Student Accounting Associate-Cardiothoracic Surgery

The department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at University of Iowa Health Care is seeking a Student Accountant. The primary responsibility of this position will be to provide accurate financial information in a cost-effective, efficient, and timely manner and to assure responsible stewardship of the University's financial resources by establishing policies and procedures in compliance with internal and external regulations.  Perform a broad range of accounting and financial analysis responsibilities to assure effective and compliant operations in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. The position requires a high level of collaboration, attention to detail, and accuracy.

Job Duties:

• Monitor and reconcile account expenditures, irregularities, answer inquiries regarding usage and status of accounts; advise in usage and status of accounts; provide recommendations and implement corrective action.
• Assist in the year-end closing of accounts and preparation of financial reports and annual budgets.
• Complete complex and non-routine reconciliations.
• Assist in the preparation of grant applications and annual grant reports.
• Monitor, track, and set up billing for clinical trial accounts.
• Assist faculty and lab staff with complex, capitalized equipment orders or other non-routine orders
• Maintain records to support departmental accounts and funded awards activity.
• Follow general policies and procedures in accordance with the regulations of The University of Iowa, Caver College of Medicine, and the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
• Review and audit transactions for appropriateness, accuracy, classification and for compliance with external sponsor expenditure guidelines and reconcile differences
• Open new accounts within University guidelines and execute the timely closing of grant and non-grant accounts.
• Review totals, prepare monthly and yearly reports, accruals, salary & fringe predictions for quarterly and yearly budgets. Monthly monitoring and reconciliation of general ledger and all entries.
• Set up and monitor salary splits for the department over all MFKs.
• Recommend and assist in the development and delivery of training on financial systems, travel, and purchasing policies to department and laboratory staff
• Reconcile bank deposits.
• Review and analyze Funds Flow monthly.
• Track commitments and prepare projections for Administrator, as requested, for numerous reports from expenses, salaries, VA commitments, monthly departmental snapshots, and comparison to prior years.
• Assist with the development of financial proformas for financial planning.
• Liaison with the University of Iowa Foundation and review spending and money transfers as needed.
• Set up bill areas for new providers, entering effort into METS and generating reports & reviewing each provider.
• Correct accounts with JE and or WebCV, payCV and request corrections from other departments as needed.
• Process transactions/payments as appropriate in ProTrav system.
• Answer questions & resolve account discrepancies with budgeting, salaries, new hires, MFKs, and remaining balances.
• Develop and prepare reports that reflect activity levels with comparison to appropriate benchmarks.
• Analyze data from monthly grant reports. Distribute data to faculty and explain the budget and forecast.
• Answer questions and resolve account discrepancies both internal and external.
• Serve as a resource related to billing matters for the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
• Prepare special and periodic reports as required.
• Review external funding account transactions and assist with Grant Accounting closeout/review of financial transactions.
• Provide timely reports on variances from such established budget and make recommendations to reduce unfavorable budget variances.
• Provide direction and assistance to departmental administrative staff and faculty based on the budget.
• Assist in development and maintenance of account databases and reporting.

Required Qualifications:

• Proficiency in computer software applications including the Microsoft Office Suite
• Proficiency in statistical and financial analysis
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.