2A27
PAY RANGE: N21
COST ACCOUNTANT
GENERAL DEFINITION
This is cost accounting work supervising and participating in the development, installation and maintenance of cost accounting systems. Work involves the preparation of cost figures reflecting departmental operations. Contact with departmental officials and technical personnel in developing cost accounting systems and reporting procedures is a significant aspect of the work.
Work is performed under the direction of an accounting or an administrative supervisor.
Assignments require evaluative thinking and work is performed in accordance with precedents and well defined policies. The employee has responsibility for the analysis of the operational costs of an assigned department and provides management with cost information for use in planning programs and budgets.
TYPICAL EXAMPLES OF WORK (ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY)
Plans, develops, installs and maintains control systems for determining costs of services rendered by assigned department; meets with administrators, accountants, cost accountants and information technology (IT) personnel to discuss, adapt and install computer processed cost accounting and management information systems; revises systems and develops sub-systems to reflect changes in operations; establishes cost centers, classifications and accounts for the maintenance of records to collect, compute and assign costs to a service, an operational unit or to administrative support.
Calculates and assigns costs such as labor, materials and supplies to determine direct costs of services rendered; calculates job order, unit costs and cost data for rate schedules and billing charges to city agencies, governmental jurisdictions, third party payers and private firms.
Develops overheads such as equipment or fixed asset depreciation, utility costs, payroll fringe benefits and administrative support services; assigns, analyzes and distributes applicable overheads to job orders and departmental services; distributes overheads using procedures specified by appropriate parties such as the water utility industry and thirty-party payers.
Maintains cost and operational data; measures actual performance against standards; reports costs which reflect possible inefficiency in use of equipment, material and personnel; meets with administrators to discuss cost allocations; prepares periodic and special analytical cost reports relating dollar costs with operational data for specific service units, departmental functions or proposed service contracts.
Plans, assigns and reviews the work of a group of subordinates engaged in maintaining payroll, labor cost and inventory control data; implements new accounting procedures; trains subordinates and reviews their work for completeness and accuracy.
Performs related work as required.
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
KNOWLEDGE OF:
• the principles, methods and techniques of cost accounting as applied to large and diversified service operations
• the problems commonly encountered in cost accounting and of the measures commonly used for their resolution
• the applications of computer equipment to cost accounting systems
• the applications of machine tabulating equipment to cost record maintenance
• organizational, management and system theory and their relationship to cost system
• current developments in the cost accounting field and their relationship to management information systems
ABILITY TO:
• devise, install and maintain a comprehensive cost accounting system, including the application of computer systems, involving large and complex service operations
• resolve accounting, manual procedures, organizational and electronic data processing problems involved in implementing the installation and maintenance of a cost system
• analyze cost and operational data and prepare a variety of related reports reflecting the various aspects of departmental service costs
• maintain cost records in a manner that will enable development of standards
• advise management with respect to cost accounting systems
• present ideas effectively and clearly
• train and supervise a group of employees engaged in cost accounting operations
• establish and maintain effective working relationships with associate and department officials
MINIMUM ACCEPTABLE TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE (The following statement represents the minimum training and experience standards which 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 2/16.)
EDUCATION:
Completion of a bachelor's degree program at an accredited college or university, with major course work in accounting.
AND
GENERAL EXPERIENCE:
Two years of post-bachelor’s degree accounting experience.
AND
SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE:
Option 1:
Two years of senior cost accounting experience with computerized cost accounting systems in a large organization.
OR
Option 2:
Two years of advanced performance level departmental accounting work within the City’s Central Finance Agency or two years of advanced performance level departmental accounting work developing, implementing, and evaluating accounting systems needed to facilitate planning, reporting, and control by municipal agencies.
OR
Option 3:
Two years of departmental accounting work at the first supervisory level directing and participating in the work of accounting and clerical personnel.
NOTE: A master’s degree with major course work in accounting may be substituted for one year of the general experience requirement.
Or 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 described above as a minimum.
Job classes that typically meet the requirements in this class are:
Departmental Accounting Systems Specialist (2A19)
Accounting Supervisor (2A07)
Financial Accountant (2A09)
PHYSICAL AND MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required of a position in this class.
Spec. Revision 10/76
Latest Spec. Revision:
CSC - 1/16
Ad. Board – 2/16
AM/CP