Accounting Assistant - School of Information Sciences

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign•Urbana, IL

11h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Accounting Assistant supports purchasing, payment and reimbursement processing, financial recordkeeping, account reconciliation, and customer service for faculty, staff, students, vendors, and campus partners at the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The position applies University, campus, state, sponsor, and iSchool policies to financial transactions and business processes and reports to the Director of Budget and Resource Planning. This is a 100% full-time Civil Service position appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the search close date. The position is based in Champaign-Urbana; hybrid work options may be available after an initial training period, with onsite availability potentially required at any time on short notice. The stated wage is $41,732.08. Work takes place in an office setting.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least one year (12 months) of qualifying coursework or work experience, met through one or a combination of: six semester hours of accounting coursework; 30 semester hours of coursework in any discipline; or work experience in bookkeeping, office support, or closely related experience.
Knowledge of financial policies, accounting controls, procurement requirements, and record-retention practices.
Knowledge of and familiarity with the Microsoft Office suite of applications.
Excellent communication and organizational skills.
Interpersonal skills demonstrating courtesy, diplomacy, and a collaborative approach to developing and maintaining effective work relationships.
Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously and meet deadlines accurately, including switching rapidly between activities amid frequent interruptions.
Ability to make quick, responsible decisions and maintain standards set by department, college, and University guidelines.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a university, higher-education, research, governmental, or similarly complex financial environment.
Experience using University of Illinois systems or comparable enterprise systems for purchasing, travel, reimbursements, finance, and reporting.
Experience with Banner, Emburse, iBuy, PCard, TCard, University reporting tools, or comparable systems.
Experience processing procurement transactions, vendor payments, reimbursements, expense reports, deposits, invoices, and accounts receivable.

Responsibilities

Process purchasing, payment, and reimbursement activity using relevant University systems and tools, such as iBuy, Banner, Emburse, PCard, TCard, purchase orders, vendor payment requests, and journal vouchers.
Prepare or review requisitions, invoices, travel and miscellaneous reimbursement requests, payment documents, purchasing-card and travel-card transactions, and other financial records.
Verify or assign accounting codes, including CFOP or other University chart-of-accounts elements.
Track purchase commitments, payments, reimbursements, and other obligations using University systems and unit-maintained reports or spreadsheets.
Coordinate with faculty, staff, vendors, and campus offices to resolve documentation, payment, vendor, coding, and purchasing issues.
Maintain organized financial records and supporting documentation in accordance with University record-retention requirements.
Serve as a resource for iSchool employees on purchasing, reimbursements, travel, payment processing, financial documentation, and related business procedures.
Communicate policy and process requirements clearly and professionally to people with varying levels of financial experience.
Support cash and check handling, deposits, invoicing, accounts receivable, and other revenue-related processes in accordance with University policy, when assigned.
Maintain confidentiality and exercise good judgment when handling financial, personnel, student, research, and other sensitive information.
Review monthly financial reports, transaction detail, account balances, and financial documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
Reconcile expenditures, revenues, outstanding obligations, deposits, reimbursements, and other account activity; identify, research, and resolve discrepancies.
Perform other related duties as assigned to enhance the mission of the unit.