Auditor I

City Ethics Commission

Exempt

Annual Salary

$73,560.00 - $107,573.00

contact information

Heather Holt
(213) 978-1960
ethics.careers@lacity.org

job description

Description

The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is responsible for administering and enforcing City laws relating to governmental ethics, campaign financing, and lobbying. The Ethics Commission seeks an impartial and knowledgeable professional to serve as an auditor. Key duties include performing mandatory campaign finance audits relating to City candidates and officeholders, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education (LAUSD) candidates, and their controlled committees. Other duties include auditing non-candidate committees that are active in City and LAUSD elections, auditing candidate claims for public matching funds, auditing for compliance with the lobbying laws, and synthesizing data for policy analysis. The position works closely with other division and agency staff and interacts regularly with candidates and campaign treasurers.

Qualifications

The position demands a highly organized, analytical, and self-motivated individual, who demonstrates the following qualifications:

• Knowledge of standard accounting principles.

• Ability to understand and apply the laws within the Ethics Commission’s jurisdiction.

• Ability to understand, interpret, and effectively communicate statistical data.

• Ability to use a variety of software programs and electronic technology.

• Ability to pay focused attention to detail and identify discrepancies and patterns.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

• Exceptional interpersonal skills.

• Exceptional judgment and analytical skills.

• Flexibility and an ability to successfully juggle competing priorities.

• Ability to work well under pressure and in a politically sensitive environment.

• Ability to work well both independently and as a member of a diverse team.

The successful candidate must forego personal involvement in any political or partisan activity.

Training and Experience

A degree from an accredited college or university with an emphasis in Accounting, Finance, Business, Political Science, Law, or Public Policy is required. Significant relevant experience may be substituted for the educational requirement.

Compensation
The salary range is $73,560 – $107,573, with an anticipated two-percent cost of living increase on July 1. New hires typically start at the beginning of the range, but an initial salary above the first step may be considered for candidates with significant relevant experience. The City also offers a highly competitive benefits package, including health and disability insurance, vacation and sick leave, flexible work schedules, an independent retirement system, and a deferred compensation plan.

How to apply

Application Process

Email the following to ethics.careers@lacity.org: cover letter; resume; a writing sample that is no more than five pages long. Applications must be submitted by August 31, 2025, but the application window may close at any time. For additional information, contact Deputy Executive Director Heather Holt at (213) 978-1960.

*This position is an exempt, at-will position. The incumbent will not accrue any civil service tenure, contractual employment rights, or due process rights. The incumbent may be removed by the hiring authority without any finding of cause.

exempt employment

If employment is said to be exempt, it is meant that the employment is exempted from the civil service provisions of the City Charter. In order to receive a regular civil service appointment, employees must have successfully participated in a civil service examination, received a high enough score on the examination to be placed on and receive an appointment from an eligible list, and they must serve a probationary period. Exempt employees do not compete in a civil service examination, they are not placed on an eligible list and receive an appointment from that list, nor do they serve a probationary period. As a result, exempt employees do not have what is referred to as a “property interest” in their job. Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority and can be terminated at any time without cause. Employees with a property interest in their job, i.e. civil service employees, cannot be deprived of their employment(discharged or suspended) without due process.

General Information About Exempt Employment

Exempt employees serve at the will of the appointing authority, and as such, they may be discharged, suspended or otherwise disciplined without cause. Exempt employees have no property interest in their employment, and any procedural benefit or other prerogative extended to them by their appointing authority is not intended to create and does not create any such property interest. No officer or employee of the City may make to any other officer or employee any representation of a property interest in employment which does not correspond to Charter provisions unless the City Council, by ordinance, permits such representation. No unauthorized representation can serve as the basis of an employee's reliance on, or expectation of, a property interest.

Employees Seeking To Become Civil Service Employees

There is no protective leave for an exempt employee appointed to a civil service position. Upon receiving a civil service appointment and passing probation, the former exempt employee will be subject to the Civil Service provisions described in Article X of the City Charter. Upon appointment, the civil service employee will begin to accrue displacement and layoff seniority on the first day of his/her civil service appointment and may file for promotional examinations for which s/he qualifies. A full or half-time exempt employee appointed to a full or half-time civil service position continues to: contribute to the Retirement System; accrue vacation time; accrue sick time; receive anniversary date salary increases; and, receive health and dental benefits identical to those received in the civil service position.