Senior Accountant - Housing Department

Job Description:

Senior Accountant - Housing Department

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Housing Department administers the City’s housing and homelessness response through strategic investments, program and regulatory administrations across 23 lines of business. The Housing Department continues to expand its service delivery and investment portfolio in the communities throughout San Jose, through strategic investments in housing and shelter system management and development expanding to over 1,000 shelter units under management, over 50,000 rent stabilized units under regulatory management, over $700M loan portfolio for housing development, and an aggressive strategy to end unsheltered homelessness in the City of San José. In Fiscal Year 2024-2025 the Housing Department had an operating budget of approximately $247 million and 112 employees, the Department administers multiple local, state, and federal funds.

Position Duties

The salary range for the Senior Accountant classification is $118,460.16 - $144,318.70 annually. This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay.

The Housing Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Senior Accountant vacancy in the Administration Management Team - Budget, Human Resources, Procurement.

The Senior Accountant works under the direct supervision of the Administrative Officer. This role includes supervision of other accounting staff, including Accountants I/II and Account Clerk II.
The Senior Accountant plays a critical role in supporting the City of San José Housing Department’s financial operations. This position is responsible for performing advanced professional accounting work, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local funding requirements, and maintaining the integrity of complex financial records. The Senior Accountant provides high-level analysis, prepares and reviews financial reports, supports budget development and monitoring, and collaborates closely with program and administrative staff to ensure accurate, timely, and transparent financial management across the department’s diverse housing programs.
Typical responsibilities and performance expectations:

• The Senior Accountant performs advanced accounting and financial management functions to support the City of San José Housing Department’s operations. Key responsibilities include:
• Review and approve weekly Accounts Payable and monitor daily incoming payments.
• Manage Viscode requests, grant drawdowns, and monthly financial and grant reporting (HHAP, ERF, PLHA).
• Reconcile Project Development, Single Family, and ACS loan accounts and support Salesforce loan conversions.
• Prepare Source & Use reconciliations and post year-end entries, including accruals and revenue adjustments.
• Manage the Recognition Fund bank account and process special wire transfers for loan closings.
• Support quarterly CDBG IDIS reporting, monthly HHAP reporting and coordinate grant-related Single Audit activities.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local funding requirements and maintain accurate financial records.
• Manage the full grant drawdown process, including transaction downloads, activity number validation, draw package preparation, and approval submissions in IDIS.
• Provide analysis, recommendations, and financial guidance to management and program staff.
• Year-End Closing & Compliance
  • Prepare and post year-end entries, including expense and revenue accruals, deferred revenue classifications, and unearned revenue adjustments.
  • Clean up negative APPN balances and reclassify administrative overspending as needed.
  • Assist in preparing and reviewing year-end financial statements for accuracy and completeness.
• Performance Expectations:
  • Maintain high accuracy and attention to detail in all financial processes.
  • Independently manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
  • Communicate effectively with internal and external partners.
  • Uphold accountability, professionalism, and adherence to City financial policies.
  • Identify opportunities for process improvements and support efficient financial operations.

Desirable Qualifications

• Public sector or housing finance experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of fund accounting, grants, loans, and year-end closing procedures.
• Experience with federal, state, and local grant compliance, reporting, and Single Audit coordination.
• Proficiency in accounting systems (FMS), BI reporting tools, Salesforce, and Excel.
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical skills, and ability to reconcile complex accounts.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated professionalism, integrity, and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field, including at least 18 semester units in accounting subjects.

Experience: Four (4) years of experience at the working level of a professional accountant.

Acceptable Substitution: None.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
  
• Analytical Thinking - Approaches a problem or situation by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.
  
• Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
  
• Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.
  
• Fiscal Management - Understands the relationship of the budget and resources to the strategic plan.
  
• Planning - Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; Defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.
  
• Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.
  
• Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.
  
• Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
  

Selection Process

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Angela Tea at Angela.Tea@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 12/15/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$118,460.16 - $144,318.72 Annually