Accounting Specialist

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday; weekend and evening hours as needed to meet business need; hybrid eligible, temporary 18-month

OVERVIEW

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) employs student-focused professionals with equity-mindsets. Established in 1963, Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) is a non-profit corporation led by a 14-member board of elected student leaders. ASI is an auxiliary organization authorized by the California State University Board of Trustees to perform Student Life functions for Cal Poly Pomona students. ASI provides opportunities for student engagement, student leadership and employment, and a multitude of Student Life programs and services e.g., recreation and wellbeing, student union and activities, student government, clubs and organizations, food pantry, and childcare. The administrative and student support areas of ASI include human resources, financial services, information technology, facilities management, and marketing. ASI employs approximately 500 part-time students and 60 full-time staff members. ASI accepts the responsibility for conscientiously managing mandatory student fees and state-owned facilities: $18M annual operating budget, $5M annual debt service, approximately $24M in reserves, and 294,253 square feet of student space (student union, recreation center, and pool). ASI is in the Cal Poly Pomona Division of Student Affairs with a dashed reporting line to Administrative Affairs. ASI serves the entire campus population, including over 28,000 students.

As an evolving learning organization, ASI is human-centered and strives to live its values of care and growth. The purpose of ASI is to transform lives by engaging every student. With a commitment to learning, continuous improvement, and innovation, ASI employs dynamic team members who support team learning, co-creation, radical candor, psychological safety, growth mindset, and live out equity, diversity, and inclusion practices.

Financial Services serves as a partner for student groups, ASI departments, and the University, providing financial support to help meet business and programmatic needs of the $17M non-profit 501(c)3 corporation while maintaining fiscal integrity, data accuracy, and compliance with CSU, University and ASI policies.

POSITION DEFINITION

Under the general supervision of the Associate Director of Financial Services, the Accounting Specialist reviews and processes accounting transactions and journal entries in accordance with budget guidelines and generally accepted accounting principles, performs monthly bank, and account reconciliations, supports month-end & year-end closing activities, assists with compilation of financial reports, performs monthly financial analysis and ad hoc projects, performs sensitive and high-risk item inventory, , develops and implements accounting policies and procedures (e.g., high-risk and sensitive item procedures, gifts-in- kind procedures, etc.). For this appointment period, this position will focus on the bold duties and responsibilities.

The ideal candidate should be a self-starter with a continuous improvement mindset and a strong desire to learn and stay current with the latest accounting standards and applicable CSU, local, state, and federal regulations. An ideal candidate will be interested in learning about various policies and procedures, exercise independent judgement to interpret and apply such policies and procedures, be able to explain and enforce these standards to others yet remain client-centered to achieve high customer satisfaction.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES FOR THIS APPOINTMENT PERIOD

• Provide financial processing assistance, conducting the following tasks and projects as assigned by the ASI Accounting Manager, including but not limited to, account reconciliations, month-end processing, ADP/Great Plains payroll import and interface, journal entries, cash reports, void/stop payments, unclaimed property filing & processing, and run reports (i.e. trial balances)

GENERAL ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Month-End and Year-End Closing

• Process journal entries necessary for accurate month-end and year-end financial reporting
• Prepare and review accounting transactions to ensure proper compliance with budget guidelines, applicable CSU regulations and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
• Review subsidiary ledger transactions to ensure proper posting to the general ledger
• Perform monthly bank reconciliations
• Reconciles monthly transactions, calculate use tax/sales tax, and prepare journal entries, as needed
• Process unclaimed checks; prepare annual report & submission to the State Controller’s Office
• Perform GL account reconciliations (including payroll payable accounts) to ensure transactions are properly coded

Policy and Procedure Development

• Stay current with account standards and regulations and assist with the development and modification of accounting procedures to ensure compliance
• Develop, enhance, and maintain sensitive and high-risk item procedures
• Develop, enhance, and maintain gift-in-kind procedures

Payment Preparation

• Process University invoices for centrally managed expenditures and prepare inter-fund transfers
• Process unclaimed checks for payment
• Process weekly payments

Asset Management

• Assist with fixed asset management, including maintaining a current listing of assets, tagging all capital assets, and assisting with fixed asset reconciliation
• Manage sensitive and high-risk items, including maintaining a current listing of sensitive and high-risk items, tagging such items, developing procedures, and performing reconciliations and periodic inventory of assets

Financial Analysis & Reporting

• Review trial balance and assist with the preparation of financial statements at month-end
• Perform various account and financial analysis, including examining and auditing account activities
• Assist with internal and external audits

Training

• Provide training to ASI staff to ensure compliance with sensitive and high-risk item procedures
• Provide guidance to ASI staff on proper usage of the chart of accounts
• Provide training to accounting assistant(s) and lead accounting assistants, as needed

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required in accounting, finance, or closely related field
• Minimum two years of experience in general accounting or financial recordkeeping experience, with emphasis on executions of a variety of financial procedures, including month-end and year-end closing, bank reconciliation, asset management, and p-card program administration
• Six months of demonstrated experience leading others including but not limited to training, guiding project work, and/or supporting others in a similar role
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and interpret financial data sufficient to reconcile ledgers and generate financial reports, as needed
• Strong interpersonal skills to establish and maintain effective relationships with staff and customers
• Skills in prioritizing tasks and ability to coordinate workflow to comply with deadlines and competing priorities in a timely manner under pressure of deadlines and heavy workload
• Skills in working independently and following through on assignments with minimal direction
• Skill in systematically organizing material and information to optimize efficiency and minimize duplication of efforts using computer technology
• Analytical skills to anticipate potential problems or sensitive situations, recognize relevant factors, and present viable alternatives or solutions
• Demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and collaborating with colleagues
• Working knowledge of windows software such as Microsoft Excel, Access, Word, Outlook, and Teams
• Satisfactorily complete a background check (including a criminal records check)

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Frequently required to sit, talk and hear; manual dexterity, eye-hand coordination and verbal communication; use of office equipment: computer, printer, telephone, calculator, copier and fax. Must be able to walk, stand, bend and lift up to 25 pounds.

POSITION SENSITIVITY

Based on the duties and responsibilities of this position, this position has been designated to be a sensitive position with access to sensitive data.

BACKGROUND CHECK

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can begin employment with Associated Students, Inc., Cal Poly Pomona. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current ASI employees who apply for this position.

MANDATED REPORTING REQUIREMENT

In compliance with the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) and the CSU Executive Order 1083, each ASI employee is designated as a mandated reporter and is required to sign an Acknowledgment of Mandated Reporter Status and Legal Duty to Report Child Abuse and Neglect.

SYSTEMWIDE SMOKE AND TOBACCO FREE ENVIRONMENT EO 1108:

Cal Poly Pomona is a smoke and tobacco-free campus. Please refer to the link below for policy information.

COVID-19 VACCINATION

CSU, along with Associated Students Inc., strongly recommends all staff who are physically accessing campus facilities or programs to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which includes obtaining a COVID-19 booster dose. See policy at