Accountant I at Michigan State University in EAST LANSING, Michigan

Job Description:

Job no: 1002257

Work type: Support Staff

Pay Grade: 11

Major Administrative Unit / College: Division Of Student Life And Engagement

Department: Sle Business And Finance Office 40000831

Sub Area: AP- Professionals

Salary: Salary Commensurate with Experience

Location: East Lansing

Categories: Administrative/Business/Professional, Financial/Accounting, Residential and Hospitality Services, Administrative Professionals- AP, Full Time (90-100%), Union, Remote-Friendly
Position Summary

The Accountant I supports the financial and operational activities of the Student Life & Engagement (SLE) Business and Financial Services (BFS) office. The position will serve as backup to the accounting supervisor and will be assigned as the Fiscal Officer Delegate to assist with account reconciliation for several accounts within one or more of the business Units. The candidate may function as a lead on projects to review business functions and make recommendations that enhance processes. In addition, this position will develop and analyze process maps in order to perform a gap analysis and recommend adjustments to improve internal controls. Other duties may include, but are not limited to, basic audit functions of payroll, capital asset management and revenue/expense reconciliation which includes other major software interfaces and sub-reports which must also be reconciled. Must be able to research and apply knowledge independently.

Basic Function

Provides accounting controls for departmental budgets that exceed $20 million of expenses in some units and assists departmental staff with accounting concerns. May be designated Fiscal Officer (FO)/Fiscal Officer Delegate for one or more accounts. Collects, compiles, and interprets information and monitors the activities of the department in order to assist in the basic operational functioning. Must be familiar with troubleshooting technology and accounting subsystems used to book services for students or conferences that is transmitted to the University central system. The candidate should be comfortable presenting and leading projects and be proficient in process mapping.

Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities

• Must understand and feel comfortable with subsystems to assist with configuration, realignment and troubleshooting to improve or correct data flow.


• Will be working on projects that involve being familiar with or recommending enhancement to software reporting such as EBS, Kinetics, Planon, Campus Solutions, Mercury, Transact, CashNet, CashPro and TeamDynamix or work with administrative units overseeing software to resolve data flow configurations.


• Audits vouchers and financial statements to ensure accuracy and compliance with the MSU Manual of Business Procedures and SLE Policy Manual.


• Maintains and reconciles journal entries of revenue/expenditures for fund accounts and notifies supervisor of problems.


• Prepares deposits, invoices, transfer of funds and submits invoices for payment of departmental products and services.


• Collects and interprets information in order to produce reports, approve expenditure of funds and provide information for administrators, faculty, staff and external agencies.


• Prepares periodic and special financial reports or other reports and maintains unit records.


• Assists in developing and implementing policies and procedures.


• Serves on committees and project teams.


• Creates process maps and assists team to analyze and identify process gaps.


• May present at workshops/seminars as it relates to accounting and business functions.


• Lead training sessions on travel and other accounting processes.

All positions in SLE are designated as critical status. In the event of a university closure, modification, or suspension of operations due to snow or other emergency condition, persons in this position are expected to make all reasonable attempts to report to work as scheduled for the duration of the closure/suspension. If a person has an approved remote work agreement to work a portion of their normally scheduled work hours remotely, they may be called upon to work on-site to serve the MSU community.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Accounting; one to three years of related and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in financial statement and report preparation, general ledger accounting and budgeting; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

Strong work ethic, independent thinker, self-starter who works well in a team environment to exchange ideas and improve systems and processes. Would be comfortable troubleshooting and reconfiguring software data tables to recommend improvements in reporting capability. Experience with Kinetics, Mercury and other room reservation and service billing systems; Campus Solutions, Enterprise Business Systems (Kuali, SAP, BI and Cognos), TeamDynamix, Transact, CashNet, and CashPro. Experience in retail accounting. Knowledge of legal system terminology and experience with applicable state, local, and federal laws pertaining to evictions. Familiar with Capital Asset Management (CAM). The duties may be divided amongst several team members in this position.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

Resume, cover letter and 3 professional references required.

Work Hours

Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, occasional/infrequent weekend work based on business demands.

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Bidding eligibility ends November 19, 2024 at 11:55 P.M.

Advertised: Nov 13, 2024 Eastern Standard Time

Applications close: Nov 26, 2024 Eastern Standard Time

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