Accountant - Harris County Office of Purchasing Agent

Accountant - Harris County Office of Purchasing Agent

Salary

$70,000.00 - $72,000.00 Annually

Location

Houston, TX

Job Type

Regular Full-time

Job Number

17314

Department

Purchasing Department

Opening Date

10/01/2026

Closing Date

11/1/2026 11:59 PM Central

Max Number of Applicants

100

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Position Description

The Accountant II supports department-wide financial operations for the Harris County Purchasing Agent by performing accounting, revenue, expense, and financial reporting activities across eight divisions. The position supports accurate and timely processing of accounts payable, accounts receivable, revenue collection, travel, and related financial transactions while maintaining complete and audit-ready records. The incumbent monitors financial activity, identifies and resolves discrepancies, coordinates with internal departments and external vendors, and prepares recurring financial reports to support compliance, accountability, and informed financial management, serving as backup support for financial activities and coordination during emergency or disaster response.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides customer service and issue resolution related to department-level accounting activity across eight divisions by responding to inquiries, identifying discrepancies, coordinating follow-up with leadership and vendors, and ensuring timely correction or escalation of issues.

• Conducts all department-level purchasing and formal receipt of goods and services in line with audit level standards to ensure financial accountability, transparency, and compliance. Such duties include requisition creation, tracking, and placing orders.

• Execute and monitor all department-level accounts payable functions through approval verification tracking, budget and financial code validation, receipt review against statements, vendor delivery and order coordination, and payment processing with timely documentation submissions for Auditor review and Commissioners Court approval in compliance with Texas and county procure-to-pay requirements.

• Performs department-level accounts receivable and revenue-collection functions by processing low-threshold checks for rebates and public information requests, and maintaining financial reporting for various recycling programs, auctions, and other revenue related requirements for certifications.

• Oversee travel-related financial activity for departmental staff. Prepares, reviews, and routes travel-related financial documentation required for Commissioners Court certification; reviews receipts and travel claims for lodging, airfare, mileage, per diem, course fees, and required timing documentation; codes travel transactions in ERP; and ensures reimbursement packets are complete, accurate, and aligned with county procedures.

• Monitors, reconciles, and reports departmental financial activity to the Finance Director, including budget transaction review, payment follow-through, expense tracking by class, revenue tracking by type, issue identification by source, and preparation of recurring financial reports and supporting documentation on a routine basis: monthly, quarterly, midyear, and annually.

• This role also serves as backup support for financial documentation and related activities during emergencies or disaster response along with other duties as needed.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email ADACoordinator@bmd.hctx.net.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, or a related field with three (3) years of public sector accounting support, bookkeeping, or accounts payable/receivable

• Experience processing invoices, reconciling accounts, and maintaining financial records required.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations, financial record keeping, transaction documentation, and basic governmental accounting support practices, including internal control principles.

• Knowledge of government (county, state, and federal) procurement, reimbursement, invoice, and payment workflows, including travel reimbursements, revenue collection documentation, and general accounting related support.

• Deep understanding of internal control principles, county purchasing and reimbursement workflows, and governmental accounting practices.

• Strong analytical skills to review financial documents and transactions for accuracy, coding, completeness, compliance, and consistency across invoices, receipts, statements, reimbursement claims, and budget transactions and identify discrepancies to ensure compliance.

• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, accuracy in financial processing.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Proficiency in standard ERP applications, Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams, and PDF tools.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge and skills must be documented in your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

• Experience with general ledger reconciliation, FEMA documentation, reimbursement processing, and transaction documentation review preferred.

• Knowledge of government (county, state, and federal) procurement

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• This is a full-time position with the typical working hours of Monday - Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM.

• Occasional weekends, holidays, and overtime may be required based on the specific needs and demands of the department.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

• This position is based in an office environment, where the use of standard office equipment such as computers, phones, scanners, and filing cabinets is routine.

• The physical demands associated with this job are minimal, with occasional lifting and moving objects weighing up to 10 pounds.

• The role is predominantly sedentary, involving mainly sitting with occasional standing and walking

Location:

• Harris County Purchasing Office Building - 1111 Fannin St 12th Floor Houston, TX 77002

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports to position: Finance & Resilience Officer

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan.

The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions:

Health & Wellness Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave*
• Sick Leave

Retirement Savings Benefit

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:

• Professional learning & development opportunities
• Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
• Flexible work schedule*
• METRO RideSponsor Program*
• Participation may vary by County department. The employee benefits plans of Harris County are extended to all eligible participants across various departments with the exception of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, for which the cited Health & Wellness Benefits are administered through the State of Texas.

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the Countys behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website:

www.benefitsathctx.com

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position? Qualifying information must be documented in the Education section of your application.

• High School or GED diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree or higher
• None of the above

02

If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?

• Accounting
• Finance
• Economics
• Other Related Field
• Unrelated Field
• N/A; No Degree

03

Please describe your educational background including level of education completed, area of study and completed major and minor programs.

04

Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience in public sector accounting support, bookkeeping, or accounts payable/receivable? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your applications employment history)

• Less than three (3) years
• Three (3) years but less than four (4) years
• Four (4) years but less than five (5) years
• Five (5) years or more
• I do not have this experience

05

Please provide the dates of employment during which you obtained experience working in public sector accounting support, bookkeeping, or accounts payable/receivable. Provide the month and year that began and ended the experience [ Example: "January 2020 - December 2025" ] If this experience is not clearly documented in the Work Experience section, your application will be disqualified. If you do not have this experience, type "N/A" in the space provided.

06

Do you have experience with general ledger reconciliation, FEMA documentation, reimbursement processing, and transaction documentation review?

• Yes
• No

07

Do you have knowledge of government (county, state, and federal) procurement?

• Yes
• No

08

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:

Advanced:

A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.

Intermediate:

A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.

Basic:

A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.

Entry Level:

A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

Required Question

Employer Harris County

Address 1111 Fannin St

Ste. 600

Houston, Texas, 77002

Phone 713-274-5445

Website https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/harriscountytx