Accountant I (Accounts Payable)

Department:

Business Office (Accounts Payable)

General Statement of Job

The Accountant I (Accounts Payable) is responsible for the accurate and timely processing, review, and payment of the College's/vendors invoices and obligations in accordance with established policies, procedures, and internal controls. This position ensures expenditures are properly authorized, coded, recorded, and paid. Supports month‑end and year‑end close activities and maintains compliance with applicable accounting standards and audit requirements. Assist other staff with accounting or special projects.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

• Ensure invoices and accounts payable transactions are correctly recorded to the general ledger, cost centers, funds, grants, and other required work tags.
• Communicate with internal departments to resolve invoice discrepancies, obtain missing documentation, or clarify coding and approvals.
• Prepare and post journal entries related to accounts payable, accruals, reclasses, and corrections.
• Assist with month‑end, quarter‑end, and year‑end close activities, including reconciling AP accounts and supporting schedules.
• Perform regular reconciliations of accounts payable, clearing accounts, and related balance sheet accounts.
• Prepares journal entries, budget changes, financial reports, account reconciliation, and motions and maintains required documentation.
• Identify, research, and resolve reconciling items or discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Performs analysis and projections on financial data and budgets.
• Utilize the ERP system and related tools efficiently to process transactions and generate reports.
• Maintain current knowledge of accounts payable best practices and applicable accounting standards.
• Ensures compliance with College, state/federal, and other pertinent regulations, procedures and policies.
• Maintains awareness of changes in industry and state/federal regulations.
• Prepares audit reconciliations and documentation as needed for internal and external audits such as financial reports, financial notes, transmittal letters, financial statistical letters, and fraud surveys.
• Assists in reviewing audit items.
• Respond to audit reports, take corrective management actions, and initiate changes to meet discrepancies or noncompliance cited by the auditor.
• Carries out duties and responsibilities with limited supervision.
• Makes decisions and establishes work priorities on essential procedure-oriented operations.
• Cross-trains other staff and maintains working knowledge of duties when assigned to a backup role.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

• A bachelor's degree in accounting or finance is required.
• At least three (3) years of accounting experience required.
• Experience with Workday is preferred.
• Experience in a higher education institution preferred.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong computer skills with knowledge of Microsoft Office including, but not limited to, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, the Windows environment, and internet research skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of accounting principles and practices, including complex calculations across multiple funding sources, and the ability to prepare and present financial analysis of funds clearly and concisely.
• Proficient in the preparation of worksheets using Excel.
• Familiarity with accounting functions and compliance with laws about assigned functions. Proficient with ten keys by touch.
• Ability to prioritize, organize, and complete multiple tasks with attention to detail within stated deadlines.
• Ability to adapt to constant change and periods of fast-paced, high-intensity work situations.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as needed; willing to travel throughout the college district using own means of reliable transportation.
• Demonstrated commitment to achieving the vision and mission of South Texas College.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with various concrete variables in situations with limited standardization.
• Ability to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Checks, Certificates, Licenses, and Registrations

• Security Sensitive position: All applicants are subject to a criminal background check under South Texas College policy.
• In addition, subject to a federal background check.
• Must have or qualify for a valid Texas driver's license and proof of liability insurance.

Physical Requirements

• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
• Bending the body downward and forward by bending the leg and spine.
• Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature, or texture, by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
• Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling. Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
• Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction.
• Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication and make the discrimination sound.
• Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position. It occurs considerably and requires substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.
• Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Expressing or exchanging ideas using the spoken word, including the ability to convey detailed or important instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Sitting or standing, particularly for sustained periods.
• Bending the body downward and forward by bending the spine at the waist.
• It occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Close visual acuity to perform tasks such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, and extensive reading.
• Mobility to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.

The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.