"Accounting Specialist"

Position Details

Position Information

Budget Title: Senior Staff Assistant

Campus Title: Accounting Specialist

School/Division: Finance and Management, Division of

Department: College and Student Accounting Services

Staff Sub-Type: Staff & Administration

Salary Level: SL3

Salary Range: $57,200 - $64,000

Position Effort: Full-Time

Position Summary: The Accounting Specialist is responsible for managing daily accounting tasks, ensuring accuracy of financial records, and supporting the overall financial well-being of the organization. Starting Salary: $57,200 – $64,000. Watch to learn more about careers at SUNY Cortland: https://vimeo.com/1038936490

What makes SUNY Cortland a great place to work?

• Our positions provide predictable salary progressions, and many offer permanency.
• Generous benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, various retirement program options, paid family leave and/or parental leaves, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, long term disability and tuition reimbursement.
• SUNY Cortland prioritizes work-life balance and well-being in all forms. The university’s state-of-the-art Student Life Center is free for employees to use, with membership options for families. SUNY Cortland’s Child Care Center welcomes the children of employees and community members, as space allows. Alternate work schedules are available with a supervisor’s approval.
• Professional development opportunities exist through training, continuing education programs, tuition reimbursement and conference travel, based on funding.
• Cortland County and surrounding areas offer easy access to arts, entertainment, outdoor recreation and much more. Experience Cortland dives deep into the region’s offerings.

Major Responsibilities

Daily Cash Reconciliation

• Review daily cashier reports and reconcile all activity to the Banner trial balance using Excel spreadsheets.
• Identify any variances between actual payments and what has been posted and recommend and/or take appropriate action to correct them.
• Review all relevant nightly reports to identify problems and file them accordingly.
• Monitor bank activity daily for any discrepancies and follow up accordingly.

Bank Reconciliation

• Prepare monthly bank reconciliations prior to the 15th of the following month.
• Work with Student Accounts to ensure lists of outstanding checks are accurate so that they can be used for a monthly outreach to owners of “stale dated” checks.
• Monitor the bank statement for any charges that are not permitted by our contract. Report monthly balances to the Office of the State Controller (OSC).

Weekly Cortland Auxiliary Services (CAS) Checks

• Create weekly reports of Cortland Auxiliary Services (CAS) managed accounts from Banner and convert them to Excel. Use these Excel spreadsheets to identify and reconcile the current weekly activity to the trial balance.
• Create invoices in Banner for checks that will print the next business day. Forward all checks and supporting documentation to CAS.
• Review and process CAS invoices for laundry, intersession athletics meals, orientation meals, etc.
• Report all CAS meal payments to OSC weekly.

Credit Card and Banking Fees Budgeting

• Prepare the budget for annual payment card and bank fees. Provide supporting documentation and assumptions to justify any increases.
• Create standing purchase orders as required in order to pay all relevant invoices.
• Monitor monthly and year-to-date spending to ensure the account is sufficiently funded.

15-day Revenue Reports and State University Student Aid (SUSA) Vouchers

• Coordinate with Information Systems and Security (ISS) support to ensure semi-monthly (15 day) reports are scheduled in advance.
• Review reports and consult with the College Accountant to ensure sufficient balances in the cash accounts.
• Convert the reports as needed and submit to SUNY System Administration.
• Reconcile the reports to the associated “Due To” accounts to ensure accuracy of the data. Identify and track any discrepancies in order for correcting entries to be posted.
• Transmit State University Student Aid (SUSA) journal transfers through the appropriate accounting system and maintain the SUSA voucher spreadsheet.

Other Professional Duties

• Review and process board payments for groups attending Raquette Lake and other miscellaneous invoices.
• Serve as the backup to the College Accountant for daily duties including processing journal entries, completing the Financial Aid vouchering process, recording daily revenue transactions, and other similar duties.
• Attend relevant professional development opportunities to remain knowledgeable of changes or concerns in the field.
• Represent the department by serving on search committees and performing committee work.

Functional and Supervisory Relationships

Position reports to the College Accountant. Will work with various offices on the SUNY Cortland campus such as (but not limited to) Financial Aid, Cortland Auxiliary Services, Outdoor Education, International Programs, the Business Office and all members of CSAS. This position will also interact with bank personnel on a frequent basis.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, finance or a closely related field with a minimum of two years professional work experience in an accounting office or similar setting; or, Associate’s Degree in accounting, finance or a closely related field with a minimum of five years’ professional work experience in an accounting office or similar setting.
• Two years’ experience working with Microsoft Office software with a demonstrated ability to use Excel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience using complex Excel spreadsheets.
• Experience reviewing and reconciling daily and monthly bank statements.
• Experience reviewing and reconciling trial balances.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated self-initiative.
• Demonstrated ability to independently research and solve problems.
• Demonstrated accuracy, integrity, and reliability.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced team environment with multiple competing priorities and be capable of sound task prioritization and good judgment.

About the University

A top public university of approximately 6,600 students located in the geographic center of New York State, SUNY Cortland provides accessible, affordable education to students from across the U.S. body. One of 13 comprehensive universities in the State University of New York system, SUNY Cortland prides itself on its rigorous undergraduate and graduate programs in the liberal arts, sciences, education, and professional studies. For more than 150 years, SUNY Cortland has provided unmistakable value for students seeking a well-rounded academic, athletic, and social experience. The University ranks among the top campuses in the nation on Money magazine’s “Best Colleges for Your Money List,” fields a powerhouse Division III athletics program and boasts an impressive network of alumni making a difference in education, business, government, fitness, medicine and many other fields.

EEO Statement

The State University of New York at Cortland is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity/Americans with Disabilities Act (AA/EEO/ADA) employer. The university actively seeks applications from women, veterans, individuals with a disability, members of underrepresented groups or anyone that would enrich the diversity of the university.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number: S25022

Review Start Date: 09/11/2025

Open Until Filled: Yes

Quick Link for Direct Access to Posting: https://jobs.cortland.edu/postings/10362

Documents Needed to Apply

Required Documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae or Resume
2. Cover Letter