23394BR
Carruth SSC
Position Overview
The University of Kansas strives to maintain business processes, systems, and workflow that are efficient, effective and enable excellent customer service. The KU Shared Service Center (SSC) model supports transactional activities in HR and finance, as well as providing support for post-award research administration.
The day-to-day finance activities in the Carruth SSC will be conducted by SSC Accountants and Accounting Specialists. The Accountant position will be responsible for working with assigned University units and departments as well as the SSC Finance Manager to perform financial business activities in an environment of excellent client service. This position will use accounting skills to perform financial support functions for the departments, provide departments with accurate and timely information to make decisions, and ensure efficient transaction processing.
The SSC Accountant will provide timely and professional services that support or enhance the instructional, research and service goals of the units served. The SSC Accountant will report to the SSC Finance Manager and will be expected to maintain successful relationships and frequent communication with individuals from academic or research units who receive service from the SSC. In addition, the SSC Accountant will handle complex financial data and situations where guidelines may be broadly defined or technical, requiring careful analysis and interpretation of federal, State and University rules, regulations and policies. The SSC Accountant may supervise student employees as assigned by the SSC Finance Manager.
Job Description
30% Responsible for KU department financial approvals while following University, KUCR and Endowment guidelines and regulations, including documentation:
- Review and approve KU Department travel arrangements and reimbursements.
- Reviews all travel requests to ensure that expenditures and reimbursements are in accordance with pertinent laws and regulations.
- Processes payments and reimbursements as appropriate (as delegated by the areas served).
- Review and approve KU department expenditures with payments Financial in the Cloud (FITC), Concur and KU Endowment Association (as delegated by the areas served).
- Work directly with other accounting staff related to reviewed transactions in order to make corrections and efficiencies.
25% Responsible for purchasing and resource management by following University, KUCR and Endowment guidelines and regulations, including documentation:
- Processes payments through financial systems and determine appropriate account and funding for payment.
- Develops unit processes to ensure that appropriate funding sources are used and that resources are available for purchases; audits and reviews unit/department procurement card purchases to ensure procedures for compliance with University, Endowment and KUCR accounting systems are followed.
- Enters and tracks KU department travel arrangements and reimbursements.
- Reviews all travel requests to ensure that expenditures and reimbursements are in accordance with pertinent laws and regulations; processes payments and reimbursements as appropriate.
- Determines and follows university purchasing and bid procedures, contracts, and federal regulations to ensure appropriate purchases are made.
- Enters and tracks KU department expenditures with payments in Financials in the Cloud (FITC), Concur and KU Endowment Association.
- Independently resolves problems related to billing errors, non-receipt of invoices and discrepancies between statements and records.
- Verifies scholarship recipients, processes posting forms to Financial Aid and Scholarship and provides data and reports to the Director/Chair in support the unit/department’s scholarship process.
25% Special Projects
- Provides non-standard reports and statements such as cash forecasts reflecting the interrelation of accounting, cost budgeting, program costs or comparable information.
- Identifies trends or deviation from standards.
- Evaluates and predicts the effects of changes on operational programs/systems.
- Identifies management needs and refines account structure or reports accordingly.
- Gathers data for and prepares budgetary, statistical, reconciliation and other requested reports for leadership, SSC Finance Manager, and/or unit Budget Manager.
- Prepares and executes budget transfers.
- Assists the SSC Finance Manager in preparation for the completion of annual fiscal closing.
- Assists units/departments in the development and management of budgets.
- Develops and implements systems for data collection. Analyzes data and prepares reports, charts and graphs.
- Analyzes changes in technology or services provided to determine effects on costs; develops and prepares cost allocation plans and rates by estimating utilization of services and estimating costs of operation, such as equipment, labor and other expenses.
- Completes executive University billing requests and award allocations from executive University units/departments.
- Supports SSC Finance Manager in providing oversight to SSC finance support staff and student employees by providing technical assistance and training on accounting and fiscal procedures.
