Accounting Specialist

The State of Connecticut, Office of the State Comptroller (OSC), is an agency whose mission is to provide accounting and financial services, to administer employee and retiree benefits, to develop accounting policy and exercise accounting oversight, and to prepare financial reports for the state, federal and municipal governments and the public. 

We are recruiting for a full-time Accounting Specialist position to work in the Central Accounts Payable Division.  This division 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 incumbent in this position:

• Evaluates and analyze current Division procedures, make recommendations for improvements and the development of additional Unit procedures. 
• Assists management in resolving purchasing, accounts payable, and related matters in the Core-CT financial module.
• Formulates policies and procedures relating to fiscal processing and implements such policies and procedures having impact on all State agencies.
• Prepares various financial, statistical or narrative fiscal/administrative reports as requested by management.
• Reviews and verifies highly complex vendor contract assignment/assumption documents, evaluates and makes determination on compliance with procedures established by the Office of the Attorney General.
• Advises agencies on compliance with procedures through complete transition of assignment/assumption process;
• Reviews and verifies highly complex SEBAC vs. Rowland settlement details for the proper application;
• Coordinates payment activities associated with compensatory and interest awards;
• Maintains financial data in order to provide reporting related to budgetary control of State expenditures to the Office of the Attorney General;
• Reconciles invoicing for specimen collection and lab testing associated with Covid-19 for over 13,000 state employees, Federally Qualified Health Centers and Nursing homes to prevent processing of duplicate billing and payments;
• Receives testing data statistics from other workstreams, consolidates for comparison reporting, and develops processes to manage data;
• Interprets changes in public health policy related to testing and applies changes as necessary to current workstreams and billing validation;
• Supervises the daily cancellation and reissuance process for ACH, check, and wire transfer payments for all state agencies, including unique or highly complex instances which require additional verification or expedited processing;
• Serves as a liaison between all State agencies and the cash management division of the Office of the State Treasurer as it pertains to the placement of a stop-payment on a missing check, the retraction of an ACH payment, the reversal of a wire transfer, and fraud recovery claims;
• Maintains the status of all cancellation requests using MS-Access;
• Oversees the recording and destruction of all check payments already reconciled;
• Reviews Agency accounting corrections, evaluates the transaction’s impact on General Ledger, and assists Agency personnel in correcting errors;
• Creates monthly Journal Entries to reverse AP Liability balances and offset the proper cash accounts;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

The Office of the State Comptroller is located in the newly renovated, State Office Building at 165 Capitol Avenue.  This state of the art building offers an on-site cafeteria, free garage parking, and ergonomic workspaces.  The OSC offers an excellent salary and offers a competitive benefits plan that includes healthcare coverage, a retirement plan, as well as, paid time off! 

In order to be considered for this job opening, you must be a current State of CT employee of the Office of the State Comptroller, who has permanent state status*, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening.  You must specify your qualifications on your application. 

*For employees in the classified service, permanent status is obtained after successful completion of a working test period.  For employees in the unclassified service, permanent status is obtained after serving in a position for at least six months (full-time or full-time equivalent). 

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:  Ginger Frasca, ginger.frasca@ct.gov.

In the Offices of State Comptroller, State Treasurer and Policy and Management this class is accountable for highly complex accounting functions impacting a variety of state agencies.

OFFICE OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER: Performs highly technical and complex accounting functions having direct impact on multiple state agencies; interprets constitutional and statutory provisions affecting state financial expenditures and revenues for the proper application and safekeeping of state monies and securities; maintains and reviews accounts and records for budgetary control of state expenditures and revenues; assists in compilation of financial data necessary for preparing detailed complex financial statements on state fiscal affairs; develops, designs, reviews and supervises implementation of financial management or accounting systems and procedures; trains agency staff in new system procedures; provides consultation to state agencies on matters pertaining to installation, revision or improvement of financial management or accounting procedures; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of professional accounting and auditing principles and practices; considerable knowledge of governmental accounting and budgeting; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable oral and written communication skills; considerable ability to evaluate and analyze accounting forms, methods and procedures and cost data; considerable ability to devise and install accounting procedures and systems including cost systems; supervisory ability.

Eight (8) years of experience in accounting or auditing.

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been performing the most complex accounting functions or acting in a consultative capacity at the level of Associate Accountant.

1. College training in accounting 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 four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
   
2. A Master's degree in accounting may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
   
3. Certification in any of the following may be substituted for one (1) year of the General and Special Experience: Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor.

Preference will be given to candidates with:

• Excellent time management and independent judgement skills.
• Experience with process improvement from initial analysis through implementation.
• Experience with reconciliation of complex transactions involving multiple workstreams.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Knowledge of governmental accounting/auditing: including accounts payable practices, procurement standards, property control procedures, laws and guidelines.
• Strong skills in Microsoft Software:  Access, Excel, Word and Powerpoint.
• Ability to work effectively remotely.

INCOMPLETE APPLICATION PACKAGES AND THOSE RECEIVED AFTER THE CLOSING DATE INDICATED ABOVE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. 

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.  If you are requesting special accommodations under the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) please contact Bonnie Schlechtweg at 860.702.3323 or Bonnie.Schlechtweg@ct.gov.