Accountant III, Central Office

Commonwealth of Massachusetts•Boston, MA

19h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Youth Services (DYS) is seeking a dynamic, mission-driven, highly organized individual with accounting and fiscal experience to fill the role of Accountant III. Reporting to the Budget Director, the Accountant III will help manage purchasing and accounts payable transactions in COMMBUYS and MOSAIC for the Central Office. The incumbent will work with suppliers to resolve conflicts/discrepancies and will be the primary contact to vendors to resolve billing/balances discrepancies and help ensure proper application of payments and prompt pay discount utilization.

Requirements

At least (A) three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional experience in accounting or auditing, of which at least (B) one year must have been in a supervisory, administrative, or managerial capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.
An Associate's degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or business management may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required (A) experience.
A Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or business management may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.
A Graduate degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or business management may be substituted for the required experience.
Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

Nice To Haves

A bachelor’s degree with a major in accounting.
Knowledge and understanding of accounting principles and practices, financial statements, and procedures.
Demonstrated ability to read and interpret financial reports, accounts, and ledgers; proficiency in calculating, balancing, and compiling figures.
Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of accounting data, to draw conclusions, and to make appropriate recommendations.
Understanding of state budgetary process, state accounting procedures, and the Commonwealth’s procurement policies and procedures.
Experience with the MOSAIC accounting system, COMMBUYS, and other state applications, including the Commonwealth Information Warehouse.
Ability to work under pressure and manage projects with a high degree of accuracy.
Capacity to maintain accurate records and exercise discretion in handling confidential information.
Proficiency in working both independently and as part of a team, ability to establish and maintain professional and harmonious working relationships, strong oral and written communication skills as well as strong organizational skills.
Ability to use relevant software (e.g., Microsoft Office products including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook) as well as technologies supporting a hybrid workplace (e.g., Zoom, Microsoft Teams).

Responsibilities

Process encumbrances and payments to ensure conformance with the Office of the State Comptroller, departmental policies and procedures, and internal controls.
Research of statewide and departmental contracts to ensure goods and services are being procured using the proper procurement methods, and also ensuring proper use of contracts in regard to scopes of services/requests for responses.
Use COMMBUYS system for contract information to maximize the efficiency of the Finance team and ensure personnel receive the requested goods and/or services in a timely manner.
Monitor accounting activity and ensure that spending does not exceed budgets and expenditure ceilings/allocations as well as other duties as assigned.
Reconcile invoices, process payments, confer with agency personnel and outside agencies to resolve accounting discrepancies and/or obtain statistical data and documentation for various reports and documents.
Reconcile, encumber, and pay monthly Purchase of Service Contracts (POS) for vendor programs.
Process staff reimbursement requests for travel, obtain and utilize reports from the Commonwealth Information Warehouse.
Handle records management responsibilities for accounts payable-related documents according to the Comptroller's Office procedures.
Prepare weekly reports for the Budget Director on the status of all accounts payable and encumbered funds.
Responsible for reviewing instructions and complying with the requirements of the Office of the State Comptroller for annual opening and closing activities related to Accounts Payable.
Maintain financial records according to established procedure in order to ensure accurate and complete information.
The Accountant III will manage the accounts payable side of the MOSAIC.
Provide administrative and fiscal assistance to the Senior Leadership supported by the Finance team.
Support the Central Office Admin with clerical duties.