Accountant I

Ready to put your accounting skills to work where they make a meaningful impact? Join San Diego State University's Accounting Services team and contribute to the financial operations that keep one of California's leading public universities running smoothly. This role offers the opportunity to build your accounting career while working with a collaborative team dedicated to accuracy, service, and continuous improvement.

As an Accountant I, you'll primarily support the University's accounts receivable function, helping ensure effective and efficient billing and collections, including preparing financial reconciliations, journal entries, and supporting month-end and year-end activities. Working closely with colleagues across campus, you'll help ensure financial transactions are recorded accurately and in accordance with accounting standards while contributing to the University's overall financial integrity.

• →Support the accounts receivable cycle, including customer maintenance and reporting, cost recovery, lease and billing management, account reconciliations, journal entries, and financial reporting.
• →Review and analyze financial transactions to resolve discrepancies and ensure accuracy and compliance with accounting standards and University procedures.
• →Prepare financial reports, schedules, and other accounting documentation that support month-end and year-end reporting activities.
• →Partner with campus departments to resolve accounting questions and support day-to-day financial operations.
• →Contribute to business process improvements, documentation, and other accounting projects as needed.

• Full-time, benefits eligible, permanent/probationary position.
• Position is designated non-exempt under FLSA and is eligible for overtime compensation.
• Standard SDSU work hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but may vary based on operational needs.
• This position is eligible for telecommuting up to 2 days per week, following a training period during which on-site presence is required.

San Diego State University is a dynamic and exciting organization and is one of 22 campuses in the California State University (CSU) System. The Division of Business and Financial Affairs (BFA) is at the heart of some of the larger projects on campus in recent years, including the construction of Snapdragon Stadium, as well as the implementation of my.SDSU. As part of BFA, the Department of Financial Operations is responsible for the financial and budgetary controls and procedures of the University and is directly responsible to the Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs. The Associate Vice President for Financial Operations has responsibility for Audit, Budget and Finance, Financial Operations, Procure-to-Pay, Shared Services, and the University Controller’s Office, which includes the University Bursar’s Office, Tax, Accounting Services, Financial Reporting, and Financial Systems Management and Analysis.

The University Controller’s Office is responsible for the maintenance of the University’s general and subsidiary ledgers for all operating and self-supporting funds. The University Controller’s Office oversees and coordinates the reconciliation and reporting of all financial transactions of the University. Including cash receipts processing, student refunds and reconciliations, financial aid disbursements, billing/collections, and reconciliations; management of the diverse services provided by the SDSU ID Card as performed by the SDSUCard Office. The University Controller’s Office is responsible for internal and external reporting, including Legal/Budgetary Basis, Financial Information Record Management System (FIRMS), and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The University Controller reports directly to the Associate Vice President for Financial Operations.

Accounting Services is responsible for analyzing, reviewing, recording, and reconciling all transactional activity received from the sub-ledger modules into the general ledger. Reconciliation of general ledger data is performed on a monthly basis with a high degree of accuracy. Accounting Services provides assistance to departments, staff, and administrators in understanding and resolving any issues with transactions and department-level accounts 

For more information regarding the Financial Operations Department, click here.

Equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in a related field. Relevant education and/or experience which demonstrates acquired and successfully applied knowledge and abilities shown above may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.

• General knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB), and Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB); office methods and procedures; and statistical and mathematical presentation of data. 
• Advanced proficiency with current word processing and spreadsheet software programs, web browsers, query tools, integrated financial systems and/or other types of records management systems. 
• Capable of analyzing financial and statistical data and draw conclusions.
• Capable of establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with others and communicating effectively with others inside and outside the unit, including conveying technical information to non-Accountants.

At SDSU, our diversity gives us power and benefits every single member of our community.  Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, SDSU provides equal opportunity for all in education and employment.  We encourage all members of our community to purposefully learn from one another through open and respectful dialogue and responsible engagement. We strongly preserve the right to free expression and encourage difficult conversations that help lead to improved individual and community learning and cohesion.

Principles of Community

At San Diego State University, we are a community of diverse individuals who have and represent many perspectives, beliefs, and identities. This diversity lends our community strength, and we commit to creating and sustaining an inclusive and intellectually vibrant environment that benefits all members of our university. 

SDSU’s Principles of Community is an aspirational statement that is intended to evolve over time. The statement reflects the ideals we are encouraged to uphold in our interactions with one another. 

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• Experience performing the accounts receivable cycle. Four years of progressively responsible governmental accounting experience, preferably in the higher education industry.
• Ability to manage a significant workload with overlapping deadlines and multiple deliverables.
• Experience with an integrated financial system such as Oracle eBusiness Suite and PeopleSoft Finance. Proficient with office products, including spreadsheets and word processing software.
• Strong research and problem-solving skills. Strong organizational and communication skills are strongly preferred.

All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, San Diego State University (SDSU) provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. SDSU complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices. 

SDSU is a diverse community of individuals who represent many perspectives, beliefs and identities, committed to fostering an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually vibrant environment. We cultivate a culture of open dialogue, mutual respect, and belonging to support educational excellence and student success. Through academic programs, student organizations and activities, faculty initiatives, and community partnerships, we encourage meaningful engagement with diverse perspectives. As a higher education institution, we are dedicated to advancing knowledge and empowering individuals to reach their full potential by prioritizing inclusive curriculum development, faculty and staff training, student mentorship, and comprehensive support programs. At SDSU, excellence is built on merit, talent, diversity, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all.