Associate Accountant

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is seeking a qualified individual for an Associate Accountant position in the Fiscal Services Section. The individual selected for this role will support the administration of a variety of federal awards and grants including the WIC Program account. The successful applicant will administer budget development and execution of spend plans, manage grants, and oversee sub-recipient contracts, develop and implement strategic fiscal plans and measures, prepare financial reports and statements consistent with both state and federal requirements, and provide technical assistance to program manager in maintaining accounting records and best business practices.

Responsibilities of this Associate Accountant position include but are not limited to the following:

• Responsible for all fiscal aspects and oversight of the budget development and compilation of budget proposals and budget revisions, as applicable for the assigned grants;
• Review, track and monitor financial expenditures for compliance with state and federal regulations;
• Prepare financial expenditure reports and statements consistent with the both state and federal reporting requirements;
• Review audit reports respond to findings and corrective actions where necessary;
• Provide technical assistance to program manager in maintaining accounting records;
• Provide program manager with financial status updates on the activities and progress of the assigned grants;
• Meet with program managers to discuss and address issues and concerns regarding grant activities including corrective actions, where necessary; 
• Determine compliance of various complex financial documents with applicable federal regulations;
• Examine accounting methods and procedures to ensure compliance with accepted accounting principles, laws and regulations and state or federal requirements;
• Work with DPH sub-recipients (Providers) and Program to research and or resolve outstanding deficiencies and generate formal notification of financial review findings of deficiency;
• Examine and reconcile federally required financial expenditure reports with federal budget, terms, conditions, and requirements and determine federal compliance;
• Verify accuracy of fund balances and related accounting entries as applicable;
• Act as a liaison between Fiscal Services, DPH Program Managers and other pertinent parties in performing the duties to ensure access to accurate information and to keep relevant parties informed;
• Determine the necessity to draw federal funds by applying federal grant regulation;
• Prepare all supporting documentation related to provider expenses to support federal drawdown requests;
• Performs related duties as required.

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

Are you interested in joining our team as an Associate Accountant? We encourage you to apply today! This is a 40-hour per week, full-time position, based in Hartford. The work schedule is typically Monday through Friday.

We offer a competitive benefits package, excellent health care, generous leave policies, retirement plan, and more!  We also encourage a healthy work-life balance to all employees!

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.  

Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be provided through your JobAps portal account. 

Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience most closely meet the preferred requirements of the position. 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, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.

In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.  

Please Note: You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

All State employees shall follow the guidelines as listed in Executive Orders  13F (3a) and 13G (3a) .

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Chelsea Moore at Chelsea.Moore@ct.gov

In a state agency this class is accountable for performing the most complex accounting tasks within a variety of accounting programs and systems. This class may also be accountable for lead or consultative responsibility.

Establishes and implements accounting sub-systems such as procedures for paying and collecting activities, procedures for issuance of grants, loans or subsidies, establishment of rates or schedules of fees, establishment of account charts for classification of transactions; maintains fiscal controls by authorizing non-routine expenditures based on management priorities and policies, examining data and making recommendations regarding timing and amounts of expenditures; manages various phases of budget preparation and control such as preparing estimates of costs of existing or new programs, offices or divisions, preparing budget requests, appropriation schedules, monthly budget reports and year end budget reports; administers fiscal aspects of grant programs by reviewing funding applications for approval, researching and preparing estimates of costs of proposed grant programs, interpreting grant contracts for approval of grant expenditures, analyzing grantees financial records and reports for compliance with grant expenditure requirements; monitors fiscal aspects of contract administration by reviewing and interpreting contracts for approval on non-routine expenditures, preparing or approving schedules of fees in regard to specific contracts; determines priorities; provides staff training and assistance; conducts or assists in conducting performance evaluations; acts as liaison with other operating units, agencies and outside officials regarding unit policies and procedures; may coordinate unit workflow; may assign and review work; may establish and maintain unit procedures; performs related duties as required.

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

Seven (7) years of experience in accounting or auditing.

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been at the level of Accountant, Auditor or Accounts Examiner with responsibility for the exercise of independent analysis and judgement in the application of professional accounting principles and practices.

1. College training in accounting or a closely related field 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.

• Experience developing and executing budget plans for state, federal and or other grant programs
• Experience with business office functions such as accounts payables, receivables, purchasing, cash management practices
• Experience developing and managing contracts and agreements with sub-recipients or service contractors
• Experience developing and implementing strategic plans for fiscal operations.
• Experience supervising or leading staff
• Experience using Microsoft such as Word Processing, MS Excel, and other spreadsheet applications
• Experience applying federal and state statute and regulations in grants management
• Experience working with PeopleSoft Core-CT or any other financial systems

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.