Senior Accountant/Accountant Trainee (NY HELPS)

NYSTRS•Albany, OR

1d•$63,074 - $115,477•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). For the duration of the NY HELPS Program, this title may be filled via a non-competitive appointment, which means no examination is required but all candidates must meet the minimum qualifications, and any specialized requirements, of the title for which they apply. At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), it is expected employees hired under NY HELPS will have their non-competitive employment status converted to competitive status, without having to compete in an examination. Under the direction of an Associate Accountant, the Senior Accountant on the Finance Systems team is responsible for activities related to evaluating and improving the systems the Finance Department uses to accomplish its work.

Requirements

Applicants must hold unrestricted work authorization. NYSTRS is unable to sponsor or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this position now or in the future.
Accountant Trainee 1 (Grade 14): Either 1. A bachelor's degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation; OR 2. A bachelor's degree with 24 semester credit hours in accounting, auditing, or taxation courses.
Accountant Trainee 2 (Grade 16): Either 1. A bachelor's degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation OR a bachelor's degree with 24 semester credit hours in accounting, auditing, or taxation courses AND one year of professional experience in accounting/auditing or financial internal or field auditing, where you were responsible for the full range of activities in the design and/or review, analysis and management of accounting systems, resulting in the preparation of, or recommendations on, financial statements in accord with generally accepted accounting principles; OR 2. A master's or higher degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation may substitute for one year of experience.
Senior Accountant (Grade 18): Either 1. A bachelor's degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation or a bachelor's degree with 24 semester credit hours in accounting, auditing, or taxation courses AND two years of professional experience in accounting/auditing or financial internal or field auditing, where you were responsible for the full range of activities in the design and/or review, analysis and management of accounting systems, resulting in the preparation of, or recommendations on, financial statements in accord with generally accepted accounting principles; OR 2. A master's or higher degree in accounting, auditing, or taxation AND one year of professional experience in accounting/auditing or financial internal or field auditing, where you were responsible for the full range of activities in the design and/or review, analysis and management of accounting systems, resulting in the preparation of, or recommendations on, financial statements in accord with generally accepted accounting principles; OR 3. A currently valid Certified Public Accountant license and registration issued by New York State.
(NOTE: Courses such as business law, economics, statistics, and most finance courses, although taken as part of an accounting curriculum, cannot be counted toward the 24 semester credit hours.)
(Experience NOT considered qualifying are activities restricted to teaching, bookkeeping, maintaining/auditing payroll records or accounts receivable/accounts payable, or preparing tax returns.)

Nice To Haves

Relevant professional licenses and certifications
Experience performing similar duties
Ownership mentality
Desire to continuously improve processes
Desire to learn new skills and grow professionally
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability and willingness to work directly with internal and external stakeholders
Ability and willingness to provide excellent customer service
Ability to think critically
Exceptional attention to detail
Organization and self-management skills
Independence and self-motivation

Responsibilities

Evaluate current business processes and systems for improvement, automation, and efficiency
Research new accounting/finance technology and systems to improve operations.
Act as subject matter expert for the implementation of new/improved finance-related technology and systems
Build and maintain a strong knowledge of the automated accounting systems used by NYSTRS
Gather and communicate operational and functionality needs to business analysts, project managers, and IT developers
Liaise with customer departments to identify ways to better integrate processes to increase compliance and efficiency
Submit Finance Department IT demands
Track and update the Finance Department’s portfolio of IT projects and demands
Maintain documentation for finance systems and assist in providing training to end-users
Coordinate or assist in testing changes to Finance Department systems and processes
Perform operational accounting duties, including journal entries and account reconciliations