Director of Accounting

SALARY DETAILS

157,350.00 - 194,910.00 Yearly

APPLICATION FILING DATES

March 5, 2025 - March 20, 2025

INFORMATION ABOUT LAUSD

We are LAUSD. We are at the forefront of innovation in public education, focused on a clear and inspiring vision of the future for all of our students as they venture forward on their journey as lifelong learners. Here, you will have the opportunity to exercise your potential in a role supporting the business of education. Our work directly contributes toward the goal of ensuring that our students graduate ready for the world – ready to thrive in college, career and life. LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation with an enrollment of nearly 575,000 students. We serve an area totaling 710 square miles, with over 1,190 schools and educational centers, and we employ over 74,000 individuals, making us one of the largest employers in our city.

LAUSD EMPLOYEES: Please be advised that all LAUSD employees must sign in to the GlobalProtect Virtual Private Network (VPN) in order to submit an application from an external network outside of an LAUSD location. For assistance with installing the GlobalProtect virtual network, please contact Information Technology Services at (213) 443-1300 or (213) 241-5200 or via their page (https://www.lausd.org/helpdesk).

BENEFITS

Insurance: Paid premiums for your choice of several medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.

Retirement: Membership in the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS).

Vacation: 24 days each year.

Paid Holidays: Up to 13 days. 

JOB DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The Director of Accounting plans, organizes, and directs a branch of the Accounting and Disbursements Division, with responsibility for major accounting and financial reporting, interim projections, financial management, internal control, revenue, school financial services, audit oversight, and/or related functions for the District. 

Typical duties include:

• Directs, through subordinate managers, several sections of the Accounting and Disbursements Division, that include general ledgers, financial reporting, grants accounting, payment of claims, and a wide variety of related functions. 
• Directs maintenance of District chart of accounts, ensuring conformity with the State’s Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS). 
• Directs preparation of financial statements and supplementary schedules for the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). Reviews and updates CAFR footnotes, Management’s Discussion and Analysis and governmentwide statements. 
• Directs activities related to allocation of school expenditures for purposes of the School Accountability Report Card (SARC). 
• Directs preparation of revenue and expenditure projections. 
• Reviews, analyzes and implements new accounting and reporting guidance/pronouncements. Initiates studies for the improvement of policies and procedures and works with personnel of other branches and divisions on studies that are related to Division activities, including systems studies. 
• Develops, reviews, approves, and recommends regulations, policies, and procedures related to branch activities. 
• Analyzes and reviews analyses of new legislation, collective bargaining contracts, legal opinions, and legal decisions that may affect branch activities and recommends modification, support, or opposition. 
• Reviews and makes recommendations regarding proposed changes in regulations, policies, procedures, and organizational structure that may affect branch activities. 
• Acts as liaison with other divisions and other governmental agencies. 
• Coordinates the delivery of budget, financial, and business services to schools with central offices, Local Districts, and school administrators. 
• May confer with attorneys and reviews documents, analyzes bids and selects contracted consultants, negotiates, makes recommendations, and implements the necessary programs for the Division. 
• Reviews and approves branch personnel transactions. 
• Reviews, approves, and presents reports to the Board of Education and other major reports and communications originating in the branch. 
• Participates in the development and implementation of Division policies, procedures, and programs. 

Please Note: This is not an exhaustive list of the responsibilities of this position. For a comprehensive list of duties performed, please refer to the class description: Director of Accounting - Class Description

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:
Graduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, finance, economics, public administration, auditing, school finance, or a related field. CPA certificate is preferable.

EXPERIENCE:
Five years of experience above the professional entry level in accounting, process documentation and review, internal control activities, management or analysis of financial activities, or auditing activities, including three years in supervising professional accounting, finance or auditing employees. 

SPECIAL: 
A valid driver’s license to legally operate a motor vehicle in the State of California and the use of a motor vehicle, or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation. 

SPECIAL NOTES: 

• Management class, exempt from bargaining units.
• An employee in this class may be subject to the reporting requirements of the District’s Conflict of Interest Code. 

