Associate Accountant

at  State of Connecticut Department of Emergency Services Public Protection

The state of Connecticut, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) is recruiting for two (2) Associate Accountant openings in the Fiscal Services Unit.

ABOUT US

DESPP is committed to protecting and improving the quality of life for all by providing a broad range of public safety services, training, regulatory guidance and scientific services utilizing enforcement, prevention, education and state of the art science and technology.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

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

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• 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.
• A Master’s degree in accounting may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
• 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.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience applying professional accounting principles and practices including experience with governmental accounting.
• Experience analyzing financial statements, reconciliations, and preparing financial reports and journal entries.
• Experience with the administration of state and federal grants.
• Experience interpreting and applying federal or state statutes or guidelines.
• Experience interpreting and reconciling financial accounts.
• Experience preparing or examining reimbursement requests of funds.
• Experience communicating in writing and verbally with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience working independently on tasks with competing deadlines.
• Experience using Oracle Peoplesoft.
• Experience using Microsoft Excel.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

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.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• 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.

As an Associate Account, you will be responsible for:

• Administering Restricted and Grant Funds to include reconciliation of funds;
• Approval of requests for goods and services;
• Processing reimbursements;
• Preparing quarterly financial reports;
• Preparing complex journal entries;
• Approving travel reimbursements; and
• Various other duties