Job no: 528389
Work type: Staff Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: SACL Finance Matrix
Union: PSU
Categories: Student Affairs & Services

JOB SUMMARY

Under the direction of the Assistant Director for Budget and Finance, the Accounting Manager ensures accurate financial reporting, manages accounting operations, and promotes financial integrity within Student Affairs and Campus Life (SACL). This position provides insightful financial analysis that supports strategic decision-making and offers the opportunity to make a significant impact on the financial health of student organizations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSURE)

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Five (5) years of accounting experience, with at least two (2) years in a supervisory role.
• Strong knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), financial reporting, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel for financial modeling and analysis.
• Excellent analytical skills with keen attention to detail and accuracy in financial reporting.
• Strong leadership qualities with effective communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with multiple stakeholders. This includes a willingness to engage students and prioritize student success while working collaboratively with other stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet deadlines in a fast-paced academic environment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSURE)

• Experience in higher education or a similar industry.

• Manages the day-to-day accounting functions, and financial reporting, including the preparation of monthly and quarterly statements, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations and standards.
• Participates in annual budget and forecasting process by analyzing confidential personnel information and revenue and expense trends. Understands and applies University fringe and indirect cost rates with the goal of creating an informed financial projection for the next fiscal year.
• Implements accounting policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and best practices. Oversees systems for financial transactions, like on-line sales and dues collection for student groups.
• Performs monthly reconciliation of financial accounts by analyzing reports from various accounting systems and underlying documents.
• Conducts financial analysis to identify trends, variances, and opportunities for improving financial performance.
• Recruits, hires, trains, and provides high quality supervision to assigned staff.
• Assists principal investigators (PI) in post-award management of grants. This includes reading and becoming familiar with grant financial terms, determining project expenditures and revising spending plans.
• Manages access permissions to accounting systems (including Summit, Buyways, etc.) for all SACL divisional employees. Performs an annual review of access granted SACL employees. Oversees Chartfield maintenance for SACL. Ensures accuracy of managers responsible for Chartfields and management of current organizational unit files (OU). Requests and inactivates Chartfield strings in consultation with Assistant Director and Director of Finance and Budget.
• Advises Established Student Organizations (ESO’s) on best practices and University policies and systems for maintaining budgets, monitoring account statements and transactions, maintaining group ledgers and other records. Collaborates with SATF Advisor to develop policies and procedures that facilitate ESO operations, planning and performance. Offers assistance or training as needed.
• Collaborates with Finance Matrix team members to update the SharePoint site. This web presence is a resource for internal SACL employees to understand financial processes that must be kept up to date when processes change.