ACCOUNTING TECHNICIAN

Spokane Tribe•WELLPINIT, WA

3d•$21 - $27•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for financial processing of transactions which impacts the entire Tribal government, interacting with employees & managers, vendors, youth, elders and community members. Provide comprehensive support to multiple areas of accounting with numerous complex tasks in a busy, high-volume office. Maintain strict confidentiality. Provide professional customer service at accounting front desk to employees, Tribal members & public. Issue purchase orders & voucher requests to Tribal programs for purchasing. Receive paper & electronic mail and distribute bills to related programs for approval. Process approved emergency invoices to Accounts Payable system and disburse checks on a daily basis. Process cash receipts of checks and credit cards. Process voided AP checks. Maintain organized electronic and paper files. Assist with other accounting and filing processes.

Requirements

High School Diploma or GED required.
Experience in a business office setting of 2 or more years.
Good customer service & communication skills are critical, whether in person, phone or email.
A positive work attitude to collaborate as part of the entire Tribal organization team, interacting with employees, managers, vendors, youth and community members.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality of information.
Strong organizational skills, commitment to procedures, able to work in a fast-paced environment.
Demonstrated ability to exercise sound, independent judgment.
Accountability to make decisions & solve problems under minimal supervision.
Ability to handle multiple tasks with precision & thoroughness.
An abundant level of attention to detail is essential, with analytical skills to identify concerns.
High quality of tasks performed carefully, accurately and consistently.
An excellent work ethic and dependability are necessary.
Ability to perform mathematical computations and recognize numerical errors.
Computer experience required, including Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook email.
Experience with office equipment: calculator by touch, copier, fax machine, office phone systems.
Ability to follow written and oral instructions, with good listening skills that result in action.
Ability to obtain a thorough understanding of Tribal personnel policy and procedures, analyze situations to apply policy, make decisions and advise managers & employees.
Must be bondable.

Responsibilities

Provide professional customer service at accounting front desk, by email, phone or in person.
Issue purchase orders and voucher requests to Tribal programs.
Put the filled-out copy of the PO in the program’s bill folder to match up with subsequent invoice.
Maintain a purchase order / voucher request log of paper PO’s (to assist when bills arrive).
Remote offices may need rush PO’s or invoices scanned for email to approving managers, fill the PO out with information they provide.
Transitioning to electronic PO’s with workflow requisitions & approvals
Lobby staff will bring Post Office mail with a variety of items: invoices, statements, checks, banking documents, tax information, credit cards and other mail. Knowledge of where the different items go will help get them timely to appropriate staff.
Checks are processed with cash receipts.
Invoices must research if a PO # is provided, or program name, vehicle plate #, or other information to determine the appropriate program to give the bill to. This is a critical step that ensures timely bill payment by correct managers.
Transitioning to electronic PO’s may coordinate and divide this work with AP staff.
Pick up items in the Accounting interoffice mailbox daily and handle as Postal mail.
Most invoices are sent by email, which must be printed off from attachments, and researched as Postal mail for responsible program.
Date stamp all invoices and distribute among program bill folders for approval.
Provide bill folders to manager or designated staff as they come in to approve bills.
As managers return their bill folder, invoices & PO’s matched should be on top, but review if they left approved invoices inside folder to pull out for payment.
Deliver approved invoices to appropriate AP staff based on twice-weekly batch dates.
Advise managers if their bill folder has a large # of bills needing approval or has past due bills they need to come in promptly to approve; use professional courtesy in these communications.
Follow up with vendors, staff or managers to obtain approval to get invoices paid.
Process cash receipts to public while they are at the counter; have them wait to provide information to apply payment, and verify cash count before providing them with a receipt.
Fill out receipt with critical information: who made the payment, how much, who or what it is for, account # if they have one, type of payment (cash, check or money order). Practice careful cash handling & counting skills before filling in the receipt amount. Attach any documents they provide to our copy.
Refer to list of general ledger account #’s to code types of payments or common vendors to.
Our yellow receipt copy is attached to the cash or check and put in bank pouch in safe, which will be deposited each week by Accounts Payable staff.
Cash must be exact amount; we do not provide change.
Bail payments must be in cash; no checks, money orders or credit cards allowed for bail.
Receive incoming mailed checks from lobby desk. Sign their check log. Process cash receipts and distribute receipt copies.
Process debit & credit card payments from public as cash receipts. Enter similar information about the payment in the credit card processing system. Our credit card receipts are kept separately since the payment is already deposited to our bank account.
Maintain log of all court-related receipts and email weekly to court administrator.
Maintain log of all Tribal internet receipts and email weekly to Utilities Broadband staff.
Provide receipt copies to various staff as requested.
Process daily batches of emergency requests, Social Services medical assistance, rush travel requests, Council requests, or other expedited payment requests.
Prepare invoices for entry, stamp date received, alphabetize invoices / documents.
Verify documents are signed for approval to pay, and GL account # provided.
Verify invoices with PO # referenced have PO attached; if not, find paper PO to attach.
Transitioning to electronic PO’s will have invoice scanned to attach with electronic request.
Verify receipts on travel and reimbursements; compare receipts to travel advances in log.
Enter invoices, travel advances, reimbursements, and vouchers into AP system.
Verify proper posting date is entered (Effective Date); generally current date for emergencies but may need other date for invoices.
Verify cost breakdown for invoices coded to multiple accounts.
Research invoices with system warning of already Posted for potential duplicate payment.
Research any prior balances to see if already paid; generally, pay only current charges.
Bill history research may involve current Sage system, or prior MIP system and Docuware scans.
Submit batches to supervisor for review, make any changes, resubmit for final approval.
Receive printed checks and separate accounting stub portion to keep.
File checks in the check sorter for individuals to pick up at the accounting front desk.
Mail vendor checks with remittance stubs (if any); note date mailed on check register.
Reconcile invoices to checks, attach check stubs for accounting files.
Scan source documents by vendor to attach in Sage accounting system AP bill entry.
Process void AP checks, either to reissue or reverse the invoice & expense in current month.
Respond to customer questions in a friendly and courteous manner, whether vendors, employees or Tribal members.
Help individuals who come into pick up checks for accounts payable & payroll, ensure given to the correct person or authorized substitute, have them sign the check register.
Research in the accounting system when customers inquire if a bill is paid or a check is ready, and whether those payments were mailed or are waiting to be picked up.
Weekly review any checks not picked up to determine if needs mailed.
Review vendor monthly statements for any past due bills or late fees; research to determine if already paid, or if not then which program is responsible, request invoice copy from vendor if needed (or reprint an emailed invoice) and rush to the responsible program manager for approval and payment to avoid credit holds on Tribal vendor accounts affecting all purchasers.
Responsible for security of safe and Accounting central file cabinets, ensuring all printed checks, receipt books & cash are put away in safe when not in use, and safe room door is kept locked. Each night close the safe and spin the combination mechanism to lock it, lock the safe room door, put safe room key in accounting file cabinets and lock cabinet rack.
Perform other duties as assigned.