Public Safety Accountant I (Hybrid)
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Public Safety Accountant I (Hybrid)
Salary
$58,872.00 - $94,188.00 Annually
Location
Lakewood, CO
Job Type
Full Time
Job Number
RAA EDO 10690 AC1 11/25
Department
Department of Public Safety
Division
Executive Director's Office
Opening Date
11/03/2025
Closing Date
11/17/2025 5:00 PM Mountain
FLSA
Determined by Position
Type of Announcement
This position is open only to Colorado state residents.
Primary Physical Work Address
700 Kipling St., Lakewood, CO 80215
Hiring Pay Rate
Hiring range is between $4,906 - $ 6,378 a month
FLSA Status
Exempt; position is not eligible for overtime compensation.
Department Contact Information
Laura Apodaca, 720-241-4657, laura.apodaca@state.co.us
How To Apply
Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed.
Description
Benefits
Questions
Department Information
This position is not subject to the Hiring Freeze as outlined in Executive Order D 2025 009 due to being critical to protecting the health, life and safety of Coloradans.
This position is open only to current Colorado state residents.
A n eligible list established with this recruitment may be used to fill other similar positions within the Colorado Department of Public Safety in the next 12 months.
Our Mission -Engaged employees working together to safeguard lives and to provide diverse public safety services to local communities
Our Vision - Creating safer and more resilient communities across Colorado
Our Core Values - Unity, Honor, Service
The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.
The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.
At CDPS we nurture a centric culture driven by our commitment of creating a safer Colorado, an inclusive workplace where everyone can be their own authentic self. We model a culture of collaboration, support and growth to our employees. Our culture has public service focus, and we strive to provide innovative solutions and services to our fellow Coloradans!
Careers with a purpose
If you are passionate about public safety service, and are eager to dedicate your career to serving Coloradans, this is the organization you want to join!
We are committed to providing public safety services to our fellow Coloradans in their times of greater needs such as: safety on our roads, preparing and mitigating environmental disasters, disaster recovery, combating crime, school safety, and victim recovery.
You'll have the opportunity to challenge yourself and acquire new capabilities to build a rewarding and fulfilling career while making a difference in our community!
When you join CDPS, you are joining a team of exceptional individuals and together you will be inspired, motivated and supported to become the best you can be.
Unmatched Benefits:
We highly value work life balance and offer excellent work-life programs, training and enriching professional development opportunities and a wide range of benefits.
Medical and dental options are available for permanent employees and their dependents. We also offer short and long-term disability coverage, and life insurance that includes legal resources and discounts.
State contribution into Health Savings Account when enrolled in HDHP.
Job protected medical leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) (https://dhr.colorado.gov/state-employees/time-off-leave/family-medical-leave-act-fmla) and the State of Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI) (https://famli.colorado.gov/) .
Paid medical leave benefits provided by the State of Colorado.
Eligibility for hybrid or other flexible work arrangements based on the nature of the role.
We offer unmatched retirement benefits including mandatory PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus optional 401K and 457 plans. For information on mandatory employee salary deferral (in lieu of contribution to Social Security), visit Colorado PERA (https://www.copera.org/member-contribution-rates) for details.
CDPS provides generous time off including 11 paid holidays annually and accrued annual and sick leave (https://dhr.colorado.gov/state-employees/time-off-leave) and annual wellness days.
The Employee Assistance Program (C-SEAP) is available in every region of the state. It is our effort to support the well-being of employees and the workplace. EAPs provide short-term counseling, referrals and resources, as well as training and organizational development services.
Additional benefits offered include tuition reimbursement and reduced college tuition at CSU Global and DeVry University.
Credit Union of Colorado (https://www.cuofco.org/credit-union-colorado-membership-eligibility) membership eligibility.
To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit State of Colorado benefits (https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits) .
Description of Job
About the Work Unit
The Executive Director's Office (EDO) is the backbone of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, providing effective administrative and management services to the Department's operating divisions.
The EDO includes the following:
The Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director - Oversees strategic direction and operations for the department.
Administrative Services Office - Provides division and department-level administrative and support functions encompassing accounting, purchasing and contracts, budget, logistics services (fleet, warehousing, material management and fabrication) and property services (property management, leasing, facilities maintenance, construction project management and insurance programs) to support the operations and programs of CDPS divisions.
Human Resources Office - Supports recruitment, hiring, evaluation, benefits management, personnel actions, payroll and all other human resources functions.
Compliance Office - Manages Departmental Policy, Risk Management, Workers Compensation Program, Workplace Investigations, Internal Auditing, Rulemaking, and ensures compliance with state and federal requirements and the State's LESO 1033/1122 programs.
