Accountant

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Smeal College of Business Financial Office is seeking a full-time accounting professional to provide strategic financial analysis and assurance of accounting principles for assigned departments. The position will be the primary financial lead in support of our Executive Education Program and our Institute for Business-to-Business Marketing departments. Specifically for these departments we are seeking individuals with experience in accrual and cash basis accounting and appropriate classification of revenue and expenses for calculation of profit and loss statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements. Managing accruals and accounts receivable experience is needed as well.

Additionally, the individual will work closely with the Financial Officer and College Business Analyst in developing sound financial reports and effective ways to measure success or potential success of current or planned academic programs across the entire College. Help establish key performance indicators and ways to measure cost of doing business. Identify influences (student FTE, Fee Structures, enrollment trends, etc.) and impacts of college operations and procedures on our financial health and make recommendations as appropriate to eliminate costs and grow revenue. Work with department heads in coordination with Financial Officer on understanding budgets and building budget models that roll up to a college wide budget. Assist Financial Officer and Assistant Financial Officer on special projects and act as back up in support of Assistant Financial Officer as required on with processing expenses and labor distribution.

Specific functions of the job include, but not limited to:

· Assistance and coordination of Financial Statement Preparation and analysis (30%)

· Budget Preparation (10%)

· Approving expenses on behalf of Financial Officer as needed (5%)

· General Financial Analysis to assist assigned units in making good business decisions in

program offerings including break even analysis (15%)

· Scenario Planning: Modeling the finances during unexpected circumstances (like Covid) (10%)

· FY Change: Assuring accruals are tracked and booked appropriately particularly for year end to

account for revenue and expenses in the correct period of performance/fiscal year (15%)

· Policy/Procedure: Consulting with other Finance Office staff and coordinating and

communicating with assigned units on policy and procedure interpretation and providing sound

advice on situations as they come up (10%)

· Contracting: Coordinate the execution of required contracts with Risk Management/Legal and Procurement to have contracts approved timely while advocating for the assigned unit (5%)

Experience working with SAP, advanced Microsoft Excel knowledge, and Certified Public Accountant are highly desirable. Knowledge of SQL and PowerBi is also useful in this position.

This position will be filled as an Accountant – Senior Professional . This position minimally requires a Bachelor’s Degree and 6 years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

This position offers a flexible work arrangement that combines remote and on-campus work. The position typically requires working on site once per week and as needed for occasional special projects. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

Penn State is embarking on a project to restructure the University’s financial functions to move towards a centralized, service hub-based structure. This position is intended to initially support the unit(s) and functions listed in this posting, however it is expected to evolve over time relative to the overall restructuring. Questions about this project should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.

Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusion that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusion as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission.

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades is:

Salary Structure - additional information on Penn State's job and salary structure.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS: