Accountant Advanced

Job Responsibilities

1.   Independently performs complex accounting and auditing work involving the maintenance of several internal accounting spreadsheets consisting of ledgers, sub-ledgers, letters of credit, and reconciliations for assigned funds and grant accounts.

• Prepares, reviews, and reconciles list of vouchers for payment. Completes various documents for the transfer or receipts of funds, completes federal draws and submits for approval, creates and maintains appropriate documentation, and updates spreadsheets and the agency accounting system as needed.
• Maintains, reviews, and reconciles ledgers for multiple federal grants in collaboration with program managers, budget manager, and supervisor. Verifies authorized amounts in federal system and completes the necessary action in System Applications and Products (SAP).
• Prepares, examines, and summarizes all assigned federal cash accounts including the monitoring of cash on hand to ensure expenditure needs are met on a timely basis, yet maintaining a minimal amount of cash on hand.
• Reviews, creates, or corrects formulas on an ongoing basis to ensure accuracy and completeness of reports and documentation.

2.   Performs monthly reconciliations for assigned state and federal funds utilizing reports from the agency’s accounting system (SAP), the Comptroller’s Statewide Accounting Management System (SAMS) monthly reports, and query results from the SAMS Warehouse.

• Prepares account reconciliations for assigned funds including receipts, cash balances, and expenditures.
• Coordinates with supervisor and other fiscal or agency staff to investigate any discrepancies and develop an appropriate course of action.
• Develops and provides substantial supporting documentation for supervisor review.

Job Responsibilities Cont.

3.   Performs complex accounting and auditing work involving assigned funds and grant accounts in the preparation, examination, and summarization of related financial reports and statements for state and federal usage.

• Prepares, maintains, provides, and reconciles with program managers all expenditures, receipts, refunds, and other federal transactions involving grant funds.
• Collaborates with program managers, supervisor, and any relevant department when discrepancies are found and recommends appropriate action.
• Prepares and reviews the financial records, reports, and supporting documentation to ascertain completeness and accuracy prior to submitting to supervisor or state and federal entities.
• Verifies and submits the quarterly federal financial reports for assigned funds.

4.   Utilizes the agency accounting system (SAP) to complete transactional data for communicating receipts between the Federal Deposits & Reporting (FDR) Unit, the Office of the Comptroller, and the Office of the Treasurer, as well as to create and maintain grant-related information.

• Completes journal entries to record receipt of funds and uploads all backup materials.
• Generates reports for reconciliations and to provide supporting documentation.
• Utilizes various T-Codes and report features to investigate issues and collaborate with other fiscal staff.
• Creates new grants, sponsored programs, and internal orders numbers as needed. Requests budget to be added or modified and updates necessary information in SAP.

Job Responsibilities Cont.

5.   Coordinates with supervisor as well as Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and Budget staff on recurring accounting processes, complex accounting problems, and implementation of new procedures or requirement changes.

• Works with supervisor to inform Grant Program staff of the procedures relating to the draw down of federal funds and the associated timelines.
• Works with Accounts Receivable staff on the processing of federal refunds by providing financial details and/or assisting with required documentation and journal entries.
• Works with Accounts Payable staff by analyzing voucher payment information and recommending appropriate fiscal actions relating to expenditures. Communicates with supervisor, Accounts Payable staff, and Accounts Payable Manager when funds are available, and when payments can be released.
• Works with Budget and Grant Program staff to verify monthly payroll expenditures for employees paid with federal funding. Obtain, verify, and maintain required documentation associated with employee hours charged to federal funds.
• Identifies funding shortfalls and communicates such issues to supervisor and relevant fiscal and/or program staff with recommended fiscal action.
• Assists other staff as necessary to ensure timely processing of fiscal documents and to ensure cross training of fiscal activities.

Job Responsibilities Cont.

6.   Develops and maintains official accounting records for assigned state and federal funds including, but not limited to, all supporting documentation related to reconciliations, federal financial reports, grant awards, fund ledgers, and other documents meant to provide an adequate audit trail and in accordance with record retention requirements.

• Creates and maintains all supporting documentation and records in a manner that will meet the scrutiny of all federal, state, and agency audits.
• Prepares detailed reports and responses to satisfy routine and special requests including, but not limited to, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), audit requests, legislative requests, and federal or state agency inquiries.
• Works closely with program staff to collaborate on grant establishments or changes and to complete close-out documentation.
• On an annual basis, works with appropriate agency staff to determine document eligibility for archiving and ensures process is completed in accordance with all state and federal record retention rules and regulations.

7.   Develops, implements, and maintains standard operating procedures for accounting processes and procedures related to the job duties performed.

• On an annual basis, or when changes have occurred, reviews and updates existing policies and procedures relating to the position, ensuring accuracy and ease of use.
• Collaborates with coworkers and supervisor to develop more efficient processes and useful job aides relating to duties within the Federal Deposits and Reporting Unit.
• Collaborate with staff involved in other fiscal functions to share information and develop procedures relating to shared or intersecting process steps.

8.   Assist with agency needs, which may include supporting other agency functions, for a disaster response.
9.   Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonable and within the scope of duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

1. Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college, with courses in business administration and accounting.

2. Requires two (2) years of professional experience in accounting, external auditing, budgetary planning and control, or public accounting.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two (2) or more years of professional experience working with federal grant programs or governmental accounting, including experience completing financial reconciliations.
• Two (2) or more years of professional experience in the use of electronic spreadsheet software, such as MS Excel, including the creation of formulas and pivot tables, data validation, and formatting.
• Two (2) or more years of professional experience using accounting and auditing theory, principles, methods, and procedures.
• Two (2) or more years professional experience analyzing and interpreting complex accounting records and evaluating difficult accounting or auditing problems.
• Two (2) or more years of professional experience preparing comprehensive accounting reports.
• Two (2) or more years of experience using accounting systems (e.g., SAMS, ERP/SAP).
• Two (2) or more years of experience utilizing MS Access, including experience creating and editing queries and generating reports.
• Ability to establish and maintain satisfactory working relationships and to deal tactfully with controversial problems.

Conditions of Employment

1. Requires a criminal history check through the Illinois State Police.

2. Requires the ability to use state-issued equipment such as cell phone, laptop, etc.