STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Assistant Accountant

Recruitment #191003-5140AR-001

Introduction

The Accounts Payable Division at the State of Connecticut's Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) manages the centralized accounts payable function for the state, maintains a database of all state vendor profiles, initiates and monitors the process for paying and settling the state's obligations, examines state encumbrances and expenditures for compliance, conducts pre-audits of procurement requests for $1 million or more, and addresses a variety of necessary federal and state requirements and Freedom of Information requests. The Assistant Accountant position will examine vendor profile forms, agency supplier update requests, and supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness and conformance with State statutes, regulations, and agency policy based upon knowledge of how the various components of the Core-CT vendor file populate and affect the various documents processed through the entire financial accounting module.

If this sounds like a team you would love to be a part of, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity!

The position is currently located at 55 Elm Street in Hartford, CT. The OSC is relocating its offices to the newly renovated State Office Building at 165 Capitol Avenue in late 2019. This state of the art building offers an on-site cafeteria, free garage parking, and ergonomic workspaces.

The selected candidate will work 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday. The OSC offers an excellent salary and benefits package.

 

Selection Plan

All applicants must include a resume within the “Resume Tab” of their application. At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, attendance records, responses to referral questions etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.

Questions about these required documents should be directed to the hiring agency's human resources office: Bonnie.Schlechtweg@ct.gov or (860) 702-3323.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In a state agency this class is accountable for performing a combination of a full range of basic professional and highly complex clerical work in accounting or financial examination work.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Review requests to ensure updates will not compromise the state's offset procedures, 1099 reporting, or assignment procedures; use Core-CT on-line queries and ad hoc reports to determine impact of requested change on State contracts, valid purchase orders, and vouchers; make corrections as required, and advise agency of corrections; use independent judgment to determine if Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reporting is required and type of reporting necessary; determine when the W-9 is required and ensure that a properly completed form is received from vendors; verify the information on the W-9 form to the Core-CT vendor file to ensure compliance with Federal 1099 reporting; perform an examination of vendors and analyze results for duplicates; provide technical and educational assistance to supervisor for training new and/or lower level employees; maintain written and verbal contact with vendors to ensure accuracy of vendor information; assist supervisor in implementation of the ACH/EFT program for vendor payments; reconcile vendor ACH payments monthly; provide appropriate forms to vendors and their financial institution; advise State agencies when a vendor's payment method has changed; prepare reports for supervisory and managerial use; investigate returned checks and inactivate vendors if necessary to prevent payments from being issued to invalid addresses; review various contracts, financial documents and financial reports to ensure compliance with state statutes, federal regulations, and generally accepted accounting principles and practices; performs other related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Knowledge of bookkeeping and financial record keeping principles and practices; knowledge of basic governmental accounting principles and practices including general accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable and budget control; oral communication skills; basic interpersonal skills; considerable arithmetical ability; auditing ability; ability to understand and apply statutes and regulations; ability to utilize EDP systems for financial information.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Four (4) years of experience in complex clerical accounting or financial examining work. Complex clerical accounting or examining work is interpreted as independent responsibility for generally routine bookkeeping, financial record keeping or financial record examining at the level of Financial Clerk.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

  1. College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of two (2) years.
  2. One (1) year as a Pre-Professional Trainee in an accounting class may be substituted for the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of ERP systems (i.e. Core-CT, PeopleSoft, Oracle or other)
• Strong analytical and computer skills including extensive use of Microsoft Access Databases and Excel Macros
• Familiarity with SQL and/or VBA a plus
• Customer service experience and strong interpersonal skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.