Fiscal Specialist 1

Description

Columbia Basin College (“CBC” or the “College”) seeks a Fiscal Specialist 1 to continually provide excellent customer service to students, faculty and staff in areas including cashiering, student financials, merchant services and other banking tasks. This position is a front-line position where engaging in phone calls, emails and walk-up requests for support and information frequently interrupts other work, so a customer-first attitude and excellent customer service skills are essential in providing assistance for a wide variety of simple to moderately complex financial issues. The Fiscal Specialist 1 will work as part of a team of Fiscal Staff to ensure the delivery of accurate financial information to all customers and the College as a whole. This position reports to the Assistant Director for Student Finance.

This position is open until filled. Priority consideration will be given to applicants whose complete application has been received by June 26, 2022 @ 11:59 PM Pacific Time.

Per Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 21-14.1 (Download PDF reader) , state employees and employees of educational institutions must be fully vaccinated. Please note that any offer of employment is contingent upon you providing verification of your vaccine status, having an approved medical accommodation, or having an approved religious accommodation. No start date will be approved until you have either verified your vaccine status or have an approved accommodation. Need more information? Please contact covidvaccinemandate@columbiabasin.edu .

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide customer service by triaging incoming Accounting Services phone calls and/or emails;
• Maintain and modify student/customer accounts in accordance with CBC procedures; establish charges to accounts as needed and reconcile transactions to accounting reports when appropriate; process card payments;
• Provide customer service to assist other departments in understanding and working with students to review accounts and make adjustments;
• Verify, process, and reconcile cash receipts and check/cash/credit card reports to the Financial Management System (FMS) cashiering session and the bank's merchant services system; complete daily cash closing report;
• Receive and verify deposits from other departments and payment website; prepare and verify bank deposits daily; serve as custodian of college cash assets under direct control such as deposits awaiting delivery to the bank, cashiering tills and petty cash funds;
• Provide customer service by collecting student accounts in a timely manner according to CBC procedures, and state and federal collection and bankruptcy regulations;
• Prepare, audit and verify student statements for accurate information and disburse for payment;
• Process non-sufficient funds checks, pursue collection of balances due and assess proper fees; communicate CBC collection policies and procedures to students and public;
• Review and verify credit balances on student accounts; investigate and process refunds as appropriate; interpret and communicate CBC refund policy to students and public; determine refund exceptions and coordinate adjustments with Registrar;
• Coordinate with Financial Aid and process returns to Title IV, refunds and adjustments to Financial Aid programs in compliance with federal financial aid regulations, verifying accuracy and completeness of calculations and dates;
• Coordinate, verify and input Bookstore deposits into the FMS system; establish and pay bookstore quarterly scholarship charges upon receiving invoices from Bookstore and verify scholarship dollars authorized by Financial Aid;
• Provide customer service to students by understanding, researching and providing 1098T information in accordance with State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and state regulations and requirements; coordinate the issuance of public notices related to job functions such as tuition due dates and available payment methods and policies;
• Maintain and manage systems used to monitor and reconcile the College's Student Tuition Payment Plan (STEPP), including timely collection from students; advertise the College's STEPP plan;
• Assist with formal collection procedures, summary information and analysis of records and reports; exercise independent judgment in resolving payment issues between students, collection agencies and CBC while maintaining compliance with state and institutional policies and regulations;
• Recommend improved procedures for preparation of fiscal reports; and
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Associate's degree in Accounting, Business or equivalent from an institutionally accredited college or university; and
• Two (2) years of customer service experience such as banking or retail;

OR

• One year of relevant work experience as stated above may be substituted for each year of required education. For example, if you do not have an Associate's degree, but have one (1) year of coursework in Accounting, Business or equivalent, you may substitute three (3) years of relevant experience for the required education;

OR

• Conversely, one (1) year of relevant 300-400 level coursework/education in the disciplines stated above may substitute for one (1) year of required experience. For example, if you have a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business or equivalent, but no years of experience in fiscal record keeping, your application may be considered qualified.

Skills & Abilities

Analytical Skills : Synthesize complex or diverse information; collect and research data; use intuition and experience to complement data; design work flows and procedures;

Cultural Competence : Accept cultural differences between people; effectively communicate information to culturally diverse staff, students and the community; ability to suspend own biases and prejudices in order to be nonjudgmental; awareness of own background/experiences and how they influence learning process and attitudes;

Customer Service Skills : Manage difficult or emotional customer situations; respond promptly to customer needs; solicit customer feedback to improve service; respond to requests for service and assistance; meet commitments;

Oral Communication : Ability to speak clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listen and get clarification; respond well to questions; demonstrate group presentation skills; participate in meetings;

Problem Solving Skills : Identify and resolve problems in a timely manner; gather and analyze information skillfully; develop alternative solutions; work well in group problem solving situations; use reason even when dealing with emotional topics;

Professionalism : Ability to approach others in a tactful manner; react well under pressure; treat others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; accept responsibility for own actions; follow through on commitments;

Quality : Demonstrate accuracy and thoroughness; look for ways to improve and promote quality; apply feedback to improve performance; monitor own work to ensure quality;

Technical Skills : Assess own strengths and weaknesses; pursue training and development opportunities; strive to continuously build knowledge and skills; share expertise with others; and

Written Communication : Write clearly and informatively; edit work for spelling and grammar; vary writing style to meet needs; present numerical data effectively; able to read and interpret written information.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

This position is a twelve (12) month, full-time, overtime eligible represented, classified staff position. The typical work hours for this position are Monday through Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., however, must be available to work a flexible schedule when prior notice is given by the College. This position is available immediately.

PROCESS NOTE:

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

Additionally, pursuant to RCW 28B.112.080, applicants must declare whether they are the subject of any substantiated findings of sexual misconduct in any current or former employment or are currently being investigated for, or have left a position during an investigation into, a violation of any sexual misconduct policy at the applicant’s current or past employer. By law, post-secondary education institutions cannot hire an applicant who refuses to declare the existence or non-existence of an investigation or findings subject to this statute.

**Please note that selected interview candidates will be subject to supplemental testing that will measure skills and abilities related to this position (e.g., Communication, Technical Skills, MS Office Simulation [Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word], Customer Service, etc.).

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

In the interest of providing a healthy, safe and secure educational and work environment, and in order to meet the requirements of federal legislation, it is the policy of Columbia Basin College to maintain an alcohol and drug-free workplace for our employees and students.

If you are hired, you will need to provide proof of identity and documentation of U.S. citizenship or appropriate authorization to work in this position as required by the Immigration Reform Control Act of 1986.

Columbia Basin College operates under an approved affirmative action plan and encourages applications from persons of color, women, veterans and persons of disability. The Human Resources Office is accessible to those with disabilities. If you need accommodation in application or employment, contact the Human Resources Office at (509) 542-4740.

OTHER JOB ELEMENTS:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described below are representative of those that must be met and may be encountered by an incumbent when performing the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualified disabilities to perform the essential functions.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, bend, kneel, stoop, communicate, reach and manipulate objects. The position requires mobility including having the ability to move materials on a regular basis such as files, books, office equipment, etc. Manual dexterity and coordination are required to operate equipment such as computer keyboard, calculator, and standard office equipment.

WORKING CONDITIONS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Usual office working conditions. The noise level in the work area is typical of most office environments with telephones, personal interruptions, and background noises.

UNION CLAUSE:

This is a bargaining unit position represented by the Washington Public Employees Association (WPEA). Internal promotional, transfer and voluntary demotion applicants who have skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position will be considered prior to consideration of other applicants.