Assistant Director of Accounting

Case Western Reserve University, United States

Updated: 12 days ago
Location: Campus, ILLINOIS
Job Type: FullTime

POSITION OBJECTIVE

The Assistant Director of Accounting supports the Weatherhead School of Management’s accounting and financial processes school wide. This position performs monthly reviews, reconciliations and authorizes all expenditures of the school. This position works with the Director of Finance, Research and Administration and the Assistant Dean of Finance and Business Intelligence to understand, implement, and ensure compliance with Case Western Reserve University policies related to financial administration. This position deals with highly sensitive and confidential information, including faculty and staff salaries. This position serves as a subject matter expert school wide in the areas of procurement and expense reimbursement.

 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

  • Perform monthly and year-end reconciliations to review financial transactions, ensuring accuracy and completeness. Investigate discrepancies and resolve any issues promptly, in collaboration with stakeholders within the school. Develop and implement procedures to ensure smooth flow of data between departments, while maintaining data integrity and appropriate internal controls. (15%)
  • Provide accounting support to Executive Education and Corporate Relations, including but not limited to: monthly reconciliations and financial reporting, procurement, and ensuring faculty, staff and independent contractors are paid in a timely manner. (20%)
  • Collaborate with department heads, department assistants and staff to manage the procurement process. Review and approve purchasing documents for availability of funding within the departments. Ensure compliance with university policy and any other state/federal funding requirements. Serve as a subject matter expert in procurement and assistant staff members as needed. Provide trainings as needed to educate staff members on how to properly process purchase orders / invoices within the university procurement system. (15%)
  • Serve as a subject matter expert in the expense reimbursement process for the school. Provide trainings as needed to educate staff members on how to properly utilize the university’s expense reimbursement system. Provide coverage to the departments as needed to assist with expense reimbursement processing. (15%) 
  • Utilize Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and understanding of university policy and procedures to effectively create and/or review journal entries prepared by department users and appropriately resolve issues as necessary. (10%)
  • Evaluate adequacy of current reports and processes and develop new reports or processes, as needed, in collaboration with the Assistant Dean of Finance and Business Intelligence, Utech, the ERP Systems team and department users. Function as a technical resource and advisor exercising discretion and independent judgement on creative ways to define analysis parameters or creating meaningful data used for executive decision-making, policy analysis, assessment and strategic planning (10%)

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    NONESSENTIAL FUNCITONS

  • Act as a liaison between the Dean’s Office and other departments with whom the Dean’s Office interacts. Exercise independent judgement about issues encountered and determine options for issue resolution to be reviewed and agreed upon by the dean’s Office. (5%)
  • Prepare ad hoc financial reports and provide written descriptions for other reports for use by management. Ad hoc reports may include new reports to use an interpret internal or external data to perform analyses to assist academic administrators, faculty, and staff in order to evaluate needs and/or information decisions. (5%)
  • Support faculty and staff with administrative functions (3%)
  • Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned. (2%)

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    CONTACTS

    Department: Daily contact with assistant and associate deans, faculty, department administrators, and other staff members to exchange information.

    University: Regular contact with Grants Accounting, General Accounting, Procurement and Distribution, (including Purchasing and Accounts Payable), Controller's Office, and Research Administration to exchange information.

    External: Contact with external vendors, independent contractors, and grant/project sponsors to exchange information.

    Students: Minimal contact with current and prospective students to exchange information.

     

    SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

    None.

     

    QUALIFICAITONS

    Experience: 1 year of experience in accounting/bookkeeping; financial experience in academic setting preferred; ERP experience preferred.

    Education: Bachelor’s degree required; preferably in an accounting related field.

     

    REQUIRED SKILLS

  • Rigorous analytical skills; Ability to review and interpret large amounts of data with strong attention to detail.
  • Ability to apply knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
  • Inquisitive, pro-active, thinker. 
  • Well-developed abilities in oral and written communications, including both remote and in-person presentations. Must be able to convey complex ideas, data, and analyses to audiences with varied backgrounds. Must be able to tailor communications to fit the audiences, which can include staff, faculty, senior level administrators, donors, or alumni. Ability to structure analytical results and present information in a manner that is clear and conveys the key messages in written reports.
  • Advanced computer proficiency with MS Office, and general ledger systems.
  • Ability to learn new programs and protocols quickly. 
  • Advanced project management skills and ability to multi-task: demonstrated ability to balance multiple concurrent projects of varying priorities and shift focus from one project to another with minimal loss of productivity or quality.
  • Adheres to the highest ethical standards (FERPA, etc.) regarding access to and knowledge of highly sensitive and confidential information.
  • Ability to meet consistent attendance.
  • Ability to interact with colleagues, supervisors, and customers face to face.

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    WORKING CONDITIONS

    General office working environment with frequent interaction with faculty and staff.

     

     

    This position is eligible for hybrid work arrangement up to two remote days per week at the discretion of the department. New employees may begin a hybrid schedule upon approval from the supervisor, successful completion of an orientation period and signing the remote work checklist certification form.

    In employment, as in education, Case Western Reserve University is committed to Equal Opportunity and Diversity.  Women, veterans, members of underrepresented minority groups, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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    Case Western Reserve University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.  Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the Office of Equity at 216-368-3066 to request a reasonable accommodation.  Determinations as to granting reasonable accommodations for any applicant will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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