- Assists in the development of solutions to operational problems.
- Assists in the resolution of difficult accounting problems.
- May provide leadership or supervision over student employees.
10% For each unit/department supported, responsible for initiating, administering and reporting on all fiscal operations for the assigned unit’s clients including, but not limited to:
- Directs and participates in day-to-day fiscal operations such as cost accounting, revenue analysis or other specialized activities ensuring compliance with established University, Endowment and KUCR accounting principles, policies and objectives.
- Monitors departmental expenses and processes cost transfers when needed ensuring that expenditures follow all University and Endowment processes and procedures.
- Identifies discrepancies to supervisor and unit Director/Chair.
- Informs and assists the Director/Chair with operational needs and related budgetary impact.
- Provides Director/Chair with financial information to assist in the development of the annual operating budget.
- Monitors accounts receivable, revenues and expenses and compares balances to the annual budget.
- Monitors salary lines for regular and temporary employees; completes projection analysis regarding budget vs. expenditures for supervisor and/or Director/Chair; makes suggestions on reallocation of available shrinkage dollars.
- Escalates questions as appropriate to the SSC Finance Manager.
10% Other SSC Responsibilities
- Works with the SSC Finance Manager to develop and implement strategic and tactical plans for improving and/or providing support services that enhance the operations of the SSC and university administration.
- Coordinates with central finance on the interpretation and communication of finance policies, procedures, and programs.
- Reviews and recommends changes to department and SSC procedures to ensure compliance with policy; prepares and updates procedural manuals and related instructional materials.
- Serves as a resource to unit/department staff and faculty to ensure compliance with policy.
- Participates in unit/department meetings and events to maintain knowledge of the unit/department and relationships with the faculty and staff.
- Attends regular meetings, training sessions and professional development workshops/seminars to keep current on policies and procedures relevant to position responsibilities, as requested and approved by the SSC Finance Manager.
- Other duties as assigned.
Position Requirements
This position currently works 100% remote but may transition to a hybrid model in the future at which point incumbent will work remotely and on campus based on a set departmental schedule. There may be occasional trainings and meetings where it will be required to work on-site. Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree and one (1) year of related work experience OR an Associate’s Degree and three (3) years’ experience OR a high school diploma/GED and four (4) years’ of relevant experience. Experience using the Microsoft Office Suite. Excellent written communication skills and attention to detail as demonstrated by application materials. Prior work experience that required analytical and problem-solving skills as demonstrated by application materials. Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration or related field. Experience working independently in a finance, accounting, and/or financial compliance environment. Experience using a financial ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning system), e.g. Oracle. Experience with and an understanding of University of Kansas policies, procedures, and financial processes. Experience with fund accounting. Experience managing multiple tasks in a deadline driven environment. Experience working with diverse populations. Experience developing tool and/or databases to help interpret and analyze financial data. Contact Information to Applicants
Aimee Losey
aimeeg@ku.edu
785-864-5740
Additional Candidate Instruction
A complete application includes:
Cover letter addressing how you meet the required and preferred qualifications. Resume. Completion of the online application. Contact information for three professional references (including at least one previous or current supervisor). Application review begins Wednesday, September 21, 2022 and continues until a pool of qualified applicants is identified.
Advertised Salary Range
Starts at $45,000, with final determination commensurate with experience
Application Review Begins
21-Sep-2022
Anticipated Start Date
31-Oct-2022
Primary Campus
University of Kansas Lawrence Campus
Employee Class
U-Unclassified Professional Staff
Work Schedule
Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm.
Job Family
Administrative/Management-KUL
Work Location Assignment
Telework
Disclaimer
The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information and retaliation in the University’s programs and activities. Access to information regarding equal opportunity and diversity worksite posters is available at http://www.humanresources.ku.edu/policies_procedures/category_details/index.aspx?category=8 or you may contact 785-864-4946 or employ@ku.edu for alternate access options. Any inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies should be directed to: Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu , 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.