Accountant at Mesa Water District (Mesa Water) – Costa Mesa, California

Our Finance department is growing! We are now hiring an Accountant to join our Financial Services team!

The Accountant, under general supervision, performs a variety of professional level accounting duties involved in preparing, maintaining, analyzing, verifying, and reconciling financial transactions, statements, records, and reports; coordinate and support payroll and HRIS systems; lead and support financial tracking and reporting of major District projects; performs accounts payable, accounts receivable, procurement, and payroll related duties; prepares month end close journal entry, annual budget preparations, and assists in compiling the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR); and provides highly responsible staff assistance to the Chief Financial Officer.

Why Work For Us?

• Competitive Pay & Benefits - We offer strong compensation and benefits packages (including $2,400/mo. to spend on benefits) that are regularly evaluated to stay ahead of industry standards.
• Supportive Work Culture - At Mesa Water, we foster a fun, collaborative environment where meaningful relationships and teamwork thrive.
• Employee-Centered Environment - Our organization-wide engagement program reflects our deep commitment to keeping employees motivated, supported, and excited about their work.
• Diverse and Engaging Work - As a smaller agency, our Accountants enjoy the unique opportunity to work across a wide range of accounting areas. Instead of being limited to a single niche, you'll build well-rounded expertise and gain valuable experience in multiple facets of the profession.
• No Government Experience? No Problem - We're open to fresh perspectives. While prior experience in government accounting is a plus, it’s not required. This is a great opportunity for motivated professionals looking to transition into the public sector and grow their career in a supportive environment.

Who We Are Looking For:

• Experience with the following professional accounting functions:
  • Monthly close process
  • Reconciliations
• Strong understanding of Microsoft excel (e.g., Vlookups, Pivot Tables, data manipulation, etc.)
• Experience with robust financial systems
• Strong writing skills
• Someone who thrives working in collaborative / team-oriented environments
• Adaptability in work habits and methods
• Good communication skills in working across departments

Interested candidates must submit their applications by 11:59 PM on Monday, July 28, 2025. Qualified candidates will be invited to participate in a selection process that may consist of a written exam and interview panels.

This is the journey level class in the professional Accountant series performing a variety of responsible professional accounting duties. Incumbents in this class are required to possess a working knowledge of overall District operations and specialized knowledge of accounting operations. Work requires creativity and resourcefulness to accomplish goals and objectives. Incumbents require specialized knowledge, abilities, and skills and often exercise independent judgment in the performance of their duties and discretion is necessary in administering assigned area of responsibility.

Financial Services Department Organizational Structure

• Performs a variety of professional accounting functions supporting District-wide operations; maintains accuracy of general, revenue and expenditure ledgers and subsidiary financial systems.
• Prepares journal entries for a variety of accounts; prepares and reviews month end journal entries and makes adjustments as necessary; prepares and reviews monthly, quarterly, and annual reconciliations for the monthly closing process, annual audit, and budget; analyzes monthly financial statements and researches any major variances month to month.
• Prepares a variety of month end reconciliations and reports necessary adjusting journal entries.
• Reconciles financial ledgers and records; prepares financial statements and reports, general and subsidiary ledgers and supporting schedules; researches and resolves discrepancies.
• Participates in the preparation of the ACFR.
• Provides assistance in the development of the District-wide budget and related documents.
• Prepares, reviews and gathers all documents for the interim and annual audit; conducts semi-annual surprise inspections of the District’s petty cash, audit log books, and receipts; prepares lead sheet and schedule for the auditors.
• Ensures compliance of outside regulatory agencies including preparing annual State Controller’s Report, overseeing the issuance of 1099s, quarterly filing of sales and uses tax, and analysis of debt covenants.
• Performs project accounting; processes all aspects of job costing for customer and District jobs; creates and sets-up new projects in system; ensures information and data is entered into job costing system including labor, overhead, inventory, and use of equipment; prepares journal entries and posts to general ledger; reconciles WIP accounts to job costing; bills and refunds monies for projects as necessary.
• Processes payroll; matches exception slips with paid leaves indicated on employee timecards; inputs hours and changes to payroll system; reconciles each department’s total hours and deductions to payroll register; posts payroll register, labor distribution and employer portion of social security, and flex credits to general ledger; posts District and customer jobs to job costing; calculates and posts workers’ compensation; reconciles labor; reviews payroll reports and ensures balance to the general ledger.
• Processes accounts receivable; prepares invoices; follows-up on delinquent payments; prepares reports and reconciles account receivable accounts; posts to general ledger.
• Provides responsible staff assistance to the Chief Financial Officer; provides analytical and administrative support to special projects; researches, compiles, and reports data for special projects.
• Performs related duties as required.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with emphasis in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field.
• Experience: Two years of increasingly responsible accounting experience, preferably for a public utility.

Knowledge of:

• Basic operations, services, and activities of assigned accounting system, function, or program area.

• Principles and practices of general accounting, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Government accounting, GASB regulations, and GAAP.
• Methods and techniques of coding, verifying, balancing, and reconciling accounting records.

• Principles and practices of fiscal, statistical, and administrative record keeping and reporting.
• Methods and techniques of analyzing general ledgers and preparing journal entries.

• Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

• Principles and procedures of recordkeeping and filing.
• Principles of letter writing and basic report preparation.
• Mathematical principles.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local codes, laws, and regulations related to public finance and accounting.

Ability To:

• Perform a variety of professional accounting duties in support of assigned accounting system, function, or program area.
• Perform a variety of accounting, fiscal, and statistical record keeping duties including to maintain and reconcile a variety of records and files.
• Review financial records, reports, and related documents, identify discrepancies, and resolve problems related to assigned area of responsibility.
• Understand the organization and operation of the District and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.
• Understand, interpret, and apply general and specific administrative and departmental policies and procedures.
• Understand and apply pertinent laws, codes, and regulations as well as organization and department rules, policies, and procedures with good judgment.
• Exercise tact and judgment in responding to inquiries and resolving complaints and problems.
• Type and enter data at a speed necessary for successful job performance.
• Analyze and categorize data and information in order to determine the relationship of the data with reference to established criteria/standards.
• Meet deadlines and adapt to changing priorities.
• Perform mathematical calculations including percentages, fractions, and decimals.
• Use functional reasoning and apply rational judgment in performing diversified work activities.
• Exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against measurable criteria.
• Operate office equipment including computers and supporting word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.