Accountant I

Position Summary

The Accountant I supports the financial and operational activities of the Residential & Hospitality Services (RHS) Business and Financial Services (BFS) office. The position will serve as backup to the accounting supervisor and will be assigned as the Fiscal Officer/Delegate to assist with account reconciliation for several accounts within one or more of the business Units. The candidate may function as a lead on projects to review business functions and make recommendations that enhance processes.

This position provides accounting controls for departmental budgets that exceed $20 million of expenses in some units and assists departmental staff with accounting concerns. May be designated Fiscal Officer (FO)/Fiscal Officer Delegate for one or more accounts. Collects, compiles, and interprets information and monitors the activities of the department in order to assist in the basic operational functioning. Must be familiar with troubleshooting technology and accounting subsystems used to book services for students or conference/events that are transmitted to the University central system. The candidate should be comfortable presenting and leading projects and be proficient in process mapping.

This position will be fully onsite for the first six months, followed by the option to switch to a hybrid schedule of 3 days onsite, 2 days remote. This is not a fully remote position.

Typical Duties Include:

• FO/FO Delegate: Analyzes budget information to track budget to actual figures and to review business purpose of assigned accounts, related business statements such as Food Stores, Stores, Spartan Linen, Planon, Telecom, PCard review, revenue and billing interface reports and special room credits/assignments; verification as well as appropriate transactional documentation for audit purposes. Maintains internal files for reconciliations. Review with unit manager on a consistent basis for any concerns that may show up. 
• Accounts Receivables: Participate in reviewing Accounts Receivables in multiple departments to ensure work is being timely and accurately completed and to assist Office Coordinator with follow-up as necessary.
• Projects: Lead or participate in groups to review and map processes. Identify, analyze gaps and make recommendations to supervis or for improvements to existing processes or creation of a new process.
• Software review and troubleshooting, Populating analytical data and reports to analyze and modify as needed.
• Other duties - Providing backup response to other areas such as Cash Office, Accounts Payable as necessary. Providing guidance to student staff as necessary. May be other miscellaneous job duties assigned as needed based on departments needs.

All positions in RHS are designated as critical status. In the event of a university closure, modification, or suspension of operations due to snow or other emergency conditions, you will be expected to make all reasonable attempts to report to work as scheduled for the duration of the closure/suspension. If you have an approved remote work agreement to work a portion of your normally scheduled work hours remotely, you may be called upon to work on-site to serve the MSU community. If you have a permanent, on-going, and/or pervasive condition that may impede your ability to work on-site, please contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) at rcpd.msu.edu/get-started.

Minimum Requirements

Knowledge equivalent to that which normally would be acquired by completing a four-year college degree program in Accounting; one to three years of related Business Degree with a major emphasis in accounting and progressively more responsible or expansive work experience in financial statement and report preparation, general ledger accounting and budgeting; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Desired Qualifications

• Strong work ethic, independent thinker, self-starter who works well in a team environment to exchange ideas and improve systems and processes.
• Ability to troubleshoot and reconfigure software data tables to recommend improvements in reporting capability. 
• Experience with Maestro, Amadeus/Delphi and other room reservation and service billing systems; Campus Solutions, Enterprise Business Systems (Kuali, SAP, BI and Cognos), TeamDynamix, Transact, CashNet, Simphony, and CashPro.
• Experience in retail accounting.
• Familiarity with Capital Asset Management (CAM). 

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Application Materials

Resume, cover letter and 3 professional references required.

Work Hours

Standard 8-5 Monday - Friday with some evenings or weekends based on business need.

Website

CAREERS.MSU.EDU

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Bidding eligibility ends August 4, 2026 at 11:55 P.M.