Accountant

We are seeking an experienced Accountant to join the team at St Hilda's College, a college of over 230 students, a leading residential college at the University of Melbourne in Parkville.PRIMARY OBJECTIVEThe Accountant is responsible for all accounting functions and financial reporting of the general ledger through to month end. Also, to provide the College with oversight of the financial processes.The Accountant is responsible for assisting the Chief Financial Officer with all statutory reporting requirements, including the monthly BAS, the FBT assessment and return, providing information to the College's auditors and completion of the Australian Bureau of Statistics returns for business activity.The Accountant is responsible for maintaining the general ledger in an accurate and timely manner and to assist the Chief Financial Officer to prepare the monthly and end of year financial reports.The accountant is also responsible for delivering process and system improvements to ensure the College is leveraging modern technology in pursuit of efficient use of resources.HOURS OF WORKFull time9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to FridaySALARY AND BENEFITSSalary range of $115,000 to $125,000 plus superannuationLunch provided when Dining Hall operatingCar parkingSPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIESGENERAL LEDGERMaintain the general ledger accounting functions for assets and liabilities, income and expenditure, investments and other general ledger areas such as bank, creditor, debtor controls, suspense and other entity accounts.Actively manage the procedures for accrual accounting, specifically the treatment of transactions for end of month and end of year reporting, including monthly accruals and standing journals which support the month end reporting.Complete reconciliations and any subsequent actions to be taken, including income recognition, provision accounts, suspense accounts, capital work in progress accounts and other entity accounts.Review on a monthly basis the standing journals for utilities and other contracts.Prepare reconciliations and make the necessary adjustments during the financial year for actual/monthly accruals.Implement and manage the on-line bank (NAB) to general ledger system (Synergetic) bank reconciliation and complete reconciliations daily.Ensure all major accounting functions/processes are accurately documented and kept up to date.Ensure all journals have adequate supporting documentation attached.FINANCIAL REPORTSExtract, reconcile and report a month end trial balance, by the 5th business day of the following month.Publish monthly reports for all operating budgets for review by the Chief Financial Officer by the 5th business day of the following month.Assist the Chief Financial Officer with Board reporting.Manage donation receipting and reporting, including reconciliation and accounting of College's investment portfolio.Verify and report a daily cash balance, manage the fund transfers between the operating account and the cash management account and associated accounting.Prepare end of year audit work file and be the primary contact for the annual audit.Assist with preparation of end of year Special Purpose Financial Statements.Assist with the development of the annual budget in conjunction with the Chief Financial Officer, reporting to that budget and assisting cost centre owners with the management of their cost centres and preparation of their budget requests.STATUTORY OBLIGATIONS AND REPORTINGIn conjunction with the Chief Financial Officer, maintain an understanding and management of the GST in relation to the College operations and capital works, to carry out appropriate accounting treatments and to provide information into the College cash flow projections and funding planning.In conjunction with the Chief Financial Officer, lead the calculation of and reporting obligations in relation to the FBT expense liability and accounting into the cost centres, including the monthly standing journals and the implications in the quarterly Business Activity Statement (BAS).Prepare and submit the monthly IAS and quarterly BAS and associated lodgement with the ATO.Prepare and submit monthly PAYG and annual FBT returns and monthly superannuation clearing.Prepare Australian Bureau of Statistics returns and respond to other statutory reporting requests.DEBTORSPrepare and distribute invoices for College fees, staff rent and all monthly recoveries.Prepare and distribute statements on the 1st working day of each month.Be responsible for the monthly reconciliation of fees and rentals charged, with oversight of deposit repayments, bond repayments, scholarships and other billing factors.Lead the debt collection actions in a timely manner, including recording actions taken and escalating issues to the Chief Financial Officer.CREDITORSAssist the Chief Financial Officer to manage contractual arrangements with creditors, including tracking performance against contract terms.Take the lead role in managing smaller contracts, in consultation and agreement with the Chief Financial Officer.Collate creditor invoices for approval by the Chief Financial Officer.Process invoice entry into Synergetic, ensuring general ledger codes are correct and as indicated by department managers.Manage the payment approval process, including payment terms, GST, general ledger codes and the timing of creditor transactions to support the monthly operating result.Manage the creditor monthly reconciliations of statements.Take a lead role in considering and implementing an automated