Accounting Manager

Official Title: Fiscal Officer V

Functional Title: Accounting Manager

Primary Location: United States-Massachusetts-Boston-100 Cambridge Street

Job: Accounting and Finance

Agency: Department of Housing & Community Development

Schedule: Full-time

Shift: Day

Job Posting: Nov 3, 2020, 1:12:06 PM

Number of Openings: 1

Salary: $38,067.12 - $95,500.00 Yearly

Bargaining Unit: M99-Managers (EXE)

Confidential: No

The Accounting Manager in the Accounting Unit of the Department of Housing and Community Development‘s Office for the Administration and Finance Division is responsible for overseeing the fiscal operations of the Accounting Department.  The Accounting Department reviews all invoices, contracts, new vendor setups or vendor modifications, revenue documents and employee reimbursements before they enter the transactions into MMARS (Massachusetts Management Accounting and Reporting System) aka the “state accounting system”.  The accounting team’s review process ensures all documents adhere to state finance law and the Office of the Comptroller (Comptroller) rules and regulations.  To accomplish this, they work closely with the fiscal staff from the other agency divisions to ensure all Comptroller requirements are met.  The Accounting Department receives and processes over 25,000 transactions each year that exceed one billion dollars. 

The Accounting Department is also responsible for the collection of over $500 million dollars in revenue each year.  The agency doesn’t actually generate “revenue”, it’s just the Commonwealth’s accounting term for “funds received by the Commonwealth”.  Our receipts mainly consist of federal reimbursements or checks received from vendors.  The process of receiving funds starts with either a wire transfer received from the federal government or DHCD physically depositing a check from the vendor.  Once the funds are received, the revenue transaction is processed in MMARS. 

The Accounting Department is also involved in producing documentation or reports for various audits.  The main audit each year is called the “Single Audit”.  The Single Audit is mandatory for any organization or government entity that receives over $750,000 in federal funding.  The Department also provides documentation for auditors who are auditing our contractors or requests that come from the Office of the State Auditor.

The Accounting Manager is a management position that requires demonstrated leadership and supervisory skills that will be needed to collaborate with all agency personnel to ensure that all documents submitted to the Accounting Department adhere to all Comptroller guidelines and are processed into the state accounting system in an efficient, accurate and timely manner.  The specific functions performed encompass a broad range of activities that vary from the quality control oversight to the implementation of efficient procedures. 

The Accounting Manager supervises the Accounting Supervisor who is responsible for overseeing the work of 6 staff members in DHCD’s Accounting Unit.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (these duties are a general summary and not all inclusive):

1. Manage and direct the accounting team to ensure the timely and efficient processing of all accounting transactions and the adherence to Comptroller policies and procedures.
2. Serve as the authorized signatory (approver) for encumbrances and payments (invoices).  This involves meeting critical month end deadlines.  
3. Provide guidance on a regular basis to the accounting team as well as other agency staff in regards to the quality of all transactions submitted to the Accounting Department to ensure that they are in compliance with State, Federal and Comptroller policies and procedures.  Assist the Accounting Director with training new fiscal staff on standard contract form completion and proper supporting documentation.
4. Authorized signatory (approver) for deposits, administrative invoices and new vendor setups/updates.
5. Assist with the yearly Office of the Comptroller review and the yearly Single Audit by providing copies of documents in a timely manner.
6. Other duties as assigned.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Ability to understand, apply, interpret, and implement the provisions of the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, specifications, standards, and guidelines governing agency financial operations. 
2. Substantial experience working in the state’s accounting system (MMARS).
3. Considerable knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
4. Experience with multi-year federal grants.
5. Experience with revenue transactions in the state accounting system.
6. Experience reconciling federal revenue for central drawn and non-central drawn accounts.
7. Ability to query the Commonwealth Information Warehouse (CIW) for spending data to develop tracking reports.
8. Proven ability to analyze complex financial data, demonstrate applicability to program objectives, and communicate findings in an understandable manner to different audiences with varying degrees of sophistication with the material.
9. Demonstrated experience in the principles and practices of management, including; planning, organizing, directing, motivating, controlling, and decision making.
10. Knowledge of the principles and practices of accounting and auditing as they relate to program management.
11. Ability to coordinate the efforts of others in accomplishing assigned work objectives.
12. Ability to delegate authority effectively.
13. Ability to analyze and determine the applicability of financial and program data, to draw conclusions, and to make appropriate recommendations.
14. Ability to anticipate and analyze difficult situations and take corrective action to prevent problems from occurring.
15. Ability to adjust to changing situations to meet emergency or changing financial, program or production requirements.
16. Ability to exercise sound judgment, especially in financial procedure implementation.
17. Ability to establish and maintain harmonious working relationships with others.
18. At least intermediate proficiency using Word, Excel, Access and Outlook.
19. Excellent organizational, interpersonal and communication skills.
20. Experience with state and federal financial policies and procedures.
21. Master’s Degree in Business Administration, Management or Public Administration is preferred.
22. Minimum of Associate’s Degree with a Major in Accounting is preferred.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is within the Housing and Economic Development Secretariat and its work touches the lives of all Massachusetts residents.  DHCD's mission is to strengthen cities, towns and neighborhoods to enhance the quality of life of Massachusetts residents by providing leadership, professional assistance and financial resources to promote safe, decent, affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities and sound municipal management.

COMMENTS:

Please upload resume and cover letter.

Salary placement is determined by years of experience and education directly related to the position and the Human Resources Division’s Recruiting Guidelines.

Education, licensure and certifications will be verified in accordance with the Human Resources Division’s Hiring Guidelines. Education and license/certification information provided by the selected candidate(s) is subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law and may be published on the Commonwealth’s website.

PRE-OFFER PROCESS:

A background check will be completed on the recommended candidate as required by the regulations set forth by the Human Resources Division prior to the candidate being hired.

QUALIFICATIONS:

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) five (5) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, professional internship, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in financial management work (i.e. budgeting, accounting, auditing, management analysis, program evaluation, financial reporting of program results) or (B) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required experience.

II. A Bachelor’s degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for the four (4) years of the required experience.

If you have Diversity, Affirmative Action or Equal Employment Opportunity questions or need a Reasonable Accommodation, please contact Diversity Officer / ADA Coordinator: Marjorie Lalli - 617-573-1254

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer.  Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.