performing advanced level specialized data processing and auditing work utilizing digital data files and computer application programs to assist in conducting financial, compliance, performance and departmental audits
performing computer programming and analysis work at the project leader level
performing programming work managing varied database/

telecommunications/operating systems programming projects and coordinating the activities of lower level systems programmers and other users of the system

OPTION 3: External Experience

Five years of post bachelor’s degree experience in accounting or auditing or information systems development and maintenance for a government agency or for an accounting firm, which has included three years of experience at the advanced performance level with responsibility for project management.

Any equivalent combination of education and experience determined to be acceptable by the Office of Human Resources which has included a bachelor’s degree and the specific experience indicated above.

CITY OF PHILADELPHIA CLASSES THAT TYPICALLY MEET THE SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Financial Accountant Specialist (2A09)

Information Systems Audit Specialist (2A48)

Programmer Analyst Project Leader (1E78)

Systems Programmer Project Specialist (1E63)

PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.

Class Established:

CSC – 2/13

Ad. Board – 3/13

Latest Spec. Revision:

CSC – 8/18

Ad. Board – 9/18