Senior Corporate Accountant - Tax Services

West Virginia University•West Virginia, WV

About The Position

The Senior Corporate Accountant performs advanced accounting assignments in specialized areas of tax and payroll accounting at the institutional level, including financial analysis, internal and external reporting, and tax research. The position’s recommendations and calculations can affect West Virginia University and its regional campuses broadly. The role is responsible for tax reporting and compliance, including Forms 990-T, 1098-T, 1099-K, 1099-NEC, and 1099-MISC; reporting and taxation of fringe benefits; support for reporting and taxation of foreign national students and employees; monitoring Student FICA taxation; and other tax forms as required. Tax forms must be completed accurately and on time in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. The position requires extensive knowledge of Oracle, Banner, wvOASIS, International Tax Navigator, Lawlogix, and Chrome River, as well as University, State, and Federal policies and practices, GAAP, and Governmental Accounting Standards. The incumbent maintains technical and professional expertise and assists with developing tax accounting policies and procedures. The Senior Corporate Accountant leads or supports a broad range of tax reporting and compliance activities, including preparation of Forms 990-T, 1098-T, TL11A, and 1099; employee fringe-benefit taxation; Student FICA exemption compliance; tax research; training; operational reporting; audits; and special projects. The role also provides backup support for foreign national payroll and tax processes and performs other duties assigned by the Director for Tax Services. WVU describes a 37.5-hour work week and offers annual and sick leave, paid holidays, health insurance and other benefits, retirement savings, and wellness programs.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
At least five years of progressively responsible experience in the financial operations of a complex organization, or equivalent related education and/or experience.
Knowledge of tax, payroll, accounting, and business principles and concepts, with the ability to apply them to different situations.
In-depth knowledge of college and university tax and accounting issues.
Expert knowledge of GAAP as established by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB).
Expert knowledge of tax accounting procedures and policies.
Ability to read and interpret tax law.
Strong mathematical skills to perform complex financial calculations.
Strong oral and written communication skills to explain tax guidelines, justify recommendations, and interact with regulatory agencies and internal and external auditors.
Ability to organize information, perform financial calculations, and prepare financial reports and presentations.
Analytical ability to interpret and apply federal, state, and professional guidelines to unique university situations.
Ability to independently manage numerous projects and prioritize work for timely completion.
Ability to lead projects and manage cross-functionally.
Ability to foster cooperation among diverse groups and exercise professional judgment in new or unusual situations.
Ability to reason logically, analyze and solve complex issues, and follow complex written or oral instructions.
Ability to use a personal computer and word-processing, spreadsheet, and database application software.

Nice To Haves

Experience in higher education or governmental accounting.
Prior experience with Oracle software.
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Business Administration with an emphasis or minor in Accounting.
Master’s degree supporting the ability to interpret federal and state tax regulations and NACUBO and AICPA guidelines.

Responsibilities

Assist the Director in developing and applying systems, policies, and procedures to ensure compliance with Federal, State, and Local tax regulations.
Analyze University tax issues, prepare financial, trend, and forecast analyses, develop recommendations, and prepare and present executive briefings to University leadership.
Assist with identifying University activities that may require reporting on University and subsidiary tax returns, and develop practices and procedures to identify those activities in accordance with Federal and State laws.
Assist with implementing and monitoring employee tax withholding and exemptions.
Develop, schedule, and conduct training for investigators, office managers, and other groups on tax-related financial management requirements.
Lead preparation of the University’s Form 990-T, gathering information about unrelated business income from departments and regional campuses and periodically reviewing e-commerce stores.
Lead annual Form 1098-T reporting, coordinating student-account data, validating data, overseeing form creation and filing, and responding to student and parent inquiries.
Lead student tax-reporting data collection for Form 1098-T, including reviewing payer information and obtaining missing information using Form W-9S.
Prepare Canadian Tax Form TL11A upon request from Canadian foreign national students.
Lead annual reporting of reportable income on Forms 1099-MISC, 1099-NEC, and 1099-K, coordinating as needed with the West Virginia State Auditor’s office.
Review payments and benefits outside the University Procurement Pay process, including prepaid card systems, complimentary tickets, and other external accounts, for tax reporting.
Conduct tax research for Senior Administration and University departments by interpreting complex tax laws and applying them to specific situations.
Lead processing of employee taxable fringe benefits under IRS Reg. §1.61-21, coordinating information gathering with Procurement, Contracting and Payment Services, the WVU Foundation, departments, and regional campuses.
Lead interpretation and compliance with IRC §3121(b)(10), the Student FICA Exemption.
Lead miscellaneous external reporting, including Multiple Worksite Reports, and assist with OSHA wage reporting.
Carry out special projects, potentially coordinating project teams, recommending operational improvements, drafting policies and procedures, and preparing executive briefings.
Identify operational and management information needs and produce operational and managerial reports using appropriate programming languages and institutional financial and demographic data.
Provide backup support for other unit positions, including foreign national payroll processing, review of visa documentation, International Tax Navigator data entry, tax withholding forms and treaty benefits, Form I-9 entry into Lawlogix, and new-hire packets for Shared Services.
Back up taxation of foreign national students and employees, including monitoring tax treaties and assessing alien tax (ATAX).
Participate in institutional processes such as the annual external audit and year-end tax reporting.
Participate in job-related continuing education seminars and workshops; travel in and out of state may be required.
Perform other duties assigned by the Director for Tax Services.