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Financial Accountant

  • 494502
  • Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
  • Controller
  • Accounting/Finance
  • Hybrid
  • Full-time Staff

Salary/Position Classification

  • $50,000- $56,000 + dependent on experience, Exempt
  • 40 hours per week
  • 100% Remote Work Availability: No
  • Hybrid Work Availability: Yes

Purpose of Position

This position is a key member of the Controller's team and works primarily with the Sr. Financial Accountant and Director of Treasury.

This position executes and helps manage the following accounting areas:
• Daily cash transactions
• Banking wires and transfers
• Manage Cashiering
• Treasury email
• Journal Imports
• Nelnet access

The Financial Accountant works with the Treasury Senior Accountant and Director of Treasury, performing various duties within UND Treasury. The person will be a key member responsible for managing incoming and outgoing ACH transactions, troubleshooting items daily within 12 bank accounts, 50+ merchant credit card accounts, and $500M of deposits and payments involving all PeopleSoft modules. The person will provide excellent customer service and communications skills when serving all UND departments and outside agencies such as the Bank of North Dakota and NDUS Core Technology Services. The individual will oversee the cashiering function in UND Treasury.

Duties & Responsibilities

Daily and Monthly Cash Controls and Processing

    • Manage the daily banking details, including daily ACH deposits into all UND Bank accounts. This requires excellent Excel skills, attention to detail, and excellent customer service skills while communicating with all UND departments.
    • Utilize professional judgment, analytical skills, and problem-solving techniques to identify potential causes of reconciliation errors, such as data entry mistakes, system errors, or fraudulent activity and the impact to the University.
    • Actively identify and analyze areas for process improvement; collaborate with leadership to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of process improvement initiatives.
    • Responsible for the banking process for incoming and outgoing bank wires.
    • Responsible for numerous daily bank transfers.
    • Subject matter expert and troubleshooter for all transaction types posting to UND bank accounts, including checks, cash, ACH, credit cards, auto-debits, and wires.
    • Document troubleshooting steps taken, findings, and resolutions for future reference and to improve reconciliation processes.
    • Perform in-depth analysis of bank statements, internal records, and other data sources to pinpoint discrepancies in financial accounts.
    • Identify, investigate, and resolve banking discrepancies with departments, central finance, external agencies, and banking institutions.
    • Requires excellent communication and relationship skills when troubleshooting discrepancies with internal and external customers.

 Responsible for UND Treasury customer service channels

    • Manage the Treasury departmental email, ensuring seamless communication and information flow.
    • Use best practices to prioritize, sort, monitor, and ensure the department has responded in a timely manner to emails based on urgency and importance.
    • Maintain organized email folders and filing system.
    • Draft and send clear, concise emails on behalf of the department.
    • Timely and accurate responses to emails include extracting and troubleshooting data from the bank and the general ledger.
    • Use research skills to apply a variety of tools to ask questions, gather information, and review, analyze, and interpret data.

 Cashiering

    • Responsible for the cashiering process, including using professional judgement and discretion to determine the risk associated with non-compliance and errors.
    • Provide guidance to departments related to risk mitigation by identifying potential risks, assessing the likelihood and impact, and taking steps to mitigate or avoid the risk.
    • Supervise students and oversee other central finance team members who assist in cashiering.
    • Monitor cashier activity, workflow, and transaction accuracy.
    • Ensure cash reconciliation and adherence to cash handling procedures upholding the highest standards of security, fraud prevention, and regulation/compliance.
    • Identify cash/check collection areas and propose to the department the benefits of moving the collection of cash/checks to our online system called Nelnet.
    • Communicate and coordinate in a timely, customer-focused manner with all stakeholders related to treasury. De-escalate internal customer complaints and ensure prompt resolution.

