City of Williams Lake Financial Accountant

Full Time
Competition 25-38

Williams Lake offers a unique combination of breathtaking natural scenery and urban living.

A regional centre with all major amenities and an affordable range of residential opportunities from modern subdivisions and townhouses to large rural properties, Williams Lake is a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

Williams Lake has year-round opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. In the winter, the Cariboo offers snowmobiling opportunities and excellent cross-country ski trails, as well as snowshoeing and ice fishing. We are also a short drive to excellent downhill ski hills. Williams Lake truly is the Shangri-La of mountain biking, boasting the largest bike park in British Columbia’s interior. The lake city is a great base for hiking, camping, four-wheeling, waterskiing, swimming, and sport fishing as well. Explore our many trails and take advantage of our beautiful parks, including the Nature Center, trails and walking bridge at Scout Island. Our indoor recreation facilities are top-notch, and recent upgrades to the Cariboo Memorial Recreational Complex include a water slide and training lanes, as well as a lazy river and beautiful fitness centre, in addition to two ice rinks.

Williams Lake’s downtown core offers a wide variety of shopping, dining and service opportunities. We have vibrant arts community, music scene and theatre company, and are proud to host a variety of arts and culture activities throughout the year.

From the world-famous Williams Lake Stampede to weekly summer concerts and farmers markets to an impressive variety of recreation opportunities, Williams Lake offers excitement, relaxation, and a strong sense of community and belonging. We hope you will join us!

POSITION DETAILS:
TITLE: FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT
OPERATIONS: Financial Services Department
RATE: $42.19 per hour plus benefits
HOURS OF WORK: 37.5 hours per week (flexible work schedule also available), pursuant to the Collective Agreement
POSITION: Union Affiliation

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:
Reporting directly to the Manager of Finance or designate, the Financial Accountant performs a variety of accounting functions using established procedures, rules and practices. Duties include, but are not limited to: keeping accurate accounting records; preparation, posting and calculation of property taxes, and utilities; performing arithmetic computations; preparing financial summary statements, and checking forms for completeness and accuracy. Work is performed according to established procedures.

SUPERVISION:
The incumbent shall be responsible to the Manager of Finance.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for property tax system, including keeping the system current, balancing the tax calculation, reconciling the ledgers, handling enquiries, making adjustments, paying out funds collected on behalf of other jurisdictions, claiming homeowner grants from the province and preparation for tax sale.

• Tabulate charges for utility bills, license fees, taxes, assessments, collections, and other charges for billing, payment and recording purposes

• Responsible, on a monthly basis, for a number of reconciliations, including bank accounts, property taxes receivable, GST/PST and others that may be requested.

• Preparation of journal entries for distribution of administration charges.

• Trace lost invoices and payments using a computer database

• Enter and retrieve billing or payment data from computer terminal

• Post transactions to individual accounts and ledgers

• Respond to tax, utility, payroll and general accounting inquiries, as well as assist with providing various reports to departments and organizations

• Assist with preparation of year end working papers and all associated journal entries including tangible capital assets.

• Assist with budget preparation and reporting.

• Assist in posting moderate to routine utility and property tax adjustments.

• Assist in setting up new utility accounts and module maintenance.

• Responsible for maintaining the mortgage holder database.

• Entering a consumption data for metered commercial utility billing.

• Research addresses for returned tax bills, utilities, correspondence. Track all late bills returned to the City.

• Verifying all EFT payments on the bi-monthly back statements as well as investigating missed deposits in preparation for the bank reconciliations.

• Verify accuracy and completeness of all accounting processes including invoicing, taxation and payroll

• Create documents related to the work utilizing electronic spreadsheet programs

• Assist with departmental telephone inquiries

• Operate a variety of office machines and equipment such as calculator, copier, fax machine, postage machine, computer and related word processing and spreadsheet software

• Greet persons arriving at Municipal Hall, determine nature and purpose of their visit, and direct or escort them to specific destinations

• Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively towards an efficient and effective work environment.

• Will be cross trained in other Financial Services positions as required

• Other related duties as required

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of:

• principles and practices of electronic bookkeeping;

• modern office practices, procedures and equipment, accurate keyboarding skills and extensive knowledge of computers;

• municipal finance related Acts and Regulations;

• development and use of complex spreadsheets;

• departmental goals, objectives, policies, and procedures; and

• policies and procedures of the work of the Municipality

Ability to:

• handle sensitive and delicate public relations situations with a high degree of professionalism and compassion;

• assist in the preparation of annual financial statements, financial plans and municipal returns;

• review, develop, test and maintain accounting systems;

• analyze and reconcile various accounts;

• prepare and review complex accounting entries;

• create accurate spreadsheets;

• Willingness to learn new technology or software;

• communicate orally in the English language with customers, clients, and the public;

• keep privileged information confidential;

• make decisions and exercise resourcefulness in meeting new problems;

• perform day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork, providing information to supervisors, co-workers and outside organizations or citizens;

• review documents for completeness and accuracy;

• work under pressure handling problems, tasks, and changing priorities which come up simultaneously and/or unexpectedly;

• understand and follow oral and written instructions;

• develop specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work;

• work independently, exercising sound judgment and common sense; and

• work effectively and maintain harmonious relationships with co-workers, management and elected officials

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Grade 12 supplemented with Post-Secondary Education

• Minimum 4 years municipal accounting experience or 5 years experience in a relative accounting position

• Certified CPA or progressing in the CPA Strategic Leadership program and is currently a member in Good Standing

• Microsoft Office training

• Familiarity with municipal accounting software MAIS preferred

• Valid BC driver’s license

• Minimum typing speed of 50 words per minute with accuracy

• Ability to deal with the public effectively and courteously

• Ability to use discretion and maintain confidentiality

• Ability to work with others as a team

• Must display professional attitude and demeanor

Interested candidates are invited to submit a detailed resume and cover letter outlining qualifications, experience, copies of applicable certifications, and letters of reference no later than 4:00 pm, Friday, October 24, 2025, to the attention of Ashley Williston, Director of Human Resources, City of Williams Lake, 450 Mart Street, Williams Lake, BC, V2G 1N3 - Fax (250) 392-8484, or email awilliston@williamslake.ca

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

Education : Bachelor’s degree

Experience : 3 years to less than 5 years