Accounts Payable Accountant V

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS • Austin, TX

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) works to build on strengths of families and communities to keep children and vulnerable adults safe, so they thrive. We do this through investigations, services, and referrals.

This position performs advanced/complex accounting work. Work involves the processing of agency expenditures, including audit/quality assurance of vouchers and workflows. Assist with planning, organizing, and implementing payable workflows; lead the coordination of voucher corrections and adjustments, and the reconciliation between CAPPS Financials, and the Uniform statewide accounting system (USAS), and agency applications/data bases.

This position must understand Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts mandates, technical, budget, procurement, and contract specifications to ensure accurate and timely processing of expenditures; responsible for advising staff on method of finance, account codes, and contract compliance. Responsible for monitoring proposed changes in state and federal regulations to determine potential impact on the agency from both a technical and functional perspective. This position will run queries, assist with query development, create, maintain, and review reports; research and analyze data and reconciliation discrepancies and will work with various units for a resolution. Communicate on a complex level with others (internally and externally) to provide, exchange or verify information, answer inquiries, address issues, and resolve problems or complaints. Works under minimal direction with considerable latitude for use of initiative and independent judgement.

Requirements

• Knowledge of State of Texas accounting procedures, including GAAP standards.
• Knowledge of governmental accounting and financial operations, including basic general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliation, contracting, or financial reporting.
• Strong skill in organization and setting priorities.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience.
• Ability to work, report, and synthesize data from USAS, CAPPS, and other databases and accounting systems.
• Ability to organize workloads and set priorities.
• Ability to apply auditing principles, quality assurance practices, and internal controls framework to business processes.
• Ability to perform research and reconciliation processes.
• Ability to be solution oriented, trend and analyze financial data to diagnose and recommend efficient and effective solutions.
• Ability to work with complex automated accounting systems, including CAPPS Financials (PeopleSoft) and USAS.
• Ability to work with data analytics and preparing reports.
• Ability to implement process improvement based on modeled techniques.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to interpret and apply laws, regulations, and policies.
• Ability to deal effectively with diverse groups and individuals and to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to respond to, anticipate, and manage change.
• Ability to make independent and sound financial judgement and to analyze new situations when they are encountered.
• Ability to effectively communicate in both a written and verbal format.
• Graduation from high school or equivalent.
• Experience in state government, accounts payable, or other related fields may be substituted for one another.

Nice To Haves

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in accounting, finance, or a related field is generally preferred.
• State government accounts payable experience preferred.
• CAPPS Financials and USAS experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for researching and responding to agency and vendor inquiries in a timely manner.
• Responsible for researching, analyzing, and reconciliation of discrepancies to inform improved controls and processes.
• Develops and/or runs queries for extraction of accounting reconciliations between internal and external accounting systems.
• Adheres to voucher processes and timelines, quality controls, including budget checking/voucher approval and the coordination of vouchers corrections/adjustments.
• Acts as a reviewer/auditor of invoices to ensure accounting controls and oversight of invoices are processed correctly.
• Performs data analytics to review for accuracy, compliance, quality assurance, and detection of errors.
• Performs trend analysis on errors to inform process improvements.
• Develops and provides training to accountants on trends, errors, and best practices that include complex system(s), technical requirements, agency policies and procedures, and state mandates.
• Acts as a subject matter expert regarding GAAP and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts policies.
• Develops, documents, implements, and maintains internal controls to ensure compliance with agency and state requirements, policies, and procedures, and processes in financial areas.
• Identifies, initiates, and implements areas for process improvement.
• Responsible for processing IRS 1099s.
• Will assist and coordinate system testing for upgrades to the agency invoice tracking and payment system, CAPPS financials, and USAS.
• May act as team lead.
• Performs related work as assigned.

Benefits

• 100% paid health insurance for you, and 50% paid for eligible family members
• Retirement plans with lifetime monthly payments after five years of state service
• Options to save even more with 401(k) and 457 plans
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Optional dental, vision, and life insurance
• Flexible spending accounts for added tax savings on health and dependent care
• Employee discounts on things like gym memberships, electronics, and entertainment
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: High school or GED