Staff Accountant

J  o  b    D  e  s  c  r  i  p  t  i  o  n

THE DETAILS

Job Code:

4229

Grade:

21S

Status:

Exempt

POSITION AND PURPOSE

The Staff Accountant is an advanced level position that supports the Accounting department by providing value added service to members, credit union staff, and vendors in a professional, efficient, courteous, and respectful manner. Embrace and embody Golden 1's mission, vision and core values. Ensures accurate and ethical accounting treatment of Credit Union activities in all financial statements and reporting. Using discretion and independent judgement, proactively engage stakeholders to identify solutions designed to assist them in achieving the strategic initiatives of the Credit Union.

WHO WE ARE

Golden 1 Credit Union is among the top credit unions in the country. As a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative, Golden 1 is guided by the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” We are committed to empowering our members and uplifting our communities as we create a more equitable and financially inclusive California. We welcome all who embrace our Core Values.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a highly analytical and detail-oriented accounting professional who thrives on ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and transparency of financial information. You leverage strong accounting expertise, sound judgment, and a continuous improvement mindset to solve complex problems, strengthen internal controls, and support strategic business decisions. You excel at collaborating with stakeholders, translating financial data into actionable insights, and delivering high-quality reporting while maintaining compliance with regulatory and accounting standards.

THE WORK

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Analyze general ledger accounts.

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Monitor and maintain sub-ledgers.

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Reconcile, research, and clear differences.

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Develop process improvements to accounting systems and procedures to mitigate/resolve systemic issues and outages.

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Data entry and recordkeeping.

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Prepare journal entries for the Credit Union.

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Review and research monthly income statement variances.

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Participate in department projects by providing expert advice to management on all items related to their accounting specialization(s).

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Initiating and leading meetings to resolve issues.

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Contributes to the preparation and review of internal financial reports, including Cash Flow, Financial Statements, variance, statistical reporting, and other ad-hoc reporting.

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Formulate, affect, interpret, and implement management policies and procedure practices for all position functions.

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Update procedures in response to changes in operational activities or technological upgrades.

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Maintain a thorough understanding of state and federal laws and regulations related to credit union compliance including bank secrecy act (BSA) and anti-money laundering laws appropriate to the position.

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Ensure compliance with applicable standards, rules, regulations and systems of internal control.

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Preparation of audit work papers/computer spreadsheets for internal auditors.

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Independently formulate budget expectations for accounting specialization(s) in budget preparation, analyzing past performance and anticipating likely future implications.

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Proactively develops and delivers solution recommendations to management.

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Contributes to the preparation and review of external financial reports, including Investments, Financial Statements, variance reports, regulatory reports, Board reports, statistical reporting, peer reporting, and other ad-hoc reporting.

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Increase productivity by developing automated applications, eliminating duplications and coordinating information requirements.

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Perform reviews or validations of Accounting Specialist work prior to, or in lieu of, review by Accounting Supervisor.

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Influences capital project planning.

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Update and maintain computerized accounting models and analyze results through reports, graphs and other analytical tools.

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Develop reports for executive management and the board of directors.

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Create, analyze, review data, supporting spreadsheets, and charts to report the financial performance of the Credit Union.

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Recommend enhancements to analytical modeling tools to further support strategic plans and initiatives.

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Perform reviews or validations of other accountants work prior to, or in lieu of, review by Accounting Manager or Budget Manager

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Contributes to preparation of audit work papers/computer spreadsheets for external auditors.

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Contributes to preparation of Allowance for Loan Loss Analysis (ALL), Call Report, Delinquency, Modifications, and Charge-off Reporting.

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Develop and Recommend Internal Controls improvements.

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Comprehension of economic and industry impact on financial planning and ability to adjust accordingly.

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Lead and coordinate capital project planning by advising business owners on appropriate accounting treatment on project costs and related expenses.

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Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

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Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience required

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5+ years in Accounting, financial institution, or equivalent required

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Functional:

* Functional Knowledge in the following areas: Federal Rules and Regulations as applied to credit unions; Golden 1 Products (Awareness); Golden 1 Employee Handbook.

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Advanced knowledge in the following areas: Golden 1 Policies and Procedures; Financial Statement Concepts; Matching Principal; Natural Account Balances (Debits and Credits); Accrual Based Accounting; Depreciation and Amortization; Purpose and Requirements of Internal Controls; Accounting Ratios; Maintain a working knowledge of GAAP to ensure accuracy of Financial Statements including accounting, tax, regulatory, and other related matters.

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Technical:

* Advanced knowledge in the following systems/applications: Microsoft Word; Microsoft Outlook- Email, Calendar, Task; Microsoft Excel- Formulas, functions, and troubleshooting thereof; PDF Editing (Adobe/Nitro Pro); Web Browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer and Edge); Conference/Virtual Meetings and Communication (i.e. Zoom, Cisco WebEx); Microsoft Access; Microsoft PowerPoint.

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Advanced knowledge in the following systems/applications (preferred): Prologue Financials; Frontier Reconciliation; Nautilus; DataSafe; DayForce (HRIS); Concur (Invoice/Expense); Fedline; Monarch; Axiom (Financial Planning Model); Callahan (Peer Analysis Software); Power Query; SQL; Efolio.

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Behaviors:

* Models Golden 1's Core Values of Service Excellence, Respect, Integrity and Reliability; Embraces Golden 1's mission and vision.

