Accountant - 250 Day

Prince William County Public Schools; Manassas (VA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Prince William County Public Schools is seeking an Accountant to support the division's day‑to‑day financial, reporting, and compliance operations. The role focuses on transactional accounting, general ledger activity, payroll, grants, accounts payable, asset management, receivables, and inventory in line with US GAAP and applicable compliance requirements.

You will maintain documentation, perform reconciliations, assist internal and external audits, and contribute to the ACFR and SEFA

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, business, finance or related field.
• Three years of progressive professional accounting experience.
• CPA, CPFO, CGFM, or another nationally recognized accounting or financial management certification that demonstrates proficiency is preferred.
• Knowledge of US GAAP, internal controls, and grant accounting is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Process, review, and record financial transactions per procedures and US GAAP concepts.
• Ensure transactions are authorized, recorded, classified, and documented.
• Apply accounting principles including cut-off, matching, capitalization vs. expense, and accruals.
• Perform reconciliations and research discrepancies in accordance with guidance and controls.
• Assist audits by preparing schedules and documentation; respond to requests as needed.
• Assist in preparing ACFR, SEFA, and related financial/reporting schedules.

Skills

US GAAP Knowledge

Internal Controls

Financial Analysis

ERP Proficiency

Excel Proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field

Tools

ERP software

General Ledger software

Payroll systems

Job description

The accountant performs transactional accounting and compliance activities supporting the school division’s day-to-day financial, reporting, and compliance operations. This position processes and reviews financial transactions related to, but not limited to, general ledger activity, payroll, grants, accounts payable, asset management, receivables, financial reporting support, and/or warehouse inventory, in accordance with established procedures, internal controls, generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP), and applicable state, federal, grant, and other compliance requirements. The accountant exercises judgment and applies a foundational understanding of accounting, audit, and internal control principles to ensure transactions are accurately recorded, properly classified, well documented, and compliant.

Essential Responsibilities Specific to This Job

• Process, review, and record financial transactions in accordance with established procedures, internal controls, applicable U.S. GAAP concepts, and grant requirements.
• Ensure transactions are properly authorized, accurately recorded, correctly classified, and supported by appropriate documentation.
• Apply accounting principles, including cut-off, matching, capitalization versus expense, and accrual concepts, to routine transactional activity.
• Perform reconciliations of transactional activity and assigned accounts, exercising judgment to identify, research, and resolve discrepancies in accordance with accounting guidance, grant requirements, and internal controls.
• Research discrepancies, unusual transactions, or missing documentation and take corrective action within assigned authority or elevate issues as appropriate.
• Execute internal control procedures during transaction processing to safeguard assets and ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
• Maintain complete, accurate, and well documented, and compliance.
• Coordinate with internal departments to research and resolve routine transactional discrepancies or documentation issues.
• Record asset acquisitions, transfers, adjustments, and disposals in accordance with U.S. GAAP and established capitalization and asset management procedures.
• Support warehouse and inventory activities by recording inventory transactions, assisting with physical counts, and reconciling inventory records.
• Process grant reimbursement requests by reviewing transactional activity for allowability, accuracy, proper documentation, and compliance with applicable grant requirements and internal controls.
• Accurately document accounting procedures, workflows, and key processing steps to ensure consistency, compliance with internal controls, and continuity of operations.
• Provide support for internal, external, or compliance audits by preparing schedules, transaction listings, and supporting documentation and responding to audit requests as needed.
• Assist in the preparation of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA), and related financial or grant reporting schedules by preparing transaction‑level support and documentation.
• Assist with implementing corrective actions related to audit findings affecting transactional processes.
• Develop and prepare internal financial reports and analyses by summarizing transactional data to support operational oversight, decision‑making, and compliance monitoring.
• Analyze routine financial and compliance metrics by summarizing transactional data to support internal monitoring, issue identification, and operational oversight.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Behaviors

• Demonstrated knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) sufficient to accurately classify, record, and reconcile financial transactions and recognize when activity is inconsistent with established guidance.
• Understanding of internal control concepts, including control design, operating effectiveness, and risk mitigation across end-to‑end financial transaction cycles.
• Working knowledge of grant compliance requirements sufficient to support reimbursement processing, documentation standards, and audit readiness.
• Ability to apply accounting judgment to evaluate accuracy, completeness, reasonableness, and compliance, and to recognize situations of noncompliance or where controls may not have been properly applied.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze transactional data, identify discrepancies, questionable transactions, or control concerns, and determine appropriate corrective action or escalation.
• Ability to recognize patterns, variances, or anomalies in transactional activity that may indicate processing errors, compliance issues, or control weaknesses.
• Demonstrated ability to perform and maintain accurate reconciliations, including identification, analysis, and resolution of reconciling items.
• Ability to prepare and maintain clear, complete, and well‑organized documentation that supports audit trails and withstands audit scrutiny.
• Proficiency in financial systems and ERP environments, with the ability to navigate data, verify accuracy, and identify transaction‑level issues.
• Strong Excel skills sufficient to support reconciliations, transaction analysis, metrics, and preparation of audit‑ready schedules.
• Ability to develop internal financial reports and metrics by summarizing transactional data in a manner that supports monitoring, oversight, and compliance.
• Demonstrated ownership of assigned work, including accuracy, documentation quality, timeliness, and follow‑through.
• Demonstrated initiative in identifying issues, asking appropriate questions, and seeking to understand the underlying accounting implications of transactional activity.
• Ability to clearly and professionally communicate financial information orally and in writing, tailoring content, terminology, and presentation style to the intended audience.

Education Requirement

Minimum of a bachelor's degree in accounting, business, finance or related field

Work Experience Requirements

Three years of progressive professional accounting experience involving transactional accounting activities such as general ledger processing, accounts payable, payroll, grants, capital assets, receivables, or inventory.

CPA, CPFO, CGFM, or another nationally recognized accounting or financial management certification that demonstrates professional proficiency in accounting or public‑sector financial management preferred.