Accountant

Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is seeking an Accountant in the Division of Administration and Finance

AGENCY MISSION:

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is charged with creating more homes in Massachusetts and lowering housing costs for residents.

Formerly known as the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), EOHLC works with municipalities, local housing authorities, non-profit organizations, and development partners to provide affordable housing options, financial assistance, and other support to Massachusetts communities.

OVERVIEW:

The Accountant III performs several professional and financial tasks in support of the Finance Manager and the Undersecretary of Housing Development. These tasks include, but are not limited to: processing documentation to properly establish vendors in the state accounting system (Massachusetts Management Accounting and Reporting System (MMARS)) and Housing Development Management Information System (HDMIS); processing program disbursements, tracking payments through the disbursement process and resolving vendor problems; analyzing Division accounts to ensure allotment and contractual balances are adequate to accommodate anticipated spending; depositing fees, as collected into the appropriate accounts; maintaining accurate logs, spreadsheets and files; preparing and compiling financial reports and other Division information to analyze spending trends and forecast funding needs for future fiscal periods; assisting in processing program contracts and tracking through the state accounting system and HDMIS; maintaining and enhancing working relationships with Division managers and staff, agency personnel, other state and local government officials and constituents.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (NOT ALL INCLUSIVE):

• Prepare and enter MMARS documents for vendor invoices in a timely and accurate manner for approval in the State Accounting System (MMARS) and entry into the EOHLC Housing Development Management Information System (HDMIS).
• Confirm there are sufficient funds available in MMARS for all payment vouchers that are submitted to the Accounting Unit before processing.
• Draft and send monthly/quarterly emails by the 15th of the period closure to ensure vendors are invoicing for architect, monitor, and legal services on a regular basis.

Encumbrance & Expenditure:

• Maintain Spending Tracker to monitor and track payments through disbursement of funds, including direct link of tracker entry to corresponding Payment Request for Commodity (PRC) PDF.
• Prepare financial reports by running warehouse queries (encumbrance and expenditure) for legal, architect, monitor and other administrative expenses.
• Upon submittal of applicable HOME payments, prepare EX reports and Federal voucher draw requests for Finance Manager’s approval and submittal to accounting.

Deposits:

• Process all deposits for the division via the Bank of America CashPro web-based app utilizing the in-office check-scanner.
• Ensure that deposits are logged-in correctly and that the proper cash sheets are prepared accurately for their corresponding account; making sure that deposit sheets are date stamped when submitted to accounting.
• Maintain Deposit / Revenue Tracker to monitor deposits and posted revenue for the Division.
• Coordinate with the Tax Credit team to record monitoring fees received and deposited.

Contracts:

• As needed, assist with the preparation and completion of the contracting process by initially providing program staff with available Contract Transmittal (CT) Doc number, confirming vendor’s legal name, address and contact information using the 1099 Reporting Information page (1099i) in MMARS, VC Address ID and appropriate Board Award/Request for Response (RFR) ID name.
• Prepare MMARS documents to encumber contracts in the State Accounting System (MMARS) in a timely and accurate manner.
• As needed, help maintain contract document log to track and monitor all contracts through completion and notify program staff via email or HDMIS when a contract goes to final status in MMARS.
• Ensure sufficient funding is available to encumber before contracts are submitted to accounting (including CTs pending to be encumbered).

Prepare/Assist:

• Assist program staff to prepare forms for trainings, registration, subscriptions, advertisement, reimbursements and other related administrative needs.
• Prepare and process program paperwork (i.e. waiver letters, funding agreements, conditional commitment letters) for Housing Innovations Fund (HIF), Community Based Housing (CBH), and Facilities Consolidation Fund (FCF) capital programs and lead paint programs.
• Maintain an electronic log of funding agreement invoices by project, program type, date, sponsor, loan amount, administrative and legal fees.
• Provide financial, administrative, and programmatic support to the division pertaining to all programs including American Rescue Plan Act of 2021(ARPA) related contracting, payments, and other fiscal/financial transactions.
• As needed; utilizing the DocuSign system on the Comptroller’s Intranet site for processing vendor codes creation (VCC) or vendor code modifications (VCM) as well as set up electronic funds transfer (EFT) for vendors.

Audits:

• Assist staff in completing annual audit reports for HIF, CBH, FCF, Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund (HPSTF), and other accounts as needed.
• Work with program managers to maintain a log for audit and insurance documents. Communicate with vendors when necessary.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Excellent computer skills, including ability to work with graphs, tables and functions within Microsoft Excel.
• Professional experience using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access.
• Understanding of the principles of financial accounting.
• MMARS experience is preferred, but not required.
• Knowledge of the factors, trends and problems in the development of affordable housing.
• Knowledge of the state bond funded HIF/FCF/CBH and Get the Lead Out programs.
• Ability to understand, explain, and prepare technical and programmatic presentations for professional conferences and training seminars.

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional experience in accounting or auditing, of which at least (B) one year must have been in a supervisory, administrative or managerial capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. An Associate's degree with a major in accounting, business administration or business management may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting, business administration or business management may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree with a major in accounting, business administration or business management may be substituted for the required experience.

*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.