Accounting Assistant II

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Accounting Assistant II to join our team at West Virginia University Research Corporation Human Resources. The successful candidate will provide professional accounting and administrative support services, applying principles of accounting to examine, compile, analyze, and interpret financial information.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and submit various accounting forms to process direct payment for State, Federal, and Research Corporation and WVU Foundation Funds.
• Comply with guidelines set by the State of WV, WVU, WVU Research Corp, and WVU Foundation.
• Communicate with CSEE Faculty and staff as well as outside vendors to ensure invoices are being processed and finalized in a timely manner.
• Prepare and verify Supplier (Vendor) registration and funding information through Mountaineer Marketplace and/or MyExpenses.
• Complete all on-line requisitions through Mountaineer Marketplace for approval by Department Chair and CEMR EBO.
• Assist in the year-end and grant expiration closeouts, initiating cancellations, finalizing open orders, and other actions as necessary to finalize transactions and close out accounts.
• Act as a liaison to faculty and staff on financial matters regarding on-line requisitions, direct pays, and ProCard transactions. Serve as a Tier 2 level person for MAP modules for Accounts Payable/Purchasing, General Ledger, and Grants Management.
• Process in-state, out-of-state, and foreign travel through MyTravel for faculty, staff, students, and guests.
• Secure and verify the required approvals and documentation of expenses for each trip from the traveler, checking GL String and POETA or Foundation account on the appropriate expense settlement form for the traveler and follows up to ensure payment is made to the traveler.
• Obtain original passenger receipts and itineraries immediately upon trip return for documentation.
• Submit direct bill invoices using multiple funding strings for each fund type.
• Work proactively with travelers to obtain a refund/exchange notice form.
• Coordinate travel arrangements with the traveler and make arrangements for guests, including faculty candidates, guest speakers, and attendees of departmental events.
• Serve as the sole source of information on travel, explaining all policies pertaining to travel to faculty, staff, students, and guests of the department.
• Coordinate travel arrangements through airlines, rental agencies, etc., including international travel where receipts must be converted to US dollars before submitting for payment.

Procurement Card Management

• Back up to Office Administrator for State and Research Corporation Department Cardholder Coordinator (DCC) for allowing and making purchases on the ProCard.
• Maintain required transactions through MyExpenses, processing weekly transactions, when needed, attaching required itemized receipts and appropriate state or research funding.
• Obtain itemized receipts for allowable purchases within 48 hours from cardholders. Sole person in LCSEE with WVU Foundation ProCard and makes purchases, as requested, processing transactions in Foundation Services (Chrome River) with appropriate WVUF funding.
• Retain information and documentation for two years after the transaction date for audit purposes.
• Notify the WVU Procurement Card Office of any vendor that does not accept procurement cards.
• Participate in on-line State WVU Departmental Card Coordinator (DCC) training sessions and enforces policies and procedures.
• Assist with the procedures with Procurement and Accounts Payable related to the Procurement Card Process for the Department, including grants, contracts, state appropriated funds, foundation funds, and revenue-generated funds.

Grant and State Account Functions

• Perform detailed audits on State expenditures and serve as primary back-up on the Grant expenditures.
• Verify that expenditures posted to the University accounting system correspond to the department spreadsheet.
• Verify that all agency requirements have been satisfied and all State, University, Research Corp, and Foundation policies and procedures are followed.
• Respond to audit findings, which often leads to the development of new policies and/or procedures. This function is carried out through auditing, which goes beyond a superficial examination of data information. It requires the application of the principles of accounting to examine, analyze, question, and interpret accounting data to determine how and why errors were made, and advises Office Administrator and Chairman on corrective action necessary to prevent future problems from developing.
• Perform detailed monitoring and auditing of State funds and serves as primary back-up on the Grant funds.
• Responsible for notifying the Office Administrator and Principal Investigator of any difficulty with funding administration.
• Design, establish, and maintain financial ledgers (Excel spreadsheets) on State funds as well as some of the grant funds. These ledgers are used to provide the department and the principal investigators detailed accounting information.

Inventory

• Process Inventory forms and tags equipment upon receipt.
• Update inventory information in MAPPROD as needed. Maintain file of inventory tags.
• Complete inventory form and complete off-campus equipment utilization form as well as surplus equipment forms.
• Assist with Statler CEMR Physical Inventory, when necessary.

General Functions

• Composition and preparation of memorandums, letters, reports, spreadsheets, charts, and graphs to final form using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point.
• Assist with the planning and execution of certain departmental events, including the annual Academy banquet.
• Maintain files, attend departmental staff and accounting meetings to stay informed of University, College, and Departmental changes in rules, policies, or guidelines involving operations and provides information as needed.
• Work with departmental staff to establish, modify, document, and coordinate implementation of accounting and accounting control procedures.
• Assist in the development of new policies, practices, and procedures. The incumbent will be cross-trained in business functions as a back-up to other positions in the unit and the EBO. Serve as primary back-up to the Office Administrator on Payroll-related duties.
• Special projects and other duties as assigned by the Office Administrator and/or Department Chairman.
• Associate degree in business, accounting, or financial fields.
• A minimum of two (2) years of directly related experience, preferably in a University/College setting.
• Contract/grant accounting experience.
• Experience in cash handling.
• Experience in working with contacts from foreign countries.
• Experience working with and editing information in various formats, both financial and administrative.
• Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience will be considered.
• All qualifications must be met by the time of employment.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of principles and practices of fiscal management.
• Demonstrated knowledge of budget management to interpret accounts for budget control.
• Working knowledge of grant management for assistance in payment of allowable expenditures with grant awards.
• Knowledge of complex field of sponsored research program funding, an understanding of regulatory, legal, and compliance with issues in grant management.
• Knowledge of automated accounting systems (e.g., MAP, MyExpenses, Chrome River, etc.) as well as ability to accumulate and interpret data.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Professional demeanor when dealing with all, but especially demanding customers, including excellent interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge of and ability to manipulate spreadsheets, forecast future spending, and maintain current budget data.
• Ability to set priorities, work independently, and carry out important assignments with short timelines.
• Demonstrated skill in operating business office equipment.
• Ability to rapidly acquire thorough knowledge of policies and procedures as needed to comply with departmental, college, University, State, and federal regulations.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and protect the proprietary nature of information contained in the daily course of work.
• Team Player attitude needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business-related field.

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