Accountant

Position Title: Accountant

Department: Finance Office

Advertised Pay: Low to mid $50,000

Campus Location: Washburn University

The screening committee will review all eligible applications submitted by November 29, 2024

Position Summary: Washburn University is a student-centered public institution with a diverse population. Washburn is a 2024 best college to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program. Located in the heart of Topeka, we are proud to be a cornerstone of the community. Our mission is to provide opportunities for our students to realize their full potential; we can’t do it without our dedicated faculty and staff. Join us at Washburn, and you will be part of a long tradition of excellence.

Washburn employs more than one thousand faculty and staff on our campuses throughout Topeka. We strive to offer competitive wages, an excellent benefits program, a supportive culture and a healthy work/life balance. Washburn seeks to create an environment that reflects our core values for creating positive IMPACT: inclusion, modernization, partnership, achievement, community and transformation.

The Accountant will be assigned one or two functions of responsibility from the following list and cross-train in the other areas with other accountants on staff. The areas of responsibility will vary depending on experience and training provided.

Essential Functions:
Functions related to Grant Accounting
●Collaborate with and advise principal investigators and other faculty and staff on sponsored project budget implementation and compliance to minimize or eliminate noncompliance with the project and contract financial requirements.
●Review contracts, payment vouchers, and purchase requisitions relating to sponsored projects and contracts to ensure requests comply with applicable requirements. Review all grant transactions posted to Banner (software program used by the University) each month. Request funds on a timely basis to minimize the time between expenditures and reimbursements.
●Prepare journal vouchers and request payroll reallocations to transfer matching funds and/or expenses to/from the sponsored project and contract funds as necessary.
●Compile information and prepare all post-award financial reports required by sponsors or requested by the University administration. Communicate with sponsoring agencies regarding financial aspects of ongoing sponsored project and contract activities and project/contract close-out to ensure a timely and accurate close-out with the sponsoring agency.
●Work with University departments to obtain applicable amounts relative to federal financial aid programs, and prepare and submit the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards for the University’s annual audit as required by OMB Circular A-133. Respond to audit requests relating to non-financial aid federal programs.

Functions related to other accounting/journal entries/account reconciliations
● Reconcile various clearing and receivable accounts monthly to ensure the accuracy of all accounts and prepare journal entries to adjust account balances to agree with detailed records, as needed.
● Journalize daily cash reports from various departments.
● Analyze monthly bank VISA charges for verifying funding and accounting accuracy and entering into FUPLOAD journal entries for posting to accounting.
● Prepare monthly journal entries to record monthly transfers to the general fund from other funds to reimburse expenditures paid by the general fund and monthly charge-backs for services provided by University service departments to other departments.
● Prepare journal entries and monthly billing for transfers to and from the Washburn University Foundation as needed.
● Serve as an accounting resource to other Finance and Business Office staff as needed to assist with and facilitate timely, accurate completion of financial/accounting processes compliant with University requirements and government regulations.

Functions related to cash accounting/cash reconciliation/treasury
● Reconcile bank accounts monthly, investigating and correcting discrepancies as required to ensure the accuracy of accounts and awareness of all account balances.
● Review outstanding checklists to identify uncashed checks and communicate with payees to identify and resolve issues of outstanding checks. Remove lost checks from the positive pay file and request the issuance of replacement checks per University policies.

Functions related to capital assets
● Monitor and report on spending on annual capital and equipment projects to keep administrators apprised of financial issues relative to ongoing projects.
● Analyze purchases of capital assets to determine proper accounting for such purchases.
● Enter assets to be capitalized into the Banner fixed asset module.
● Run depreciation process at year-end to facilitate assessment and reporting of the University’s financial status.
● Record purchases of capitalized and tracked assets into Banner and work with appropriate staff to support tagging and inventorying.

● Perform additional job-related duties as assigned or as appropriate.

Non-Essential Functions:
Functions related to the preparation of tax forms 1042 and 1099,
●Analyze and prepare Form 1099 (1099 NEC and 1099 MISC) for vendors at year-end and assist with questions from vendors and cleanup of vendor accounts due to 1099 issues.
●Compile form 1042 for nonresident aliens at year-end and file accordingly to IRS and recipient. Work with international students receiving 1042 to understand the next steps and pay the appropriate tax.

Required Qualifications:
● Bachelor's degree in accounting, economics, business, or finance and two years of experience in accounting, or
● A combination of experience and education equivalent to six years of accounting experience.
• Experience using Excel and Word Software.
• Experience reconciling accounts (with regard to revenues, expenses, budgets).
• General accounting experience handling payment and travel vouchers.

Preferred Qualifications:
• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance.
• Five years of experience in accounting or bookkeeping.
• Prior Grant accounting experience.
• Experience working in higher education.
• Experience preparing financial reports (balance sheet, income statement, cash flows).
• Experience with fund accounting.
• Experience preparing audit work-papers and reports.

Full-time, Exempt, Mon-Fri 8am-5pm   
Background Check Required