NOTE:  All entrance requirements must be met by the end of the filing period in order to move forward with the assessment process. To verify the education requirement, transcripts, diplomas and/ or certifications must be presented at the time applications are screened. As such, you MUST upload your diploma/degree (i.e. scan or take a picture of your diploma/degree) or official transcripts to your candidate profile under “My Uploaded Documents.” Candidates who have completed college or university coursework at an institution in a country other than the United States, must obtain a complete evaluation of foreign transcripts and degrees. Please be sure to request a DETAILED report. For a list of approved evaluation organizations visit: https://www.lausd.org/Page/7876

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Ideal candidates will have a working knowledge of:

• Theory and practice of accounting, including governmental, tax, and school accounting; program budgeting and accounting; budgetary control; and financial reporting 
• Theory of business organization and management and school district financial management 
• Legal bases and sources of finance of California public education Principles of program budgeting and school-level finance 
• Principles of personnel management and development 
• California School Accounting Manual and the provisions of the Education Code and other laws pertinent to financing, payment of obligations, and accounting for public schools 
• Basic organization, legal foundation, and financial structure of California school districts 
• Federal, State, and local laws pertinent to the activities of the branch and Division 
• Basic capabilities of computer information systems 
• Documentation methodologies for accounting procedures and processes 
• Research, statistical, and analysis techniques 
• Concepts of streamlining accounting and fiscal operations to achieve effectiveness and efficiency

An ideal candidate in this position will have the ability to:

• Direct and coordinate diversified activities through lower-level managers 
• Evaluate procedures and problems and develop and install improvements 
• Analyze laws, rules, accounting pronouncements, and accounting and financial data and documents 
• Prepare clear, concise, and effective reports, letters, and other documents 
• Conduct and participate in meetings and conferences 
• Make clear and effective oral presentations 

EMPLOYMENT SELECTION PROCESS

Please be sure to monitor your spam/junk folder so that important information, instructions, and deadlines regarding your application are not missed. Please also be sure to include correspondence from the lausd.net AND successfactors.com domains as approved senders to your email.

We anticipate receiving a number of well-qualified applicants for this position; therefore, there will be a competitive process. The hiring departments have requested that we proceed with the selection process in an expeditious and timely manner. To honor this request, we will be adhering to a preplanned employment assessment schedule.

The selection process MAY consist of one or more of the following: a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), a Written Test, Technical Project, Writing Project, and/or a Technical interview.

Application materials (your candidate profile, resume and supplemental questionnaire) will be evaluated in relation to the background, experience, and competencies identified for successful performance in this job. For this reason, it is highly recommended that your application materials clearly show all of your relevant background and specialized skills, knowledge, and abilities. For more information about the LAUSD employment assessment process, visit the ‘My LAUSD Career’ section of our website at https://careers.lausd.org/pc.

The testing may be conducted remotely and/or in person, and all applicants will be required to submit a Candidate Confidentiality From prior to testing. Failure to submit these forms before the given deadline will result in the withdrawal of your application from the selection process. Candidates who receive a failing score on any test module will NOT be eligible to move forward in the selection process.

APPLICATION PROCESS

IMPORTANT NOTE: Once you submit your application, you should receive an email message confirming that you successfully submitted your application. If you DO NOT receive this message on the same day you apply, it is likely that you did not submit your application.

DO YOU NEED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WITH THE ON-LINE APPLICATION?

Email us at helpmeapply@lausd.net To find out whether the application deadline has been extended, visit the website at: https://careers.lausd.org/pc. The Los Angeles Unified School District intends that all qualified persons shall have equal opportunities for employment and promotion. Reasonable accommodations in completing an application and testing are available to individuals with disabilities. Please call (213) 241-3455 for more information. Reasonable accommodations in completing an application and testing are available to individuals with disabilities. Please call (213) 241-3455 for more information.

If you have questions regarding these instructions or the selection process in general, please contact Monica Topete at monica.topete1@lausd.net.

ADDITIONAL POSTING INFORMATION

The Los Angeles Unified School District is committed to providing a working and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive conduct, or bullying. The District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, abusive conduct or bullying based on actual or perceived race or ethnicity, gender/sex (including gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding/lactation status and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, religion, color, national origin (including language use restrictions and possession of a driver’s license issued under Vehicle Code), ancestry, immigration status, physical or mental disability (including clinical depression and bipolar disorder, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, epilepsy, seizure disorder, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease), medical condition (cancer related and genetic characteristics), military and veteran status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age (40 and above), genetic information, political belief or affiliation (unless union related), a person's association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance, or regulation in any program or activity it conducts or to which it provides significant assistance. For inquiries or complaints contact our Equal Opportunity Section, (213) 241-7685.

Selection and promotion are based on a competitive employment assessment process. Candidates who pass all parts of the assessment process are placed on a hiring (eligibility) list based on their assessment score. Hiring departments may make job offers to candidates on the top three ranks of the hiring list. Eligibility typically lasts for 12 months. The hiring list resulting from this assessment process may be used to fill open positions in related job classifications.

Follow us on: 

https://twitter.com/lausdjobs 
https://www.facebook.com/LAUSDjobs/ 
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1997274 
https://www.instagram.com/lausdjobs/