Assistant Accountant

at  State of Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller

The State of Connecticut, Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) is currently seeking detail-oriented and analytical individuals who are eager to contribute their expertise within the Tuition and Travel Unit in the Active and Pension Payroll Services Division as an Assistant Accountant. Join our team and embark on a rewarding career that offers growth, superlative benefits, and a culture that encourages work/life balance.

ABOUT US

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) is an agency whose mission is to provide accounting and financial services, administer employee and retiree benefits, develop accounting policy and exercise accounting oversight, and prepare financial reports for the state, federal and municipal governments, and the public.
We are located in the State Office Building at 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT. This state-of-the-art building offers free garage parking, an on-site cafeteria, and ergonomic workspaces.
The Statewide Active and Pension Payroll Services division coordinates the payroll function for all state employees, including maintaining records, depositing income tax withholdings and social security contributions, pre-audits and issues paychecks, administers direct deposit programs, and interfaces with central agencies on mass salary changes, collective bargaining, complex accounting transactions, and other information requests.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Knowledge of
• bookkeeping and financial record keeping principles and practices;
• basic governmental accounting principles and practices including general accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable and budget control;
• Skills
• interpersonal skills;
• oral and written communication skills;
• Considerable
• arithmetical ability;
• auditing ability;
• Ability to
• understand and apply statutes and regulations;
• utilize electronic data processing (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 a Financial Clerk.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• 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.
• One (1) year as a Pre-Professional Trainee in an accounting class may be substituted for the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Associates degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.
• Experience in accounting or finance in roles involving travel and expenses management.
• Experience handling travel expenses, tuition reimbursement programs, or similar financial processes.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel, including functions such as VLOOKUP, pivot tables, macros, and data analysis tools.
• Experience writing and executing SQL queries for data extraction, analysis, and reporting.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting financial data, identifying trends, and making data-driven recommendations.
• Experience maintaining a high level of accuracy in managing and processing financial transactions and reimbursements.
• Experience with accounting software such as QuickBooks, SAP, Oracle, or other ERP systems.
• Experience clearly communicating financial information and reimbursement processes to various stakeholders.
• Experience managing inquiries and resolving issues related to travel and tuition reimbursements.
• Experience prioritizing tasks, managing multiple projects simultaneously, and meeting deadlines.
• Experience using problem-solving skills to address discrepancies and resolving issues related to accounts and reimbursements.
• Experience interpreting and applying travel and tuition reimbursement policies and compliance requirements.

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

• Maintains an interrelated group of accounts including classifying and recording transactions, taking trial balances and reconciling accounts;
• Prepares simple financial statements;
• Assists in preparation of complex financial statements;
• Examines financial documents to ensure accuracy and conformance with requirements by reviewing related records, provisions and/or regulations;
• Maintains accounts receivable including preparing and processing billings, maintaining related accounts, managing accounts receivable, making and recording adjustments, cancellations or remissions and computing interest due and penalties;
• Calculates rates involving complex arithmetical formulas;
• Responsible for accounts payable including maintaining disbursement records, distributing charges to proper accounts, encumbering appropriation accounts for purchase orders, authorizing routine expenditures, auditing invoices or payments for accuracy and compliance with state regulations;
• Gathers and consolidates payroll and expenditure data to facilitate budget preparation;
• Ensures expenditures plus encumbrances are within appropriation limits;
• Ensures routine payments are in compliance with contract provisions;
• Performs related duties as required.