Accountant I

Job Description

Job Description

About Roanoke College

Roanoke College is a place where every student who works hard has the opportunity to succeed. We champion potential, providing essential learning and leadership through innovative academic programs and transformative educational experiences, giving students the mettle, mindset, and empathy to pursue lives of purpose, build meaningful careers, and meet society’s most pressing needs. Located in scenic Salem, Virginia, Roanoke College is an intimate, welcoming community that has served the local region and beyond for nearly 200 years. Now, we’re building on momentum and offering a Roanoke experience for today’s students and a legacy that belongs to every Maroon. Learn about the College's new strategic plan, Imagine Roanoke : A Strategic Plan for Roanoke College and the 21st Century Learner.

Roanoke College is a nationally ranked residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA), located in the beautiful Roanoke Valley of Virginia. A Phi Beta Kappa institution, Roanoke College is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its faculty, staff, and students; women and members of under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

The Position

Provides accurate and timely financial services to the college community through exemplary customer support services to students, parents, faculty, and staff. Responsible for the student loan program under the supervision of the Accounting Manager. Applies generally accepted accounting principles and procedures in working with specialized accounting records and reports. Assembles and analyzes data and transactions, prepares statements and reports relating to assigned area of responsibility. Provides accounting support to the Accounting Manager and Controller as requested.

Key Responsibilities :

• In accordance with the mission of the Business Office, provides accurate and timely financial services to the college community through exemplary customer support services to students, parents, faculty, and staff. Provides support by phone, via email and in person.
• Performs technical fiscal, bookkeeping and accounting-related duties in preparing and maintaining financial records and reports.
• Prepares or approves and processes general journal entries
• Manages all student loan programs, including the institutional loans funded by the college, the federal Perkins loans program, and to a limited extent, GATE loans; sets up new loans in coordination with third party service bureaus; converts loan accounts to collection status if applicable; coordinates disbursement and recoveries of student loan funds with the financial aid office; monitors student loan accounts with collection agencies; provides communications to other campus offices as appropriate; reconciles third party records to general ledger on a monthly basis, including journal entries as necessary; prepares annual Excess Liquid Capital Contribution in accordance with federal guidelines for Perkins Loan funding.
• Collects and prepares monthly interdepartmental, plant and other allocations / recurring adjustments; advises and monitors various departments relating to interdepartmental expense processing; reconciles various accounts on a monthly basis as assigned by Accounting Manager; performs other general ledger month end duties.
• Provides backup support to Accounts Payable. This includes vouchering invoices, processing check requests and travel advances for payments, entering new vendors into the system, and updating / maintaining vendor information as needed.
• Handles the corporate credit card account. Which includes ordering and cancelling credit cards. Checking in and checking out the Business Office’s share cards, increasing credit limits as approved by the members of Cabinet, and posting the monthly credit card transactions to the ledger. Audits credit card summary forms for appropriate documentation and compliance with approved college policies.
• Assists with the fiscal year-end audit, preparation of audit schedules, and various annual reports / surveys as requested by the Accounting Manager and Controller; assists with the fiscal year-end close as requested.
• Is cross-trained to perform key tasks assigned to other business office staff should they have an extended absence; is cross-trained to provide back-up assistance to the Accounts Payable Coordinator as applicable.
• Take advantage of training opportunities to improve skills and for personal career development.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education, Experience, Skills, and Abilities :