Accounting Assistant

American University; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Benefits package

On-site work 3-4 days/week

Job summary

American University in Washington, DC seeks an Accounting Assistant to support the Controller’s Office—Grants & Contracts Accounting (GCA) team. You will handle data entry, journal entries, and financial reports while providing general administrative support.

Responsibilities include cash posting, award file maintenance, and ensuring AU policy compliance, with collaboration from the Accounting Manager and staff.

Qualifications

• Associate's degree in accounting or related field with coursework in accounting.
• Minimum 1 year of accounting experience and 2 years of general office support.
• Familiarity with finance processes and internal controls.

Responsibilities

• Oversees allocation of externally funded awards cash payments and reconciles accounts.
• Develops templated email responses to ensure consistent communications.
• Supports post-award financial management, including account setup and file organization.
• Provides general administrative support: phones, visitors, meetings, and reports.
• Reviews journal entries and ensures documentation is properly stored.

Skills

MS Office Proficiency

Communication Skills

Accounting Principles

Data Entry Accuracy

Financial Reporting

Education

Associate's degree

Tools

Accounting software

Excel

Budgeting knowledge

Job description

American University is a student-centered research institution located in Washington, DC, with highly-ranked schools and colleges, internationally-renowned faculty, and a reputation for creating meaningful change in the world. Learn more about American University

Department

Research Administration Operations

Time Type

Full time

Job Type

Regular

FLSA Status

Non-Exempt

Work Modality

Hybrid 01 (On Campus 3-4 Days/Week)

Union

Excluded

Summary

The Accounting Assistant position serves as accounting and administrative support for the Controller’s Office -Grants & Contracts Accounting (GCA) Team. This position is responsible for assisting the GCA office of senior and staff accountants with day-to-day operations while also performing tasks such as (but not limited to): entering, updating, and/or retrieving accounting data from the financial system, ensuring award setup is processed electronically, preparing journal entries and financial position reports for cash transactions, and monitoring incoming and outgoing verbal and written communication. The Assistant provides general administrative support as required.

Essential Functions

• Oversees the allocation of externally funded awards cash payments by managing incoming cash payments and reviews ledger accounts to ensure accuracy. Review and reconcile the departments holding account and prepare the necessary corrections. Feedback is provided by the Accounting Manager and Accounting staff.
• Develops and maintains templated responses for general email questions to ensure consistency in communications. Respond to incoming emails within defined timeframes. Organize, archive, and categorize emails for ease of reference and record keeping. Feedback is provided by accounting staff as well as the Accounting Manager and/or Director.
• Assist accounting staff with post-award financial management for their portfolio by assigning new project account numbers, establishing award file folders on the network drive, etc. Conduct a preliminary review of incoming cost transfers to ensure completion in accordance with AU policy and procedure.
• Provides general administrative support, including answering phones, greeting/assisting visitors, preparation of documents and reports, scheduling meetings, compiling records, coordinating calendars, and organizing and maintaining information. This requires the ability to interpret and communicate information, ideas, and instructions accurately and persuasively both verbally and in writing, including materials intended for distribution; incorporate new facts and ideas into group processes and apply creative thinking to develop new solutions; typically work with minimal supervision on complex assignments, conferring with the Accounting Manager on unusual matters.
• Review and reconcile posted general journal entries by verifying that supporting documentation is housed in the appropriate record-keeping location. Work is reviewed and approved by the Accounting Manager or Director.

Competencies

• Serving Customers.
• Acquiring and Analyzing Information.
• Prioritizing and Organizing.

Position Type/Expected Hours Of Work

• Full-time.
• 35 hours per week.

Salary Range

• $23.21 - $28.43 per hour.

Required Education And Experience

• Associate's degree or equivalent in accounting or related business field that includes accounting coursework.
• 1 - 3 years of relevant experience.
• Minimum of 2 year of relevant general office support.
• Minimum of 1 year of relevant accounting experience.

Preferred Education And Experience

• Associate's degree.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications

• Skill using Microsoft Office suite including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to develop briefings, presentations, and reports and to conduct analysis.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Knowledge of accounting principles, practices, and procedures.
• Knowledge of fiscal management/ accounting software applications.
• Ability to enter, maintain, and compile accounting, budgetary, fiscal, labor/ payroll and leave data.
• Must understand accounting principles such as debits, credits, revenue, and cash transactions.
• Must manage time effectively, prioritize tasks, set goals, and develop systems for achieving those goals.

Other Duties

• Please note that this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, and responsibilities required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.
• Special duties and projects as assigned by the Director or Accounting Manager.

Benefits

AU offers a competitive benefits package. Click here to learn about American University's unique benefit options.

Other Details

• Hiring offers for this position are contingent on successful completion of a background check.
• Employees in staff positions at American University must deliver their services to the university from either the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia, or perform work on-site at the university.
• Please note this job announcement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
• American University is an E-Verify employer.

Current American University Employees

American University current employees must apply through their employee Workday account. If you are a current employee at American University, please log into Workday and select the Find Jobs report which will take you to our internal career listings.

Contact Us

For more information or assistance with the American University careers site, email [e-mail].

American University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution that operates in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, personal appearance, gender identity and expression, family responsibilities, political affiliation, source of income, veteran status, an individual’s genetic information or any other bases under federal or local laws (collectively "Protected Bases") in its programs and activities.