Senior Accountant - Grants (TEMPORARY) - Auditor's Office Harris County, TX

About Harris County Auditor's Office: The mission of the Harris County Auditor's Office is to be an independent and progressive organization recognized for professionalism in carrying out the County Auditor's statutory duties and responsibilities. The vision of the Harris County Auditor's Office is to create and maintain an environment of sound fiscal management and efficient financial operations at all levels of county government, while providing support to Commissioners Court, County Officials, Department Heads, and the public with the highest level of integrity and financial stewardship.

The Harris County Auditor's Office keeps the general accounting records; prepares financial reports; prescribes systems for the receipts and disbursements of the County; audits and processes accounting transactions for grants, payroll, and invoices; verifies compliance with governing laws; performs statutory reviews of records maintained by other officials; and prepares annual estimates of budgeted revenues. The Auditor's Office includes a team of dedicated professionals committed to providing objective, value added services that support the mission, vision, and values of the Office and includes the Executive Division, Accounting Division and Audit Division.

The Accounting Division, Grants Accounting Department is looking for a Senior Grants Accountant to fill a long-term temporary assignment. This position is a hybrid onsite/remote position and is responsible for assisting Harris County Departments with administration and control of grant expenditures and reporting during the full life cycle of each grant.

The Senior Grants Accountant will:

• Provide leadership, oversight, and guidance for the accounting and compliance of all grants
• Manage and monitor grant budgets as well as assist in seeking reimbursement of expenditures from the granting agencies
• Analyze the financial transactions in compliance with the contract
• Provide financial guidance to departments to ensure compliance with grant restrictions and guidelines
• Demonstrate effective project management skills and team work to ensure the grants accounting and compliance are performed efficiently and are completed timely with high quality results

KEY JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Prepares and files monthly, quarterly and annual Financial Status Reports (FSR) and reimbursement reports for all assigned grants.
• Analyzes GL balance and activity for all assigned grants.
• Prepares and processes monthly journal entries to record the grant's cash match and adjustments;
• Performs any necessary wire transfers; and clears bank reconciliation items
• Prepares and processes budget transfers and related transactions
• Assists with preparation of reimbursement requests from granting agency
• Prepares journal entries
• Performs reconciliations of budgetary and reimbursement request information
• Ensures that all accounting transactions are supported with adequate description and documentation
• Tracks progress of projects and activities to ensure accuracy of financial systems and ensure budgets are adhered to
• Establishes and maintains various in-house spreadsheet and logs supplemental to the department's accounting systems
• Coordinates with other divisions and responds to requests for information
• Works with Harris County Auditors to ensure accurate and timely invoice coordination and vendor credit/debit memo postings
• Coordinates purchases throughout the various programs, services, and fund types
• Works with various County Departments and the Purchasing department to process and monitor procurement activities

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Required Educational and Professional Credentials, Qualifications, Knowledge, and Skills:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required. Major in Accounting (or a related degree with a minimum of 30 hours in accounting) also required.
• Three (3) years of professional accounting with strong contract and/or fund accounting experience is required.
• Two (2) years experience working with PeopleSoft FSCM 9.0 or higher Grants module is required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (including experience with Pivot Tables and V-Lookup functions)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and consistently meet deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working with a large complex accounting system
• Practical experience with the principles of governmental accounting and reporting in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Skill in researching, analyzing and evaluating complex financial data
• Ability to communicate complex information clearly and concisely both orally and in writing
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to provide a high level of customer service; and establish and maintain effective interdepartmental communications and relationships

HARRIS COUNTY HAS AN EMPLOYMENT-AT-WILL POLICY

APPLICANTS ARE CONSIDERED WITHOUT REGARD TO RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, SEX, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AGE OR DISABILITY.

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.