Staff Accountant (#720)

STAFF ACCOUNTANT

LOCATION: Augusta or Portland AOC

The State of Maine Judicial Branch welcomes motivated team members to join us in serving the communities of Maine within the court system. The Judicial Branch plays a very important role in our communities by providing a safe, accessible, efficient, and impartial system of dispute resolution. Judicial Branch employees all support this mission, in their various roles.  We have 31 courts across the state and process over 130,000 cases each year in support of Maine’s almost 1.4 million residents.

The Job:

The State of Maine Judicial Branch is seeking a professional who is familiar with the application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) guidelines in maintaining complex accounts within established accounting systems.  Employees use and apply accounting skills at the full proficiency level to analyze and resolve nonstandard accounting transactions and independently initiate appropriate corrections into accounting records.  Employees interact with programmatic staff to explain accounting policies and procedures or resolve accounting discrepancies and disputes.  Supervision may be exercised over paraprofessional accounting personnel and office support/clerical staff.  Work is performed under limited supervision.

If you have a Bachelors or Associates degree in accounting (or have at least 18 semester hours in accounting coursework) or have at least 3-6 years of practical accounting work experience providing complex technical support to professional accounting staff, we invite you to apply to join our dedicated team of Judicial Branch employees. We love what we do and want to find someone who shares that enthusiasm!

Salary Range: 

Grade 15, $30.66 to $39.93 per hour. Starting pay is $30.66 - $32.24 per hour.

What We Offer:

At the Maine Judicial Branch, we value our employees, which is why we offer great benefits. In addition to competitive pay, we provide:

• Work-life balance: 13 paid holidays, 2+ weeks of vacation leave, and 12 paid sick days every year.
• Paid Parental Leave: 4 weeks
• Gym membership and childcare reimbursement programs
• Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program
• Health insurance coverage (85%-100% employer-paid for employee-only plan)
• Health insurance premium credit (5% decrease in employee premiums)
• Dental insurance (100% employer-paid for employee-only plan)
• Health and dependent care flexible spending accounts
• Defined Benefit Pension plan contributions
• Voluntary deferred compensation (retirement savings 457 Plan)
• Up to $1000 Tuition Reimbursement each year
• Employer-paid life insurance (1x annual salary)
• Additional wellness benefits

Responsibilities:

• Establishes and oversees accounting procedures and internal controls for asset and liability accounts, revenue and expense accounts, and equity accounts in order to ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards and standard operating procedures.
• Applies accounting theory to account for revenues, expenditures, transfers, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and inventory in accordance with GAAP/GASB in order to accurately report the results of agency operations.
• Verifies source documents for accuracy, completeness, authorization, and coding, as well as proper application of fees, refunds, collections, and discounts in order to verify general ledger balances, reconcile subsystems to the general ledger, and identify accounting system problems or weaknesses.
• Reviews financial transactions and applies accounting theory and principles in order to ensure compliance with GAAP/GASB and applicable laws, rules, policies, and procedures.
• Reconciles accounts, initiates corrective actions, and formulates and recommends system and process changes through evaluation, analysis of problems and application of accounting theory in order to eliminate future problems.
• Prepares agency financial reports including information for the statewide financial report and prepares portions of required annual financial statements and related notes and disclosures in order to communicate relevant financial information to concerned parties.
• Prepares cash forecasts, revenue estimates, and expenditure projections for planning purposes in order to support budgetary and program staff.
• Monitors budget balances, identifies issues, and formulates corrective actions in order to inform and support program and accounting managers.
• Coordinates, reconciles, and monitors grants working as the fiscal manager for grants, filing fiscal reports, providing staff with reports on the fiscal status of grants, coordinates draw downs and works as a subject matter expert on federal grant processes, policies, rules and regulations.
• Confers with financial and program staff in order to explain accounting policy and processes and resolve accounting discrepancies or disputes associated with account balances and reconciliations, reporting clarifications, payment authorizations, expenditures, and budget balances.

We’re Looking For:

• A Bachelors Degree from an accredited educational institution in Accounting -OR- any other Bachelors Degree from an accredited educational institution that includes at least 18 semester hours in accounting coursework -OR- An Associates Degree from an accredited educational institution in Accounting and 3 years of practical work experience providing complex technical support to professional accounting staff -OR- 6 years of practical work experience providing complex technical support to professional accounting staff. Accounting coursework must include successful completion of Principles of Accounting I & II, Intermediate Accounting I & II, plus two other accounting-related courses.
• Experience must demonstrate comprehension and application of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) guidelines. Must demonstrate the ability to (1) classify and analyze financial data and records for the purpose of business financial planning; (2) design, recommend, and implement modifications of accounting methods, procedures, forms, and records; (3) prepare financial statements and reports such as balance sheets and other operating statements; and (4) analyze accounts and accounting relationships that result in complex accounting entries.

How to Apply:

Cover letter, resume, and online application must be submitted online at https://www.courts.maine.gov/about/jobs.html.