Colorado Integrated Criminal Justice Information Systems - develops cost-effective information sharing services to provide access for criminal justice agencies while maintaining information security. CICJIS is a collaborative program designed to facilitate information sharing at key decision points in the criminal justice process. There are five participating CICJIS agencies: the Department of Corrections, Judicial, the Colorado District Attorney's Council, the Division of Youth Corrections, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Office of School Safety - assists local schools and communities to create safe and positive school climates for pre-k through higher education schools in Colorado.
The Administrative Services Office provides internal administrative support to the Divisions within CDPS and include the following sections:
Chief Administrative Officer's office
Accounting Services and Commercial Cards led by the Controller
Budget and Policy led by the Budget Director
Purchasing and Contracts by the Purchasing Director
Logistics Services Section led by the Logistics Director
Property Services Section led by the Property Services Director
Work Environment
Hybrid (two days in the office minimum)
Work unit core business hours, Mon-Fri, 8 am-5 pm. (Flexible schedule available, please discuss with the hiring manager)
About the Job
The purpose of this position is to provide professional accounting support to the Colorado Department of Public Safety (CDPS) under the guidance and leadership of the Executive Director's Office Administrative Services Office. This position applies accounting theories, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards (GASB), and other professional accounting standards to provide professional accounting duties and financial reporting services to CDPS. Working knowledge of GAAP, GASB, basic accounting theory, and financial tools such as Excel are required. Working knowledge of state and departmental accounting and the state's financial system of record (CORE) is preferred, but not required.
Manage specific accounting and budget sub-systems, including analysis of complicated accounting and fiscal data, billing, cash collection and reconciliation. This analysis requires the application of known and established accounting theory, principles, conceptual models, professional standards, precedents, and statewide system rules and regulations in order to determine their relationship to accounting and budget issues.
This is a professional accounting position that generates, compiles, analyzes and interprets data for all of the accounting and reporting functions of all Federal and/or State programs assigned. The position is responsible for understanding and maintaining the accounts and records in CORE, providing customer service to internal and external customers and working with program managers to ensure submittal of proper documentation for expenditures and assigned accounts.
Key Responsibilities
General Accounting Duties
Pre-audits assigned payment vouchers by reviewing supporting documentation, determining the availability of budget, verifying correct fiscal period, validating appropriate account coding and confirming compliance with state and departmental fiscal policies.
The pre-audit payment vouchers are then approved in CORE. Verifies employee travel expense reports, mileage and per diem allowances being claimed have the correct vendor codes and employee's identification number.
Position will primarily collaborate with the supervisor and Accountant II assigned to the Colorado State Patrol division in supporting its objectives and represent the controller's office on fiscal matters, participating in divisional fiscal staff activities and advising divisional staff on agency-wide objectives.
As liaison, the position will serve as the fiscal subject matter expert for the resolution of a wide variety of fiscal issues, ranging from adjusting budgets to proper classification of expenditures to analysis and resolution of diagnostic anomalies.
Position is also responsible for helping to troubleshoot various CORE errors and provide guidance on how to correct.
As an individual contributor may explain work processes and train others, may serve as a resource or guide by advising others on how to use processes within a system or as a member of a collaborative problem-solving team.
Accounts Receivable and Account Reconciliation
Analyzes and researches accounting transactions recorded in assigned accounts.
Records adjusting entries (JV) to modify and correct transactions as appropriate.
Prepares cash collection documents to record revenue for insurance collections, troop office and other cash receipts that come in frequently.
Identifies and corrects identified anomalies utilizing infoAdvantage diagnostic reports, ad hoc reports, or through account analysis.
Determines the underlying cause of the anomaly, and the best solution in accordance with one of several different procedural options.
Identified solution must go beyond simply addressing the anomaly, but also address and correct the underlying causes to avoid future anomalies.
Special Projects and Other Duties as Assigned
Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights
Note, to be considered for this position, you must meet one of the following options for consideration.
Proven Experience, Knowledge, Skills
Option 1 (Work Experience):
Five (5) years of generally accepted accounting principals (GAAP) accounting experience to include journal entries and balance account reconciliations.
OR Education and Experience, Knowledge, Skills
Option 2 (Education Substitution):
A combination of related education (coursework requires 27 semester hours completed in accounting or auditing) and/or business accounting experience equal to five (5) years
Current, valid licensure as a CPA by the Colorado Board of Accountancy will substitute for the degree requirement and two years of the professional accounting experience.
Preferred Qualifications and Competencies
Knowledge of GAAP, GASB, State Fiscal Rules, and internal control best practices.
Expertise in financial document review, account reconciliation, and revenue tracking.
Ability to troubleshoot financial issues and present actionable solutions.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Strong analytical and critical thinking abilities.
Experience with ERP systems (preferably CORE)
Experience with Microsoft Excel.
Public sector or government accounting experience is preferred but not required.
