Accountant I – Entry-Level Accounting

Job Description

Accountant I – Public Works Fiscal Services | City of Phoenix

The Tone:
This is a full-time role at City of Phoenix, located in Phoenix, AZ. The City’s Public Works department is a community-focused entity providing essential citywide services, including Solid Waste, Facilities Management, and Fleet Services. This position supports the Administrative Services Fiscal team by performing vital entry-level accounting duties, ensuring accurate financial records and smooth fiscal operations for critical community services. The role involves applying generally accepted accounting principles to support both internal and external customers.

The TL;DR
• Role: Early Career
• Location: In-person, Phoenix, AZ
• Pay: $26–$41 hourly
• Team: Administrative Services Fiscal team, consisting of nine staff members.
• Mission: To provide entry-level accounting expertise, applying generally accepted accounting principles to support essential citywide services and maintain financial accuracy.
• Tech Stack: SAP/SRM, Excel

What You’ll Actually Do
• Financial Reconciliation: Accurately reconcile daily revenue entries with bank deposits, identify any variances, and implement corrections to ensure financial accuracy.
• Cash & Transaction Processing: Efficiently process cash receipts, journal entries, shopping carts, and invoices, while also performing regular cash audits at various facilities to ensure compliance with established controls.
• Petty Cash Management: Act as the dedicated petty cash custodian, responsible for tracking usage, performing regular reconciliations, and meticulously maintaining documentation in adherence to City policies.
• Record & Data Maintenance: Process Capital Improvement Program (CIP) service entries, maintain comprehensive and accurate financial records, and compile the department’s Position Control report, ensuring compliance with retention policies and audit requirements.
• Reporting & Compliance Support: Assist in the preparation and analysis of critical financial reports, research and resolve accounting discrepancies, and review travel and training documentation for compliance with established guidelines.

The Must-Haves
• Background: An early-career accounting professional holding a bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance. Alternatively, candidates with four years of paraprofessional accounting and/or payroll experience will be considered.
• Experience: Proven capability in performing professional accounting duties, including analyzing financial data, preparing financial reports, and coordinating audits. Requires experience with reconciling revenue, processing accounts payable and receivable, and reviewing source documents for accuracy.
• Skills: Strong familiarity with accounting transaction rules, regulations, and internal controls; excellent customer service skills for engaging with internal and external stakeholders; demonstrated ability to maintain comprehensive departmental records with meticulous attention to detail.
• Bonus: Practical experience with Accounts Payable and/or Receivable within the last three years; a background in conducting or supporting financial audits; proficiency in writing reports and making recommendations; hands-on experience reconciling bank deposits and billings with revenue entries; expertise in processing journal entries, invoices, and CIP related financial transactions; familiarity with SAP/SRM or similar Financial Accounting systems/software; capability in creating and producing reports using Excel; and experience managing petty cash operations, including tracking, documentation, and reconciliation.