payment system, which may involve external service providers.PAYROLLPrepare fortnightly and monthly payroll, including utilising Deputy time tracking software for student workers.Facilitate payment through the payroll system.Calculate monthly superannuation payments and facilitate payment by the statutory deadline.Prepare PAYG payment summaries and the lodgement of the PAYG reconciliation to the ATO.Manage the sick and annual leave entitlements.Take a lead role in considering and implementing an automated payroll system, which may involve external payroll service providers.Maintain the Assets Register in the Synergetic finance application.Maintain automatic depreciation expense journals driven by the Asset Register.Maintain a working knowledge of capital projects, for approval of payments.Manage capital work in progress, transfers to the Asset Register and depreciation implications.GENERALSt Hilda's is a small organisation, so the Accountant must be prepared to perform a wide range of duties, from data processing to high level financial reporting.The College systems and processes have been in place for some time and there will be opportunities for the Accountant to review the existing systems, propose opportunities for improvement (including potential new technologies) and subsequently introduce these to deliver efficiency returns.In broader areas of the College operation, the Accountant also needs to maintain an up to date knowledge of:The flow of information from point of admission to current students to past students, including the data maintained in Synergetic, the financial transactions from application fee, deposit, bond, fee billing and recovery of direct costs.The interdependent links with other departments (and their systems) and manage the timing of information, for example employment contracts for student workers and car park registrations.Residential contracts for Senior Residential Advisors and undergraduate students, conferences, functions and others.KEY SELECTION CRITERIAEducation, training and/or completion of a university qualification in conjunction with relevant experience in accounting, ideally meeting the eligibility criteria for membership of an Australian accounting body (e.g., Australian Society of CPAs or Chartered Accountants Australia).Excellent technical skills in word processing, spreadsheets, database, internet and an ability to work with school type administrative software packages.Experience in the education sector would be highly regarded.Experience in the annual audit process, as a client or auditor, would be beneficial.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, together with the ability to work collaboratively and courteously with colleagues throughout the College.Ability to meet deadlines and work well under pressure.Commitment to working as a team member.Current and valid employee level Working with Children Check.Personal attributes/characteristicsAn affinity with the vision, mission and values of St Hilda's College.Demonstrated inter-personal and leadership skills.Strong analytical and problem solving skills.An appetite and enthusiasm for delivering change and improvements to systems and processes.Ability to work effectively with executives, staff and students in a university college environment.Ability to maintain the confidence of others in dealing with sensitive information.Ability to work independently, but also as part of a dynamic and diverse team.Preparedness to work across a broad range of duties given the small nature of the business.ABOUT THE COLLEGESt Hilda's The College Limited Board (the College) is a residential college affiliated with the University of Melbourne.The College was established in 1964 and provides accommodation and educational support for approximately 240 tertiary students from rural, interstate and international backgrounds, studying primarily at the University of Melbourne as well as at other nearby tertiary institutions.The College's vision is to transform young adults so that they can transform the world. The mission is to enable students from a broad range of backgrounds and identities to explore passions and interests and build the confidence they need to lead in a changing world.The College's values are:RespectSt Hilda's promotes respect for self and others.BelongingSt Hilda's cultivates an inclusive and supportive community where diversity and individuality is celebrated.St Hilda's provides a climate of openness which encourages genuine engagement, the expression of differing views and positive discourse.GrowthSt Hilda's supports students to find their passions, achieve ambitions and pursue excellence through a growth development mindset.CommunitasSt Hilda's provides opportunities to support others within and contribute both to the college community and broader local, national, and global community.Your application will include the following questions:Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?How many years' experience do you have as an accountant?Do you have a current Working With Children (WWC) Check?How many years of accounting experience do you have?Do you have previous invoicing experience?Do you have experience completing ad hoc and month end reporting?Do you have experience completing Business Activity Statements (BAS)?Which of the following Microsoft Office products are you experienced with?To help fast track investigation, please include here any other relevant details that prompted you to report this job ad as fraudulent / misleading / discriminatory.
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