Sr Finance/Payroll Spec

Orange County Public Schools • Orlando, FL

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Under administrative direction, this position performs district-based duties associated with coordinating and prioritizing departmental duties assigned to the Finance, Accounting, or Accounts Payable departments. This includes reconciling master accounts, processing off-cycle vendor payments, and handling general funds expenditure reclassification requests. Employees in this classification operate in a coordinator/lead capacity and may assign and review the work of others. They are responsible for interpreting and implementing proper procedures that adhere to specific guidelines of the district and outside governmental agencies. Employees are also required to analyze and monitor project expenditures. Performs related work as directed.

Requirements

• Associate’s degree from an accredited institution with coursework emphasis in accounting/finance or related area.
• Five (5) years of progressively more complex work experience in an accounting/finance area.
• Any equivalent combination of related education, training, and/or experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential job functions.
• Ability to evaluate, audit, deduce, and/or assess data/information using established criteria, exercising discretion and referencing evaluation to identify and select alternatives.
• Ability to apply principles of persuasion/influence, providing guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others on how to apply procedures and standards.
• Ability to operate, maneuver, and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of reference, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information.
• Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; calculate decimals and percentages; potentially compute discount, interest, profit/loss, ratio, and proportion; potentially calculate surface areas, volumes, weights, and measures.
• Ability to apply principles of rational systems and interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.
• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in situations involving evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria.
• Ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, potentially involving lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling of light weight objects (5-10 pounds).
• Ability to perceive and discriminate; visual perception and discrimination.
• Oral communications ability.
• Tasks are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.

Nice To Haves

• May assign and review work of others.
• May oversee department purchase requirements, purchase order procedures, and payment processes.
• Serves as backup to secure cash and checks and locks in safe.
• Files and stores financial records.
• Requests department supplies to be ordered.

Responsibilities

• Responds to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, courteous, and empathetic manner, representing OCPS positively.
• Provides technical assistance and support regarding confidential matters with local, state, and federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, determining reporting requirements in adherence with state and board policies.
• Serves as the point of contact and handles all general funds expenditure reclassification requests.
• Creates vendor numbers for related reimbursements (e.g., travel, beneficiary, teacher supply debit, one-time vendors, grants, and internal accounts).
• Assigns travel privileges as needed.
• Assists staff, verifies information, researches errors, and resolves discrepancies to ensure proper payment in a timely manner.
• Analyzes, reviews, and advises locations on supporting back-up documentation and corrects accounting and general ledger codes required for expenditure reclassification requests.
• Evaluates data accuracy; approves or rejects requests in the portal.
• Ensures all expenditure reclassifications are corrected and parked before the year-end deadline with minimal supervision.
• Conducts one-on-one training with district staff on the process for expenditure reclassification requests and portal system usage, providing guidance on accounting/general ledger codes and required documentation.
• Monitors, tests, and troubleshoots online portal system issues related to expenditure reclassification requests.
• Checks transaction batches for errors; provides follow-up, investigation, and coordination to address issues and ensure appropriate processing.
• May oversee department purchase requirements, purchase order procedures, and payment processes.
• Confirms and provides documentation to the property accounting department to ensure reclassification of fixed asset expenditures are appropriate and in accordance with district policy.
• Advises district staff of applicable procedures to ensure reclassification of expenditures are recorded accurately and timely.
• Reviews the work location’s budget to ensure sufficient funds are available to cover reclassification.
• Researches expenditure reclassification problems within budget and accounting areas to determine appropriate resolution within guidelines and communicates to the end user.
• Identifies and corrects critical errors regarding expenditures posted to ensure accuracy, serving as a problem solver and resource.
• Interprets the code of accounts (i.e., Redbook) as mandated by the state, maintaining knowledge of standard accounting principles.
• Provides knowledge and assistance to schools and departments on using correct accounting and general ledger codes in accordance with Red Book.
• Serves as a liaison between various departments within the district and between the district and financial institutions/outside entities.
• Assists in preparing and coordinating communication correspondence with internal and external customers.
• Prepares manual journal entries (e.g., Food Service catering invoices, construction, donations), ensuring compliance with Department of Education accounting principles.
• Reviews Finance, Accounts Payable, and Property departments’ weekly payroll reports to ensure accurate and timely time reporting before submission to the payroll department.
• Analyzes and researches pay leave history to resolve discrepancies in payroll records.
• Maintains accurate payroll files for each fiscal year and keeps records of changes for auditing purposes.
• Prepares Excel spreadsheets, audits for completeness, questions discrepancies, and assists with chargeback journal entries.
• Troubleshoots error messages received.
• Coordinates and prioritizes departmental duties, working closely with district staff and providing guidance to ensure efficiency and high production.
• Acts as a resource, protecting sensitive information.
• Maintains a filing system for audit review.
• Creates and maintains specific department process and procedure manuals pertaining to expenditure reclassification requests.
• Performs testing, analysis, and documentation for system upgrades and process improvements.
• Stays up-to-date on current trends, regulatory changes, and technology used by OCPS.
• Attends workshops, webinars, and conferences as needed to ensure skill level in various technologies is adequate for the position.
• Responsible for timely and accurate information maintained as part of job responsibilities.

Benefits

• Reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to allow them to perform the essential functions of the job when such individuals request an accommodation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree