Residence Requirements:

RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: THERE ARE NO RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS EXAMINATION.  There is one vacancy at the Erie County Medical Center.

Examples of Duties:

A Senior Accountant- ECMCC performs difficult and advanced accounting work in the Finance Department of the Erie County Medical Center Corporation and for its related entities;

Supervises and reviews preparation of various monthly journal entries and account reconciliations;

Reviews department expense statement items and analyzes large fluctuations and budget variances;

Maintains and reviews operating and capital lease schedule and related accounting records;

Performs capitalization of fixed assets and projects and maintains records related to depreciation; maintains subsidiary ledgers and prepares corresponding reconciliations;

Prepares monthly and quarterly sales tax reports;

Serves as a liaison to independent auditors and departments for providing accounting information;

Participates in internal audits relating to financial reporting; Participates in all required general ledger system upgrades, testing, and documentation;

Supervises employee input, posting and processing of financial and accounts receivable information into an electronic information system to ensure accuracy and completeness;

Analyzes information for inclusion in records and reports as required; maintains and distributes information as appropriate;

Participates in reviewing, compiling and analyzing information for use in collective bargaining negotiations;

Participates in the preparation and documentation of new policies or standard operating procedures; Organizes and participates in meetings and committees as required

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test: 

Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or closely related field, including or supplemented by 24 semester credit hours in accounting, and three (3) years of experience (See Note 1) in accounting or financial recordkeeping.

Notes:

NOTES: 1. *Possession of a Master’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, or closely related field or license as a Certified Public Accountant may be substituted for one year of the general accounting experience.  2. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting the full-time experience requirements. 3. Your degree and/or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the New York State Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. A grade of "D" or better is necessary for a course to be credited as successfully completed. If your degree and/or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside of the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to this Department for a list of acceptable companies providing this service; you must pay the required evaluation fee.

Notice to Candidates: Transcripts will now be accepted by the Department of Personnel ONLY at time of application.
All subsequent transcripts must be submitted at time of interview.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has not prepared a test guide for this examination. However,candidates may find information in the publication "How to take a written test" helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at: www.cs.ny.gov/testing/localtestguides.cfm

Subjects of Examination:

Subjects of examination: A written test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas:

1. General accounting

These questions test for knowledge of the general accounting principles and practices used in the preparation of financial statements, in the recording and reporting of financial transactions, and in financial decision-making. Candidates will be required to demonstrate a current knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Knowledge of computerized information systems as it applies to accounting may be required.

2. General auditing

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and procedures involved in substantiating and examining transactions and financial statements. It will require a knowledge of auditing techniques and Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS). Knowledge of the use of computerized accounting or auditing systems as it pertains to auditing may be required. Questions relating to internal controls applicable to manual and computerized accounting systems may be included.

3. Governmental accounting

These questions test for knowledge of the accounting practices employed to provide financial information used in determining and forecasting the condition of governmental units, and used for monitoring governmental performance, in terms of legal, contractual and fiduciary requirements. These questions will test for knowledge of and familiarity with common governmental funds, appropriation and encumbrance accounting, accounting for revenue and expenditures, and other aspects of accounting relating to the governmental sector.

4. Preparing written material

These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.

5. Supervision

These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

6. Understanding and interpreting tabular material

These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES:  It is recommended that candidates use a quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculator.  Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited.  You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.