Staff Accountant

STAFF ACCOUNTANT

STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY:

The Staff Accountant is under the direction of the VP Finance & Controller.  The primary purpose of this position is to perform daily accounting activities including various reconciliations, review journal entries and resolve discrepancies, research and clear exception items, process foreign check collections, prepare and distribute internal reports, provide operational support, research, and maintenance of assigned accounting areas.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for daily work in assigned accounting areas relating to the Bank’s operations including daily balancing, exception clearing, account setup/clean up and research.
• Reconciles suspense and cash item in process of collection accounts daily; researches and prepares adjustments as required and submits each reconciliation for supervisor review and maintains files of same for audit review.
• Reconciles ATM/debit card, Zelle, ACH and checks inclearing activity daily; researches and prepares adjustments as required and submits each reconciliation for supervisor review and maintains files of same for audit review.
• Reconciles Merchant and Mobile Remote Deposits daily; research discrepancies and works with Commercial Relationship Officer or Operations Officer to process adjustments as needed.
• Track, prepare and distribute monthly Teller Over/Short reporting.  Provide support for researching teller activities.
• Reconcile and prepare a daily Branch Cash Position report for monthly distribution to management, including cash shipments and deliveries.
• Download and distribute weekly Deposit Rate survey and Monthly Loan Rate Survey; distribute reports to management and Branch personnel as requested.
• Prepares and processes Foreign Check and Domestic Draft collections as needed.
• Reconciles Official Checks issued daily to General Ledger and verifies signatures to ensure proper authorizations were obtained in accordance with policy and policy limits.  Periodically update the branch signature log for verification.
• Verifies General Ledger transactions posted by branch or other authorized staff to ensure posting accuracy and proper authorizations were obtained and posts correcting entries (as necessary).
• Maintains electronic records of General Ledger posting sheets according to Bank’s retention schedule.
• Create and review journal entries to record accounting transactions for assigned areas.
• Reconcile general ledger accounts, as assigned, daily, weekly, or monthly.
• Follow policies, procedures and internal controls and provides feedback for necessary changes.
• Coordinate with all Bank colleagues to facilitate ongoing process improvement.
• Perform all job duties adhering to Bay State Savings Bank Core Values of C.H.O.I.C.E. and uncompromising ethical standards.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Perform other related duties as required or assigned that are in the spirit of this job description and position as necessary for the Bank and the Department to function effectively.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as a solid knowledge of generally accepted accounting theory, are essential.
• Working knowledge of basic generally accepted accounting principles of assets, liabilities, income, expenses, and general ledger accounts.
• Ability to work well independently, as well as in a team-oriented environment.
• Knowledge of regulatory, policy and compliance issues.
• Ability to manage time and prioritize effectively.
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with all levels of the organization and perform well within a team environment.
• Willingness to adapt to changing business requirements and learn new systems/methods as required.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office products; Word & Excel at a minimum.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Associates degree in accounting or related field preferred (high school diploma or GED required)
• A minimum of two years’ experience in areas related to Accounting.
• Prior financial institution experience required.
• Experience with COCC’s core systems required. Experience with Oracle accounting systems preferred.
• Ability to learn various systems for internal and customer transaction processing.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT REQUIREMENTS:

• Vision, hearing, speech, movements requiring the use of wrists, hands and/or fingers.
• Able to sit, stand, stoop and bend.

The ability to work the days and hours required to fulfill the essential functions of the position.