Accountant I

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Abilene, TX

2d•$3,248 - $4,837•Onsite

About The Position

Join the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and be part of a team committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of fellow Texans. At HHSC, your contributions matter, and we support you at each stage of your life and work journey. The state supported living centers serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are medically fragile or who have behavioral problems. The centers provide campus-based direct services and supports at 13 centers located throughout the state. If you are looking for a place to work where you can establish a career that is filled with purpose, this is the job for you! The Accountant I reports directly to the Regional Accounting Manager and provides administrative and financial support services. The Accountant I routinely performs entry-level accounting work for the financial office, such as, handling trust fund and petty cash reimbursements, requisition entry, telecommunication coordination, expenditure transfer vouchers, payroll/paymaster duties (employees and client/resident), and backup Accounting Technician II as needed. The Accountant I must have a working knowledge of the HHSC rules and facility policies and procedures, demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly both orally and in writing and provide training as needed to other employees. Completion of job duties requires working under limited supervision with considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment and providing excellent customer service to all consumers.

Requirements

Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and procedures affecting maintenance of accounting records.
Skill in the use of automated accounting systems.
Ability to review and audit the work of others to interpret and apply accounting theory, business processes and Comptroller policies and to analyze, consolidate and interpret accounting data.
Ability to efficiently process accounting information to ensure data integrity for positive audits and accurate reports.
Ability to effectively communicate, oral and written, with internal and external customers.
Ability to use Microsoft Office applications including Outlook, Word, Excel, and Access.
Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and procedures affecting the maintenance of accounting records and automated accounting systems.
Requires a valid driver’s license.
Experience in accounting and financial operations.
Experience with a computerized accounting or bookkeeping system.
Experience in oral or written communications.

Nice To Haves

Experience in local, state, and federal laws and regulations relevant to financial operations of a public entity is preferred.
Graduated from an accreted four-year college or university with major coursework in accounting, finance, or a related field is generally preferred. Experience and education may be substituted for one another.

Responsibilities

Attends work on a regular and predictable schedule in accordance with agency leave policy and performs other duties as assigned.
Coordinates with State Office Paymasters, Warrant Distribution, and Time Labor and Leave personnel on internal payroll matters. This includes monitoring employees leave status as well as if they are retiring, terminating or transferring to another agency/job to prevent salary overpayments. Process voucher reversals and cancellations to prevent salary overpayments for terminated employees. Create packets of salary overpayment information to send to State office paymasters as well as the certified letters to the terminated employee on the overpayment. Track when salary overpayments are paid back from the employee. Produce warrant registers to verify payment and employment details and prepare payroll warrants for distribution to employees. Assists employees with any payroll and insurance related questions.
Generate and process purchase vouchers for clients/residents payroll workshop program from their timesheets. Track and report the clients/residents earnings in a spreadsheet for State Office Accounting 1099 reporting at the end of the year.
Entry of trust fund and petty cash reimbursement vouchers. Requires auditing and verification of all source documents from the facilities. Emphasis is placed on accuracy of the request documents and receipts as well as timeliness of voucher processing times so as not to deplete the petty cash account. This includes classifying, coding and verifying the correct Account, program, fund, class and project grant are used on the voucher. Ability to use accounting tools, such as the Comptroller Public Accounts website to verify correct coding.
This position processes expenditure transfer voucher requests. Expenditure transfer vouchers include Correction vouchers for wrong accounting codes as well as the billing for shared services between the SSLCs and SHs. Coordinates with State Office Accounting and Budget staff to ensure validity of coding, funding, etc. and properly process the accounts payable transactions through the accounting system (Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (CAPPS).
Works as the facility telecommunications coordinator which assists with maintaining and tracking Telecommunication equipment that includes pagers, cell phones, and the local telephone system. Review and approve user accounts under the State office accounting telecommunication databases.
Participates on special projects as required or requested and performs other duties as assigned. These tasks may require coordination with staff within the agency, other state and federal agencies, or outside entities. Completes projects successfully within the parameters established and performs other duties as assigned and as required to maintain effective and efficient departmental, division, agency and enterprise operations within established timeframes. Provide backup coverage for others in the unit and team members using a rotational task schedule. As well as providing backup for the Accounting Technician, as needed.