Senior Accounting Specialist (Administrative)

The Office of the Bursar provides operational support to students, academic departments, and administrative offices to ensure that the University of Oklahoma stays on mission: to provide the best possible educational experience for our students through excellence in teaching, research and creative activity, and service to the state and society. The Office of the Bursar is currently looking for a Senior Accounting Specialist that will communicate and work with our students here at the OU Health Sciences Center and its many departments! 

We provide amazing benefits that include insurance (medical, dental, vision, life) for the entire family, generous paid time off, 14 paid holidays (including from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day), retirement plans, tuition benefits, and much more! For more information about what benefits we provide click here. 

If you want to make an impact in the leaders of tomorrow, prepare your Resume and click on Apply Online above! We look forward to hearing from you. 

Duties:

• Performs routine accounting duties, posting, depositing, quality assurance, report preparation, budget preparation, coordination, data analysis, record maintenance, and financial assistance.
• Assists with modifications to existing accounting systems or in the formulation of new systems.
• Provides guidance and instruction and assists in determining work priorities.
• Performs analysis of various ledger accounts, cash transactions and account deposits.
• Ensures financial transactions are correctly recorded in journals, spreadsheets and databases.
• Prepares a variety of financial reports.
• Monitors accounts, gathering statistical data, and maintaining reports and records.
• Gathers and disseminates a wide variety of information about policies and procedures.
• Makes deposits and prepares all related documents.
• Ensures accuracy and completeness of standardized orders, receipts, and payments.
• Assists in preparation of the budget.
• Coordinates accounting or recordkeeping activities with various departments.
• Maintains records and files used in connection with accounting work.
• Assists supervisor in making sound financial decisions by providing current and accurate financial records upon request and relating pertinent information.
• Performs various duties as needed in order to successfully fulfill the function of the position. 

Required Education: High School diploma or GED, AND:

• 36 months experience in accounting/bookkeeping

Skills:

• Proficient in Microsoft Office
• Office skills such as multi-line phone, copying, filing, faxing, ten-key and mail
• Customer Service skills
• Knowledge of standard accounting principles and processes

Working Conditions:

• Physical: 
  • Sitting for prolonged periods.
  • Communicate effectively and listens.
  • Engage in repetitive motion.
  • Use of computer and telephone.
• Environmental: 
  • Standard Office Environment

Departmental Preferences:

• Ten key by touch
• PeopleSoft Student Financial
• PeopleSoft Financial
• Experience working with billing and banking information
• Cashiering experience
• Customer Service experience

Detailed Duties:

• Electronic Funds Transfer and Billing Function: Processes and distributes daily Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) activity to various departments across the university. Inputs and verifies banking information on ACH vendor forms for departments. Collaborates with departments, State Treasurer's Office, and General Accounting when researching financial inquiries. Maintains filing systems and accounting records. Manages the university-wide credit card billing process to ensure accurate distribution of credit card processing fees. Requires effective communication with banking institutions and students to comply with internal and external regulations. Reviews and compiles enrollment deposit credits and parking citation charges to ensure accurate application to student accounts maintained in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. Prepares financial reports and conducts cost analysis. Investigates problems and responds to more complex financial inquiries.
• Cash Receipts Function: Assists with accepting and approving departmental campus receipts, which include cash, checks, and electronic payments. Notifies departments when errors/issues exist on departmental deposits. Generates reports for balancing daily activity and prepares daily deposit for delivery by campus police to a State Treasurer's bank. Enters campus deposits through the State Treasurer's accounting system. Provides daily reports and receipt information to the OU HSC General Accounting department. Reconciles multiple statements of accounts to departmental book balance. Prepares financial reports and conducts cost analysis. Investigates problems and responds to more complex financial inquiries.
• Cashiering Function: Responsible for receipting and posting bursar account payments, including students, employees, and borrowers. Assists students, employees, and borrowers with all questions related to bursar and loan accounts, whether over the phone, via email, or in person. Prepares deposits for processing university returned checks, campus-wide credit card activity, and loan collections received from third party services. Handles student inquiries and requests pertaining to 1098-T tax forms. Monitors various accounts to ensure accuracy. Reconciles multiple statements of accounts to departmental book balance.
• Third Party Contracts Function: Manages third party contracts to ensure accurate contract creation and application to student accounts maintained in PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. Requires effective communication with domestic and foreign third parties an students to comply with internal and external regulations. Creates third party billings, posts invoice payments, and follows up on past due balances. Prepares Investigates problems and responds to more complex financial inquiries. 
• Departmental Scholarships and Waivers Function: Extracts departmental scholarship data from PeopleSoft Campus Solutions regarding eligible students and their associated scholarship terms. Reviews departmental scholarship budgets to confirm funds are available before posting scholarships to student accounts. Collaborates with departments to ensure departmental scholarships are accurately applied to student accounts and provides supporting documentation for departmental reconciliations. Reviews and applies Faculty/Staff Tuition Waivers to eligible tuition and fees charges. Monitors tax implications of departmental scholarships and waivers awarded to employees. Gathers data for preparation of management reports. Prepares routine departmental financial analysis forecasts and plans. Responsible for maintaining a large amount of data to include but not limited to expenditures and allowances. 
• Student Accounts Receivable Function: Reviews bursar accounts receivable report for tuition/fees, housing, athletic tickets, and parking citation balances to determine accounts requiring follow-up. Handles in-house collections by negotiating payment arrangements and following up on past due balances. Maintains documentation of all collection efforts whether by phone, email, or letter. Provides recommendations to supervisor of bursar accounts requiring external collection placement. Performs monthly reconciliation of student emergency loan activity. Handles student inquiries and requests for 1098-T Tuition Statement tax forms. Gathers data for preparation of management reports. Prepares routine departmental financial analysis forecasts and plans. Maintains filing systems and accounting records. Monitors various accounts to ensure accuracy. Responsible for maintaining a large amount of data to include but not limited to expenditures and allowances. 
• Loan Receivable Function: Responsible for processing the financial aid student refunds and providing required EFT files to the bank or generating paper checks. Maintains OU HSC federal and institutional student loan accounts by retrieving promissory notes and related documents from the third-party loan service, ECSI. Creates and maintains internal borrower folders, monitors monthly reports for due diligence requirements, timely repayment, and paid in full accounts. Coordinates the  submission and follow-up for accounts placed with external collection agencies. Researches and obtains information  required for annual reporting on Title VII federal student loans. Gathers federal and institutional loan documentation to  submit for loan write-off approval. Responsible for payments, refunds, and communications associated with all accounts  submitted to the OTC intercept (SNAG) program for collection.
• General Office Function: Provides administrative and office support as needed including filing, mailing, phone coverage, and other duties as assigned to ensure the overall successful operation of the department.

Why You Belong at the University of Oklahoma: The University of Oklahoma fosters an inclusive culture of respect and civility, belonging, and access, which are essential to our collective pursuit of excellence and our determination to change lives. The unique talents, perspectives, and experiences of our community enrich the learning, and working environment at OU, inspiring us to harness our innovation, creativity, and collaboration for the advancement of people everywhere.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: The University of Oklahoma, in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, gender expression, age, religion, disability, political beliefs, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, admissions, employment, financial aid, housing, services in educational programs or activities, and health care services that the University operates or provides.