Accounting Technician III

Job No: 540165; 06/03/2024

Accounting Technician III
Accounting Technician III
One-Stop Financial Services/Disbursement

Salary Range : $3,968 - $6,964/Monthly (Budgeted Hiring Salary Range: $3,968 - $4,428/Monthly)

Work Schedule : Full-Time, Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; non-exempt classification.

Essential Functions : Under the direction of the Disbursement Lead, the incumbent performs diversified duties involving a wide range of procedures in the Disbursement area of One-Stop Financial Services (OSFS). The incumbent must have a comprehensive knowledge of financial record-keeping methods, procedures and practices, and financial aid policies and procedures. The incumbent will be responsible for managing, auditing, and processing the disbursement refunds of financial aid awards; processing tuition and fees and miscellaneous refunds; providing high-quality customer services to the campus community; and assisting with hiring, training, and supervising student assistants and staff in the absence of the lead. The incumbent must adhere, implement, and maintain policies pertaining to Title IV and Title V regulations and procedures governing the activities of OSFS/Disbursements. Coordinate activities with Financial Aid and Scholarships, University Registrar, Admission, Administrative Technology, ITS, Controller's Office, and Accounts Payable as needed. Coordinate the process of financial aid group posts to Student Accounts. Audit weekly financial aid refunds, review audit reports, analyze student accounts activities, and tuition and fee charges/refunds for accuracy and post adjustments using the Peoplesoft Student Administration system. Process and ensure financial aid and tuition and fee refunds follow the guidelines pertaining to Title IV and Title V regulations. Audit direct deposit refunds and reconcile direct deposit refunds to the Automated Clearing House monetary file for the weekly financial aid disbursements. Review financial aid debit balance report for weekly disbursements. Notify students that financial aid checks are on hold due to outstanding balances. Process financial aid online transaction requests from Financial Aid advisors. Analyze student accounts, enrollment, and financial aid award summaries to ensure credits or debits are posted accurately to Student Accounts, issuing student refunds timely, and/or ensuring student account balances are accurate for Student Financial Services monthly billing. Adhere to all policies and regulations for financial aid grants, direct loans, scholarships, grants-in-aid, and tuition and fees refunds, which includes compliance with federal guidelines regarding financial aid disbursements and refund repayment policy. Document established procedures based on precedent and university policies and develop new procedures as necessary; handle issues requiring technical expertise; and resolve difficult and unusual problems. Process miscellaneous refunds in Common Financial System (CFS) and verify check status to ensure the check is reconciled by payment information and navigating through the various Accounts Payable panels in CFS or Transact. Post time-sensitive financial aid group posts and process batch refunds to Student Accounts for weekly disbursements, run queries to generate audit reports, assist in testing data transactions queries, and review data output for maintenance pack software upgrades. Process replacement checks for Stale Dated checks, Stop Payment, and Affidavit of Forgery requests. Review student accounts, verify refund check status on the CFS, and process stop payments on the Wells Fargo Commercial Electronic Office. Process the Affidavit of Forgery and submit it to Wells Fargo to open the claim. Issue replacement refunds once the status has been updated in Wells Fargo/CFS and communicate with the student for status updates. Reconcile void checks between Student Accounts and CFS. Communicate established university policies and procedures by demonstrating and providing high customer service to the campus community. Answer questions regarding students’ accounts, financial aid disbursements, and refunds by researching and communicating results in person, by telephone, or by composing e-mail correspondence. Assist with answering phone calls on the mainline and working at the front counter. Exercise a high level of tact and judgment when addressing campus community members. Analyze, and solve escalated, complex issues using professional judgment and individual discretion in reasoning and interpretation of policies and procedures. Review tuition and fee refund petitions, conduct high-level policy decisions relating to enrollment drop dates, and adhere to refund deadline dates. Coordinate within OSFS on key refund deadline dates and communication timelines. Collaborate with the leads in the department for staff coverage on student financials emails, disbursement, and phones. Act as a liaison with internal and external agencies. Provide technical and work direction to student assistants in the Disbursement area. This includes assisting with recruiting, interviewing, training, establishing work assignments, providing performance evaluation, and processing monthly student assistant payroll. In the absence of the Disbursement lead, may provide technical and/or work direction to employees. Create and compile data for generating financial reports and/or analysis; maintain accounting records and update financial aid check files with debit balances. Submit checks to University Controller for endorsement, apply check/payment to student accounts, and release holds if paid in full. Mail checks to students who do not reply after 10 days, and place holds on student accounts. Generate financial reports and/or analysis to monitor financial aid credit reports and prepare monthly reconciliations and unapplied financial aid reports. Post adjustments to student accounts, issue refunds, and/or email reports on the list of Student Accounts that need review for Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation or possible overpayment to the Financial Aid Office. The financial aid advisors will review student accounts/awards, post-award adjustments, perform R2T4 calculations, and/or refund students. Submit yearly student accounts with outstanding balances to the Franchise Tax Board Offset program to reduce outstanding Account Receivables. Apply Franchise Tax monies collected to Student Accounts, issue student refunds, and release holds. Performs other related duties.

Required Qualifications & Experience : Must have a minimum of four years of progressively responsible financial record experience which has provided the above knowledge and abilities. Experience in higher education and some supervisory experience. Must have a comprehensive knowledge of financial aid policies and procedures and Title IV and Title V regulations. The incumbent must be able to think independently, analyze and interpret accounting and other data, and use problem-solving techniques to resolve errors and discrepancies. Must have competency in desktop software, including Microsoft Office Suite and PeopleSoft experience. Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills; experience handling student issues and can effectively interpret policies and procedures in written or presentation form. Must have the ability to exercise a high level of tact and judgment in addressing members of the campus community. Must possess excellent customer service skills. The incumbent must have a demonstrated interest and/or ability in working in a multicultural/multiethnic environment. A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or continued employment of current CSU employees who may apply for the position.

California State University, Los Angeles, as part of the CSU system, is a State of California Employer. As such, the University requires all employees upon date of hire to reside in the State of California. As of January 1, 2022 the CSU Out-of-State Employment Policy prohibits the hiring of employees to perform CSU-related work outside the state of California.

Desired Qualifications : Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance or a related field. Experience with Common Financial Systems and Transact.

Closing Date : Review of applications will begin on 6/17/2024 and will continue until the position is filled; however, the position may close when an adequate number of qualified applications are received. A COMPLETED ON-LINE CAL STATE LA EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION IS REQUIRED. RESUMES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED IN LIEU OF A COMPLETED APPLICATION.

The person holding this position is considered a "mandated reporter" under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 revised July 21, 2017, as a condition of employment.

In addition to meeting fully its obligations under federal and state law, California State University, Los Angeles is committed to creating a community in which a diverse population can live and work in an atmosphere of tolerance, civility and respect for the rights and sensibilities of each individual. To that end, all qualified individuals will receive equal consideration without regard to economic status, race, ethnicity, color, religion, disability, national origin or cultural background, political views, sex or sexual orientation, gender, or other personal characteristics or beliefs.

Candidates must demonstrate ability and/or interest in working in a multicultural/multiethnic environment. Certain positions require fingerprinting. The University actively encourages qualified minorities, women and persons with a disability to apply. Upon request, reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with protected disabilities to (a) complete the employment process and (b) perform essential job functions when this does not cause an undue hardship. We are an Equal Opportunity/Title IX Employer.

To obtain employment information for the impaired call:
TDD Line (323) 343-3670
24-hour Dial-A-Job Line (323) 343-3678

Advertised: Jun 03 2024 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close:

Closing Date/Time:

Los Angeles, California 90032 United States View Map