Principal Accountant - City of Birmingham

Requirements

• The following are job-related qualifications that are required for employment consideration for this position:
• Option A:
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration.
• Experience leading the accounting functions for a department or organization such as preparing general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial statements, payroll, or budgets.
• Experience with periodic financial reporting (e.g., balance sheets, income statements, transaction process reports, daily cash reports) for oversight, compliance, and/or to fulfill legal requirements.
• Option B:
• Experience as a Senior Accountant in the Merit System.
• TYPICAL JOB DUTIES:
• Oversees the maintenance of banking records by researching banking and account information to provide recommendations to the department or jurisdiction regarding which banking institutions to utilize.
• Prepares, monitors, and administers departmental or organizational budget by reviewing spending trends, expenditure reports, analyzing financial data and ensuring expenditures are within annual budgetary limits.
• Performs the financial closing process at the end of an accounting period (i.e., monthly, quarterly, yearly) by analyzing account balances and performing balance sheet reconciliations to ensure compliance with federal, state and local guidelines and laws.
• Monitors agencies' use of grant funds by verifying compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) to ensure that grant funds are used for their intended purpose.
• Engages in activities designed to ensure professional development, awareness of developments in the field, and knowledge of relevant practices, rules, laws, policies, and/or guidelines.
• Prepares requests for proposals and bid specifications for the jurisdiction or department(s) by reviewing current departmental needs and budget information in order to obtain bids from vendors

Benefits

Additional Information

TARGET CLOSE DATE: 06/29/2026 PAY GRADE: Grade 27 TYPE: Full time JOB SUMMARY: The City of Birmingham is seeking a well-qualified Principal Accountant to provide strategic direction and oversee the daily financial operations of a department. Principal Accountants perform or supervise a variety of accounting functions, including accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), banking, general ledger (GL), grants, and budgetary accounts, while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local laws and accounting standards, including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) requirements. Incumbents may prepare and substantiate financial statements and oversee internal and external audits of financial records. Work is performed primarily in an office setting and may include direct supervision of Accounting Assistants, Accountants, and Senior Accountants. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS: The City of Birmingham provides competitive pay and comprehensive benefits packages to include medical and dental insurance, employer-sponsored retirement plan (pension), generous paid holidays, sick and vacation leave, and more. The pay range for this job is presented below: $63,502 - $98,508

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