Accounting Assistant
Colgate University
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Job summary
Colgate University is seeking an on-site Accounts Payable professional for the Hamilton, NY campus. The role supports accounts payable processing, vendor communications, and payment cycles with a strong emphasis on accuracy and confidentiality.
The ideal candidate has 3+ years in administrative accounting, proficiency with Excel/Sheets, and experience with Google Workspace. The position offers full-time hours and a commitment to campus financial operations.
Qualifications
- 3+ years of professional administrative or operational experience handling accounts payable functions, payment cycles, and third-party vendor correspondence.
- Proficiency in spreadsheet applications for data organization, basic formulas, and functions (MS Excel/Google Sheets).
- Familiarity with Gmail/Google Workspace and business communication tools.
Responsibilities
- Review and enter accounts payable invoices, including purchase orders and reimbursements, ensuring timely payments.
- Process weekly check runs with validation and backup documentation.
- Verify tax compliance (W-9/W-8), IRS TIN matching, and system setup for vendors.
- Handle general administrative tasks and respond to financial inquiries from campus partners and vendors.
- Manage shared accounting inbox and phone line with prompt, customer-focused support.
- Perform monthly reconciliations of property and unclaimed funds per regulatory guidelines.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
$20.50 - $22.50 / hour
- 3 or more years of professional administrative or operational experience handling accounts payable functions, payment cycles, and third-party vendor correspondence.
- Proficiency in spreadsheet applications for data organization, basic formulas, and functions (Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets).
- Familiarity with standard business communication tools (Gmail / Google Workspace).
- Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with a customer-service orientation.
- Proven attention to detail and high data entry accuracy under tight payment deadlines.
- Solid operational judgment with a demonstrated capacity to resolve transactional discrepancies constructively.
- Demonstrated commitment to maintaining strict confidentiality of sensitive financial data.
- Prior experience in a higher education, academic, or non-profit environment.
- Experience with Ellucian Banner or a comparable enterprise resource planning ( ERP ) system.
- Experience with Unimarket or a comparable e-procurement platform.
- Understanding of end-to-end financial workflows and how individual processing steps impact departmental deliverables and broader university goals.
An Associate’s degree in Accounting, Bookkeeping, Finance or similar field, or a combination of education and experience from which comparable skills are obtained is required.
When extending an offer, Colgate University considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations.
Work visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
The Office of Accounting and Control at Colgate University manages the institution’s daily financial operations. It oversees several key departments, including Accounts Payable, Payroll, Student Accounts, and Grant Management, ensuring the university’s fiscal health and regulatory compliance.
- Review and enter accounts payable invoices accurately, including purchase orders and student reimbursements, ensuring payments are processed and released in a timely manner.
- Process weekly check runs with comprehensive report validation and required backup documentation.
- Review vendor documentation for tax compliance (W-9/W-8 verification), IRS TIN matching, and system setup.
- Perform general administrative and job-related duties as assigned.
- Field and resolve a high volume of financial inquiries from internal campus partners and external vendors regarding invoice status, purchase order setup, payment schedules, and policy guidance.
- Manage the shared accounting office email queue and phone line, delivering prompt, customer-focused support for incoming general accounting inquiries.
- Review financial transactions for policy alignment, returning non-compliant items with clear, constructive feedback and guidance.
- Perform monthly reconciliations of abandoned property and unclaimed funds in accordance with regulatory guidelines.
- Ensure high data quality by auditing entries and reports to identify anomalies and maintain system integrity across core university financial platforms.
- Evaluate existing workflows to identify opportunities for improving processing speed, accuracy, and operational efficiency.
- Adapt quickly to evolving financial regulations, administrative procedures, and institutional software upgrades.
- Identify routine and complex transactional discrepancies, collaborating effectively with cross-functional partners to implement solutions.
- Partner productively with internal team members to support cross-coverage, share technical knowledge, and achieve departmental goals.
- Safeguard sensitive, confidential financial data in strict adherence to privacy policies.
- Promote an inclusive and welcoming work environment by demonstrating respect for diverse perspectives and engaging collaboratively across the campus community and with external partners.
Requisition Number 2026S075Posting
Temporary No
40 hours per week.
Monday through Friday, standard business hours.
Job Open Date 11/05/2026
Open Until Filled No
The University recognizes that equal employment opportunity can only be achieved through demonstrated leadership. It is the Policy of the University to recruit, employ, retain, promote, and train employees on the basis of skills and experience, capacity to do the job, and valid job qualifications without regard to any characteristics protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.
CAMPUS CRIME REPORTING AND STATISTICS
The Department of Campus Safety will provide upon request a copy of Colgate’s Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. This report includes statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education for the previous three years concerning reported: 1. crimes that occurred on-campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Colgate University; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus and 2. fires that occurred in student housing facilities. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security and fire safety, such as policies concerning sexual assault, life safety systems, and other related matters. You may access the report from the Clery Compliance web page at: https://www.colgate.edu/about/offices-centers-institutes/dean-college/campus-safety-staff/clery-compliance . Printed copies of this report may be obtained upon request from the Department of Campus Safety via e-mail at cusafety@colgate.edu .
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- * Are you currently a Colgate employee?
- Yes
- No
- * Have you ever been a Colgate employee?
- Yes
- No
- Do you have a spouse/domestic partner who currently is, or will be, employed at Colgate University?
- Yes
- No
- * Are you at least 18 years of age?
- Yes
- No
- * Please let us know how you heard about this position.
- Albany Times Union
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- BlackCoachesinSports
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- Chronicle of Higher Education
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- Colgate Employee
- Colgate Website
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- HERC (Upstate New York HERC)
- HigherEdJobs.com
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- Mid-York Weekly
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- Oneida Daily Dispatch
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- Studentaffairs.com
- Syracuse Post Standard
- Utica Observer Dispatch
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- WomenLeadersinCollegeSports.com
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- If you selected "Colgate Employee" or "Other" for how you heard about this position, please provide the employee's name or where you heard about/saw the position.
(Open Ended Question)
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