ACCOUNTING OFFICER III / Emergency Appointment Fire

Full job description
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT: OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY

We will be accepting applications on September 29, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time (PT). We will keep accepting applications until the position is filled. The application window may close unexpectedly once we have enough qualified candidates.

EXAM NUMBER: C0658N-FR


The LA County Board of Supervisors has unanimously ratified a Proclamation of Local Emergency in response to the windstorms and wildfires (Download PDF reader), including the Palisades and Eaton Fires, that have devastated communities across the County. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to assist the County in mobilizing resources and support needed to help our residents recover and rebuild. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Department of Public Works is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Accounting Officer III vacancies related to this unprecedented natural disaster.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

During your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Accounting Officer III.

Essential Job Functions
An Accounting Officer III is responsible for a combination of the following job functions:

Plans, assigns, directs, and evaluates the work of the accounting, budget compilation and control, cashiering, payroll, statistical, data processing, and other staff or service activities of a department.
Advises and consults with management concerning the accounting and financial implications of existing and projected department activities.
Supervises or personally conducts cost, revenue, and accounting systems and procedures studies; prepares reports of findings; and secures approval for implementation of recommendations from departmental administration and the Auditor-Controller when necessary.
Analyzes and interprets accounting provisions of laws and regulations and recommends steps for their implementation.
Administers revenue producing agreements.
Coordinates the work of subordinate accounting and other activities with the work of other divisions, departments, and clientele.
Determine and implement costing mechanisms to facilitate cost assessment and recovery.
Maintain and control all fixed asset and infrastructure records.
The duties listed are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to this class.

Requirements
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Completion of twenty-one units of accounting including at least two courses in advanced subjects such as cost accounting, governmental accounting, or auditing in an accredited college, or equivalent accounting education -AND- Three years responsible professional accounting or auditing experience at the level of Accounting Officer I, Accountant III, Intermediate Accountant-Auditor, or higher.

LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

You MUST meet the requirement(s) in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

PHYSICAL CLASS:
Physical Class II - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION:
To receive credit for your education, include a copy of your official diploma, official transcript, or letter/certificate from an accredited institution within five (5) days of filing your application. The document should show the date the degree was conferred and be in English; if it is in a foreign language, it must be translated and evaluated for equivalency to U.S. standards. If you are unable to attach the required documents, please e-mail them to NMondragon@dpw.lacounty.gov. For more information on our standards for educational documents, please visit:
https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/070812_PPG123.pdf (Download PDF reader) and
https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205105_PPG_123_ACE_Resource_Guide.pdf (Download PDF reader)

We do not accept password-protected documents. Ensure documents are unlocked before attaching to your application or sending to the exam analyst.

Experience at the level of an Accounting Officer I in the service of County of Los Angeles is defined as: Performs professional accounting work and directs a small staff (five or more) engaged in the operation of an accounting system of moderate scale or complexity and in the work of a small group of related activities of a department. In determining the scale and complexity of the accounting system the following factors are considered: The number and diversity of accounts from the County's standard accounting system utilized in departmental operations; the degree and kind of departmental supplementation of the County's standard system, examples of which would include specialized cost accounting, proprietary accounting, and asset, liability, trust, or revenue accounting sub-systems; the kind and level of cost accounting work; types of reports required to meet legal requirements, management information needs, and the like; responsibility for an external auditing program or an internal audit program approaching in complexity the former; and the extent, if any, of an ongoing program of internal accounting systems and procedures development. For the purpose of providing a guideline to the use of the term scale of accounting system in this specification, the following example is offered:

(Moderate scale accounting system): Incorporated in the program is either: A general accounting system having approximately 2,000 appropriation, fund, proprietary, and revenue accounts and cost centers.
OR-:
An accounts payable, accounts receivable, or trust accounting system having approximately 5,000 active accounts.

For a fuller description of work performed, refer to County of Los Angeles Class Specifications for Accounting Officer I.

Experience at the level of an Accountant III in the service of County of Los Angeles is defined as: Performs responsible and highly complex professional accounting and auditing work in the preparation, analysis, review, maintenance, reconciliation and control of financial records and fiscal revenue and expenditures forecasting. For a fuller description of work performed, refer to County of Los Angeles Class Specifications for Accountant III.

Experience at the level of an Intermediate Accountant-Auditor in the service of County of Los Angeles is defined as: Conducts management, performance, financial, and compliance audits and other studies of County departments and contract providers. For a fuller description of work performed, refer to County of Los Angeles Class Specifications for Intermediate Accountant-Auditor.

EXAM CONTENT:
During your initial work period, the appointing department will evaluate your performance. Those who achieve a passing score on this evaluation will be considered for permanent appointment.
Additional Information
APPLICATION & FILING INFORMATION:
Applications must be filed online only and will be reviewed for interview consideration on an ongoing basis. If you have not been contacted within 60 days and the recruitment remains open or reopens for filing, we encourage you to submit a new application. This will allow you to reaffirm your interest and update any relevant information.

Many notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add NMondragon@dpw.lacounty.gov, PWExams@dpw.lacounty.gov, noreply@governmentjobs.com, and info@governmentjobs.com, as well as the domains dpw.lacounty.gov and hr.lacounty.gov, to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application as soon as possible as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER: Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number, so please include yours when applying.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES: For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

NO SHARING OF USER ID, E-MAIL, AND PASSWORD: All applicants must file their application using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend’s user ID and password may erase a candidate’s original application record.

ANTI-RACISM, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION (ARDI): The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. We are committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

CLICK HERE (Download PDF reader) FOR ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Dept Contact Name: Neal Mondragon
Dept Contact Phone: (626) 458-2141
Dept Contact Email: PWExams@dpw.lacounty.gov
Teletype Number: (626) 282-7829

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

Employment Information

Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.

This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement:
The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; ****** orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit: https://employee.hr.lacounty.gov/eeo-programs/.



Testing Accommodations for Applicants:
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit: https://hr.lacounty.gov/accessibility/.



Fair Chance:
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).



Employment Eligibility:
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.



Career PathFinder:
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at http://career-pathfinder.hr.lacounty.gov.


Veteran’s Credit:
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.
For more information on veteran’s credit, please visit: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dhr/205102_PPG_115.pdf (Download PDF reader)


Revised September 2025

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