Principal Account Clerk (Department of Finance)

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Finance Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) full-time Principal Account Clerk vacancy in the Accounting division. If you are interested in this position, please apply!

The mission of the Finance Department is to manage, protect, and report on City of San José financial resources to enhance the City’s financial condition for residents, businesses, and investors.

The Finance Department has five core divisions:

• Accounting
• Administration
• Debt & Treasury Management
• Purchasing & Risk Management
• Revenue Management

The Finance Department works in partnership with the departments of Human Resources, Information Technology, and Public Works as the City’s Strategic Support City Service Area to effectively develop, manage, and safeguard City fiscal, physical, technological, and human resources to enable and enhance the delivery of City services and projects. The Finance Department has a $27.4 million operating budget and 128 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

Position Duties

The Finance Department works in partnership with the departments of Human Resources, Information Technology, and Public Works as the City’s Strategic Support City Service Area to effectively develop, manage, and safeguard City fiscal, physical, technological, and human resources to enable and enhance the delivery of City services and projects. The Finance Department has a $27.4 million operating budget and 128 budgeted full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

The Principal Account Clerk position provides Accounts Payable support to the City of San José. The essential duties of this position include:

• Provide customer service to departmental fiscal staff and walk-in customers.
• Perform p-card audits, review policies, and ensure compliance.
• Process refunds under $5,000.
• Review and approve p-card transactions.
• Review and approve purchase order payments, batches, p-card edit lists, and refund edit lists.
• Review and approve employee reimbursements.
• Process voided checks and canceled invoices.
• Void and reissue checks and ACH transactions.
• Cover the Accounts Payable front counter and answer incoming calls.
• Distribute daily mail.
• Review and approve petty cash transactions.
• Perform month-end cleanup.
• Collect and update Signature Authorization Forms.
• Perform additional Principal Account Clerk duties, as needed

Minimum Qualifications

(These qualifications are typically required. An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to satisfactorily perform the duties of the job may be substituted.)

Education and Experience

Completion of high school, General Educational Development (GED) Certificate, or

California Proficiency Certificate AND three (3) years of accounting clerical experience, including one

(1) year in the performance of reviewing and balances ledgers, processing and reviewing revenues, payments, or requisitions, or serving as a timekeeper and processing payroll.

Acceptable Substitution

A bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university may be substituted for the required experience.

Other Qualifications

Competencies:

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Teamwork & Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Customer Service - Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Reliability - Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.

Social Awareness - Demonstrates the ability to read or sense other people’s emotions and how they influence the situation of interest or concern; demonstrates empathy and organizational awareness.

The salary range for a Principal Account Clerk is $80,196.48 - $97,624.80 Annually. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience. Employees in the Principal Account Clerk classification shall also receive an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay, which is included in the range above.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific supplemental questions. You must answer all the following supplemental questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 4/22/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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