Conditions of Employment
Requires successful completion of a background investigation that includes a polygraph exam, a fingerprint based criminal history search, reference checking.
Must be Colorado resident at the time of application
Appeal Rights
If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for the position, you may protest the action by filing an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the date you receive notice of the elimination. Also, if you wish to challenge the selection and comparative analysis process, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director within 10 days from the receipt of notice or knowledge of the action you are challenging. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for more information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available atwww.colorado.gov/spb. A standard appeal form is available at:www.colorado.gov/spb. If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within 10 days of your receipt of notice or knowledge of the action: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: 303-866-5038. Phone: 303-866-3300. The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination.
Supplemental Information
Are you in need of an accommodation?
The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness. The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.
Colorado Department of Public Safety is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our Human Resources department at cdps_hr@state.co.us.
Recruitment Timeline Information and Important Notices
Applications are considered complete and accurate at the time of submission. Therefore, additional information may not be solicited or accepted after your application has been received.
Closing Date: All applications that are received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications may proceed to the next step. Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process.
Supplemental Question: Effective responses to Supplemental Questions will directly relate to your professional experience, career accomplishments, and views about organizational values and approaches, and how they relate specifically to this position and requirements as you understand them. Answers generated by AI-tools will typically be unresponsive.
Transcripts: An unofficial copy of transcripts must be submitted at the time of application should education be used as qualification. Transcripts from colleges or universities outside the United States must be assessed for U.S. equivalency by a NACES educational credential evaluation service. This documentation is the responsibility of the applicant and must be included as part of your application materials. Failure to provide a transcript or credential evaluation report may prevent your application from moving forward in the selection process.
Military Veterans: If you are a military veteran you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Member 4 Copy, and VA disability letter if available/applicable at the time of application so we can determine if you are eligible for veteran's preference points. Military personnel who are stationed outside of Colorado may be eligible for this position by submitting the completed DD-2058 "State of Legal Residence" form.
Application Tips : For an overview of State of Colorado application process and application tips, please view this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUwZiY6G24U&feature=emb_logo) .
Resumes, Cover Letters, or other documents submitted: will not be reviewed, assessed, or used in the initial stages of the comparative analysis (transcripts submitted to verify that the applicant meets either the education requirement or minimum qualification substitution are exempt from this).
Notifications All correspondence regarding your status in the selection/examination process will be sent via email to the email address listed on your application. Include your current working email address on your application and check the email provided on your application frequently as you could receive time sensitive correspondence regarding this position. We highly recommend that you set up your email to accept messages from " state.co.us " and " info@governmentjobs.com " addresses. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email will accept these notices and/or review your junk mail and spam filtered email.
Comparative Analysis Steps may include :
An online skills assessment, dateNovember 21 - December 3, 2025
Structured application review by a panel of SMEsfirst and second week of December
Tentative interviews the week ofDecember 15th - 19th
The State of Colorado offers permanent employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, life and disability insurance, as well as a comprehensive leave program. Please click the following link for detailed information: www.colorado.gov/pacific/dhr/benefits
Please note that each agency's contact information is different; therefore, we encourage all applicants to view the full, official job announcement which includes contact information and class title. Select the job you wish to view, then click on the "Print" icon.
01
Please describe an example of relevant experience that you have that you could apply to this position, if selected.
02
Describe your experience in accounts payable, accounts receivable, or other accounting functions including journal entries. Give examples and # of years of experience.
03
If you are using education to meet the minimum requirements, have you attached your official or unofficial transcript with your application?
Yes
No
04
Do you understand that for transparency purposes the full salary range for this position classification within the state system is posted. However, the max hiring salary for this specific position is capped at $6,378 per month.
Yes, I understand
No, please remove me from consideration
05
CDPS administrative positions are classified as "hybrid" and the department supports the Governor's work from anywhere in Colorado initiative. CDPS currently operates on a 2 day a week on-site requirement for current employees. For employees outside the Denver metro area, the hybrid structure is determined on a case by case basis dependent upon the position's requirements, the employee's residential location and the needs of the business unit manager. I understand that if I am referred for an interview and have questions, I can reach out to the HR representative who can connect me with the Appointing Authority for any questions I may have or address those with the hiring manager during the interview process.
Yes
No
06
I understand that employees of the Colorado Department of Public Safety contribute to the Colorado Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) retirement benefit plan and do not contribute to Social Security.
Yes, I understand that
No
07
If you are a current or previous State of Colorado employee, please list your Employee Identification Number (EID), dates of employment, and classifications for all State of Colorado Departments or institutes of Higher Education for which you have worked. Your EID begins with 997 and is nine digits long. Please do not enter your Social Security Number. If you are not a current or previous State of Colorado employee, please state "N/A".
Required Question
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