Required Competencies

  • Demonstrated strong communication skills – including written, oral and listening: articulate ideas clearly, concisely, and persuasively, showing sensitivity to one's audience.
  • Ability to influence team without direct authority and navigate through difficult or ambiguous situations.
  • Assesses situations, considers alternatives, and chooses appropriate course of action while weighing potential risk.
  • Requires the ability to work effectively under pressure, manage multiple projects simultaneously, and meet established goals and objectives.
  • Excellent customer-focus skills.
  • Results oriented.
  • Ability to solve issues independently using professional judgment.
  • Takes initiative and is a dedicated self-starter and independent thinker.
  • Positive outlook.
  • Utilizes knowledge of the industry to make practical applications in everyday operations.
  • Establishes priorities and logically organizes work to accomplish goals.
  • Makes decisions or advises appropriate personnel of the situation.
  • Works effectively with others to accomplish tasks and goals, find solutions to problems.
  • Demonstrated ability working in a cohesive team, willing to back up and support other team members and treat others with respect while confidently contributing to the team
  • Anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks.
  • Demonstrates effective listening skills; listens to others, interprets the messages, and checks for understanding.
  • Has an openness to new and different ways of doing things.
  • Ability to look for efficiencies in processes and offer value-added suggestions.

Minimum Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree with one year experience, OR two years of college and five years directly related experience. Fields of study: Accounting, Finance, Business Management or related.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, and in particular, advanced knowledge of data analysis functions of Excel with the ability to generate a management summary of the data.
  • Successful completion of a Criminal History Background Check.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the US and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. This position does not support visa sponsorship for continued employment.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in recording business transactions.
  • Experience with reconciliations.
  • Experience with PeopleSoft software.
  • Experience working with data analytics and reporting software (TIBCO, Tableau, Power BI, etc.).
  • Cash handling experience.
  • Experience with documenting accounting processes.
  • Experience identifying and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
  • Two or more years of experience with bank and cash reconciliations.
  • Experience in accounting and financial reporting standards (GASB or FASB, and GAAP)
  • Experience with risk and risk mitigation associated with treasury functions.

To Apply

To ensure full considerations, applications must be received by April 10, 2024.

Please note, all employment postings close at 11:55pm CST.

Position Benefits

Benefits include single or family health care coverage (UND pays the full premium), life insurance, employee assistance program, retirement plans with generous employer contributions, annual & sick leave in addition to 10 paid holidays.

Optional benefits include supplemental life, dental, vision, flexible spending account, supplemental retirement plans.

UND also offers an employee tuition waiver and a variety of professional development opportunities.

Find out more about UND's great benefits and perks here!

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Additional Information

Find out why Grand Forks is Cooler.

All information listed in this position announcement will be used by Human Resources, the Hiring Department, and EO/Title IX for screening, interviewing and selection purposes.

Need help?

Please email the Human Resources Department at UND.humanresources@UND.edu or contact us by phone at 701.777.4226. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation to participate in any portion of the University's employment process, including completion of the online application process, please contact our office in advance of your participation or visit. 

Veteran’s Preference

Veterans claiming preference must submit all proof of eligibility by the closing date. Proof of eligibility includes a DD-214 or a copy of NGB 22 from National Guard or Reserve (with a unit located in ND) or certification from the applicant's unit command that the individual is expected to be discharged or released from active duty in the uniformed services under other than dishonorable conditions not later than one hundred twenty days after the date of the submission of the certification. If claiming disabled veteran status, proof of eligibility includes a DD-214 and a current letter of disability dated within the past year.

Confidentiality of Application Materials

Pursuant to NDCC 44-04-18.27, applications and any records related to the applications that identify an applicant are confidential, except records related to the finalists of the position, which are open to the public after the search committee has identified the top three or more finalists who will be invited to campus.

EEO Statement

The University of North Dakota is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or other protected characteristic. Women, minorities, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. Applicants are invited to provide information regarding their gender, race and/or ethnicity, veteran’s status and disability status as part of the application process. This information will remain confidential and separate from your application.

Clery Statement

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the University of North Dakota publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. The report includes the university’s policies, procedures, and programs concerning safety and security, as well as three years of crime statistics for our campus. As a prospective employee, you are entitled to a copy of this report. The report and statistical data can be found online at UND.edu. You may also request a paper copy of the report from the UND Police Department located at 3851 Campus Road, Grand Forks, ND, 58202.