* Acts ethically in all matters.

* Plans and organizes work in order to support department goals.

* Demonstrates awareness of the importance of one's own role to the delivery of excellent service for our members and colleagues.

* Manages time effectively and adapts to change in priorities.

* Productively works to improve the standard way of doing things, anticipating issues to prevent problems before they occur.

* Utilizes skill and training to make recommendations to improve a process, support our Core Values and/or save costs.

* Can be counted on to meet obligations and accepts accountability for delivering results.

* Does what they say they will do. Walks the talk.

* Establishes, monitors and reports key performance indicators.

* Demonstrates reliable and on-time attendance.

* Demonstrates functional, technical and job specific knowledge required for position.

* Is available and sought after as a resource of relevant skill and knowledge.

* Takes ownership of their own professional and personal development to ensure their skills remain current and relevant.

* Is open and willing to try new approaches and ideas.

* Sees opportunities where others see roadblocks.

* Learns about and embraces changes in Golden 1’s strategy or direction.

* Takes initiative to identify, investigate and resolve stakeholder issues, including operational and support situations.

* Attention to detail; ensures accuracy in work product.

* Ability to independently prioritize tasks.

* Ability to structure workload, adding or delegating tasks as time allows.

* Manages time to ensure work life balance.

* Practices stress management techniques to maintain healthy, positive mindset.

* Leverages available tools and resources to stay organized and proactive.

* Displays a high level of emotional intelligence.

* Demonstrates desire and ambition to achieve.

* Knows when work product requires additional attention to presentation and acts accordingly to ensure deliverables match the need.

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Communication & Interaction:

* Steward of the Golden 1 Brand and maintains quality standards of service excellence in all interactions.

* Respects and works well with people with diverse skills, styles, perspectives, and backgrounds.

* Contributes to an inclusive environment, where everyone is treated with courtesy, dignity and respect, regardless of perceived differences.

* Provides exceptional member/colleague service by showing caring, friendly, member centric support, and seeking opportunities to provide Golden Service.

* Communicates clearly and concisely, both in written and oral form.

* Constructively shares lessons learned in success or failure with others to continuously improve how work gets done.

* Shares knowledge freely to help others succeed.

* Able to communicate insights and understanding of issues or problems in a skillful way.

* Shares important information at appropriate time; Ability to escalate issues requiring additional action.

* Works well within team and across departments, effectively collaborating and interacting with coworkers, leaders, and members.

* Takes time to understand co-workers work goals and supports them in their effort to do their best work.

* Acknowledges and celebrates the success of others.

* Gives and receives honest and candid feedback in a constructive way; Leverage feedback to further personal and professional development.

* Resolves conflicts with colleagues immediately with the utmost professionalism.

* Fully participates in meetings, proactively bringing forward relevant information, ideas and potential solutions.

* Positively adapts to changes in Golden 1 and/or changes in own role, and helps others to do the same.

* Effective listener.

* Presumes positive intent in all communications.

* Displays a positive, outgoing, and empathetic attitude.

* Able to translate relevant Accounting concepts and information to non-accountants.

* Comfortable communicating with staff level employees throughout the credit union, vendors, and all levels of Accounting.

* Communicates the "why", not just the "how" or "what".

* Addresses inquiries holistically rather than literally.

* Ability to ask relevant probing questions of external stakeholders to ensure appropriate accounting treatment.

* Confident communicating with mid-level management outside the Accounting department.

* Polished presentation skills; Speaks clearly and confidently.

* Makes complicated information understandable to the audience.

* Confident communicating with all levels of management outside the Accounting department, including executive leadership.

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Leadership:

* Inspires others through words and actions.

* Guides external stakeholders to proper resources for inquiries.

* Provide guidance and training to other Accounting Specialists.

* Educates external stakeholders on proper accounting treatment of credit union actions.

* Provide guidance and training to other Junior Staff Accountants.

* Effective delegation skills; knows when to delegate and when to lead.

* Ability to effectively lead efficient meetings.

* Mentor and develop employees throughout the department.

* Develops coaching and leadership skills by observation and training courses.

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None required

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Takes Initiative - Owns tasks and responsibilities 

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Delivers Results with Agility - Meets deadlines and adapts

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Collaborates Across Teams - Works well within the team Solves Problems Proactively

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Handles day-to-day challenges Builds Trust and Credibility - Demonstrates reliability 

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTACTS AND RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNAL:

All levels of staff.

EXTERNAL:

Members, vendors, suppliers, government agencies, credit union, industry associations, and peers at other financial institutions.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work time includes weekend and after-hours time, based on organizational needs. This position works in-office where working conditions, lighting, temperature, audio, and workspace are all sufficient.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Work requires the ability to constantly operate a computer and the ability to read, type, and communicate. Work may require the ability to move work-related supplies weighing up to 10-15 pounds.

DISCLAIMER/INTENT AND FUNCTION OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by team members within this classification. Because the nature of positions and job functions can change over time, this job description is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all essential functions, duties, responsibilities and qualifications requirements of team members assigned to this job. Job duties may be changed or modified in the Credit Union’s discretion. The Credit Union will keep team members updated on key functions, duties, and requirements of their position by communications from the Credit Union and by updating the job description from time to time. Any team member with questions about the nature of their job duties is encouraged to consult with their supervisor.

DECLARATION/ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This job description outlines the essential functions and physical/mental requirements necessary to perform this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.