Accountant I

Defense Acquisition - Huntsville, AL

Full-time - Entry Level

Huntsville, AL

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Accountant I position at Wright State University is a critical role within the VP-Business & Fiscal Affairs Admin department, responsible for processing a wide range of financial transactions and professional accounting tasks. The individual in this role will apply both basic and complex accounting and finance principles and procedures while working with accounting records and reports. This includes maintaining accurate and compliant records, providing necessary account reconciliations, generating financial reports, and ensuring policy education and enforcement across the department. The Accountant I will spend a significant portion of their time (55%) on monthly financial reconciliation between the university's Banner system and other financial systems. This involves reconciling all departmental transactions, including invoices, and ensuring that all transactions are properly documented. The role also requires reviewing, investigating, and correcting errors and inconsistencies in financial entries, documents, and reports. The Accountant I will act as a liaison to Accounts Payable, Procurement & Contract Services, and Purchasing to address daily staff concerns and inquiries, as well as create, monitor, and review all departmental purchases. Additionally, the position entails preparing purchase orders, check requests, and processing various financial documents for departments, including cash deposits and petty cash disbursements. Another key responsibility (35%) is to routinely report the department's financial status to management, working closely with the Fiscal Services Manager and the management team on budget forecasts. The Accountant I will assist in maintaining and managing department budgets, analyzing and monitoring expenditures for compliance with fiscal accountability and reporting requirements. They will also develop training and educational materials for departments regarding budget planning, account management, and university policies and procedures. The remaining responsibilities (10%) include assisting staff with travel pre-authorization and expense reports, preparing travel arrangements, and reviewing reimbursement requests to ensure compliance with university policies. The Accountant I may also be assigned other duties as necessary, contributing to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the department.

Responsibilities

• Monthly financial reconciliation between Banner and other university systems.
• Reconcile all departmental transactions ensuring proper documentation.
• Review, investigate, and correct errors in financial entries and reports.
• Act as the liaison to Accounts Payable, Procurement & Contract Services, and Purchasing.
• Create, monitor, and review all departmental purchases.
• Prepare purchase orders and check requests.
• Process all purchase requisitions and miscellaneous financial documents.
• Oversee credit card usage and process related reports per university policy.
• Monitor and balance general ledger control accounts to subsidiary records.
• Audit accounting and financial documents for accuracy and completeness.
• Report department's financial status to management and assist with budget forecasts.
• Analyze and monitor budgets and expenditures for compliance.
• Develop training and education materials for departments.
• Maintain fiscal records and update documentation as necessary.
• Assist staff with travel pre-authorization and expense reports.
• Prepare travel arrangements for organizations engaged in overnight travel.
• Review travel and non-travel reimbursement requests for compliance.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance; or an Associate's degree in accounting with two years of relevant experience; or a high school diploma with five years of accounting experience.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal/written communication, and customer service skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, remain organized, and prioritize work.
• Ability to work independently, exercising discretion and sound judgment.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with Banner Finance
• Knowledge of basic accounting practices