Director of Accounting

Position Title:
Director of Accounting

Position Type:
Regular

About the Role:
Northern Kentucky University seeks a collaborative and strategic accounting leader to serve as Director of Accounting. Reporting to the Associate Vice President for Financial Services, the Director leads the University Accounting department, including general accounting, accounts payable, treasury (excluding student account services), capital asset accounting, and the annual financial statement audit.

The Director ensures the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of the University's financial records and reporting, in compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards, and applicable federal and state regulations. Following the University's recent implementation of Workday Financials, a central part of this role is stabilizing and optimizing the system so that accounting processes, controls, and reporting are efficient and reliable.

The Director supervises accounting staff, works closely with the Directors of Grants Accounting and Foundation Accounting, and serves as a key advisor and backup to the Associate Vice President for Financial Services.

Primary Responsibilities
Accounting Operations & Leadership

• Lead and supervise University Accounting staff, including assigning work, setting priorities, evaluating performance, and supporting professional development.

• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of the general ledger, accounting records, and financial transactions.

• Maintain the chart of accounts and ledger structure, including fund-basis reporting and the approval of new accounts, in coordination with Budget and Workday system owners.

• Review and approve journal entries, account reconciliations, and other accounting transactions in accordance with University policy, GAAP, and GASB.

• Oversee accounts payable, ensuring timely and accurate payments and compliance with University policies and vendor requirements.

• Oversee capital asset accounting, including capitalization, depreciation, inventory, and the reporting of leases and subscription-based IT arrangements (GASB 87 and 96).

• Oversee treasury operations, excluding student account services, including cash management, bank relationships, bank and cash reconciliations, debt service and bond covenant compliance, and investment accounting.

Financial Reporting & Audit

• Lead the University's annual financial statement audit and serve as primary liaison with the external auditors, including audit schedules and responses to requests.

• Prepare the University's annual financial statements, notes, and related disclosures.

• Manage monthly, quarterly, and year-end close, including closing entries, reconciliations, and accruals.

• Monitor new GASB pronouncements, assess their institutional impact, and implement required changes.

• Develop, maintain, and communicate accounting policies, procedures, and internal controls, including segregation of duties, and lead remediation of audit findings.

• Provide variance analysis and forward-looking financial insight to the Associate Vice President and University leadership.

• Work with the Budget Office on actual-to-budget comparisons and forecasting.

Workday Stabilization & Optimization

• Serve as the accounting process owner for Workday Financials, working with Information Technology, Procurement, Budget, and Human Resources.

• Identify and resolve post-implementation issues in the ledger, accounts payable, banking and settlement, asset accounting, and close processes.

• Optimize configuration, business processes, approval workflows, and integrations to strengthen controls and reduce manual work.

• Help define and review Workday security roles to maintain segregation of duties.

• Test Workday reports, dashboards, upgrades, integrations, and new releases, and lead accounting staff in testing and adoption.

• Document and coordinate requests for new financial data elements, such as new worktags, departments, or spend categories.

• Coordinate with Human Resources and Payroll on data accuracy and standardized processes between the HCM and financial systems.

• Partner on financial reporting and data needs, including reports, dashboards, Power BI, and period-end reporting.

• Develop procedures, training, and documentation to build staff proficiency in the system.

Collaboration & External Reporting

• Work closely with the Directors of Grants Accounting and Foundation Accounting to ensure consistent accounting treatment, timely closes, coordinated audit support, and accurate consolidation of affiliated entities.

• Coordinate preparation and submission of external reports owned by Accounting, including the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), IPEDS finance, Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) reporting, and Management Information Reports (MIR), plus other required state, federal, and regulatory filings.

• Partner with Student Financial Services, Financial Aid, Budget, Procurement, and other departments on processes that touch the general ledger.

Strategic Support

• Provide accounting expertise and guidance to University leadership.

• Lead or participate in special projects and strategic initiatives as assigned.

• Serve as backup to the Associate Vice President for Financial Services.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting (Master's degree preferred).

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible accounting or financial reporting experience.

• Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory or management experience.

• Experience preparing audited financial statements and coordinating external audits.

• Strong knowledge of GAAP and GASB accounting standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) strongly preferred.

• Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration.

• Experience in higher education, governmental, or nonprofit accounting.

• Experience managing or supporting Workday Financials or a similar ERP, ideally in post-implementation stabilization or optimization.

• Experience with accounts payable, treasury, and capital asset accounting.

• Experience preparing regulatory and compliance reports in higher education.

• Change management or project management training or experience.

• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, or other data visualization tools.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Comprehensive knowledge of accounting principles, financial reporting, internal controls, and treasury operations.

• Strong understanding of GAAP, GASB, and governmental accounting practices.

• Ability to lead process improvement and change management in an ERP environment.

• Ability to translate business needs into system requirements and work effectively with IT and functional teams.

• Exceptional analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to build collaborative relationships across departments, including peer directors for grants and foundation accounting.

• Demonstrated leadership and team development skills.

• High level of accuracy, attention to detail, and commitment to compliance.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound professional judgment.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

Please attach a resume, cover letter, and references.

Posted Salary:

Work Environment & Physical Demands: