Supervising Accountant PROMOTIONAL

Modified: January 30, 2020 11:20am

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Supervising Accountant PROMOTIONAL

#73-802 - Promotional (for current employees only)

Salary: SALARIES VARY
Opening Date: January 30, 2020
Closing Date: February 19, 2020
Application fee: $20.00

Residence Requirements:

THIS EXAMINATION IS OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES OF THE ERIE 1 BOCES as well as ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TOWNS AND VILLAGES. At present there is one vacancy in the Erie One BOCES. 

The eligible list resulting from this examination will not supersede currently existing promotional eligible lists for this title, if any.  The duration of all promotional eligible lists is four years from date of establishment unless otherwise indicated.

Examples of Duties:

Supervising Accountant plans, supervises, develops, directs and participates in complex accounting and financial recordkeeping;

Supervises the maintenance of general books of accounts according to established account classifications, including general ledgers and journals;

Supervises and participates in the preparation of financial reports, statements and annual reports reflecting the activities of the department;

Assists the administrator in coordinating external audits by County, State and independent auditors, including preparation of a response to audit recommendations;

Supervises, assigns and reviews the work of accounting and clerical employees engaged in account keeping activities;

Supervises and participates in the installation and maintenance of standardized accounting procedures;

Supervises the processing of vouchers;

Supervises and participates in the preparation of the annual budget;

May supervise and participate in the operation of billing systems;

Consults with department heads on budget requirements and progress.

Qualifications:

QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE FOR TAKING THE TEST: Candidates must be permanently employed in the competitive class and must be serving and have served continuously on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class for 12 months immediately preceding the date of the written test in the position of Senior Accountant or  24 months in the position of Accountant.

Notes:

None.

Examination date:

March 28, 2020

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

February 19, 2020

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 'General Guide to Written Tests' helpful in preparing for this test. This publication is available on line at:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm.

Subjects of Examination:

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 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.

INFORMATION FOR PROMOTION CANDIDATES

Unless otherwise indicated, the eligible list resulting from this examination will have a duration of four years and will not supersede existing promotional lists, if any.

RATINGS REQUIRED:  Test is rated on a scale of 100 with a passing mark at 70.  Test instructions may further divide the tests into parts and set minimum standards for each part.

Points will be added to scores of candidates who achieve a passing mark as follows: Seniority:  For each year of service in the classified service:

Less than 1 year……………………..................…0 points

1 year up to 6 years…………….…........................1 point

Over 6 years up to 11 years.....………......….........2 points

Over 11 years up to 16 years….…........….........…3 points

Over 16 years up to 21 years………..................…4 points

Over 21 years………………………..................…5 points

VETERANS:  Disabled and non-disabled veterans as defined in Section 85, New York State Civil Service Law, will have 5 and 2.5 points, respectively added to their earned scores if successful in the PROMOTIONAL examination.  You must claim these credits when you file application but you have an option to waive them any time prior to appointment.  If you have already used these credits for a permanent position in NYS, you may not claim them again

**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.