Assistant Controller (Director of Finance & Operations)

Community College of Rhode Island; Warwick (RI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Community College of Rhode Island is seeking a Controller to oversee Student Financial Operations and OneStop coordination, ensuring accurate billing, receivables, and reporting. You will supervise staff, maintain ERP and payment systems, and lead audits in partnership with college leadership.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field and at least five years in financial leadership within higher education or a similar complex environment, with strong analytical and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, or related field
• Minimum five years supervisory experience in management of a complex accounting system
• Working knowledge of a complex ERP system
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Strong interpersonal and team building skills
• High level analytical and organizational skills
• Proficiency in MS Office Excel and Word applications
• Must be proficient in the use of personal computers, calculators, mailing pressure sealers, and office telephone systems

Responsibilities

• Oversee billing, deposits, collections and record maintenance for student fees
• Prepare, review, and post daily, monthly, and annual journal entries
• Serve as AR primary point of contact for audits and provide documentation
• Administer student financial communications via CRM and other platforms
• Ensure compliance with audit guidelines and participate in audits
• Reconcile and manage accounts receivable and revenue recognition
• Coordinate with collection agencies and prepare AR reports
• Maintain 1098T information for IRS compliance
• Manage Bookstore and OneCard transaction functions
• Liaise with third-party funding agencies and students
• Participate in Fraud Committee and train staff on policies

Skills

Supervisory experience

Analytical skills

Oral and written communication

Interpersonal skills

MS Office proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field

Master’s degree in accounting or related field

Tools

MS Excel

MS Word

Banner Finance

ERP systems

Power BI

CRM systems

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:

To be responsible to the Controller for the day-to-day oversight of the following functions:

• Management of the Student Financial Operations staff
• Coordinate financial functions to support OneStop office
• All College receipts and student disbursements
• Accounting systems, cashier systems, and payment web services
• Internal control policies and procedures over billing and collections including Student, Auxiliary, Workforce Partnership, and OneStop
• Management of accounts receivables and collections
• Timely accounting, receivables, collections, and management reporting

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial Responsibilities

• Supervise, organize, and ensure the billing, deposit, collection, disbursement and record maintenance of student tuition and fees, scholarships and awards, auxiliary programs, student agency funds, and workforce funds
• Prepare, review, and post daily, monthly, and annual journal entries to ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial records.
• Serve as the Accounts Receivable primary point of contact for all federal, state, independent, and other external audits, providing documentation, schedules, and other requested audit information.
• Administer all student financial communications and content through the college’s webpage, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, texting, and other platforms .
• Ensure that the Student Financial Operations Office and the financial aspects of OneStop are in compliance with Federal and State audit guidelines and participate in the annual audits and internal audit reviews
• Reconcile and manage the College’s accounts receivable, including student accounts, contracts, and third-party agreements, and perform related revenue recognition and revenue reconciliation activities.
• Manage, coordinate, and evaluate collection agencies
• Prepare reports, dashboards, and analysis of accounts receivables, cash collections, disbursements and cashiering services
• Maintain 1098T information and prepare the annual 1098T file in compliance with IRS and industry standards
• Responsible for the financial transactions involving Bookstore First day Complete, Auxiliary bus pass program, and OneCard transactions including meal programs
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with third party funding agencies and act as the liaison between the College, agencies, as and participating students

Operational Responsibilities

• Participate in the Fraud Committee to identify and mitigate fraud risks and safeguard personal and payment information in compliance with FERPA, PCI DSS, and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Train, develop, and mentor Student Financial Operations and OneStop staff on financial policies and procedures, leadership, technical skills, compliance knowledge, and industry best practices
• Offer financial solutions that maximize student registration and retention in accordance with a sound fiscal strategy
• Manage financial accounting and internal financial control systems, including maintaining a strong working knowledge of student ERP, non-credit ERP, and payment systems, implementing changes as necessary, and coordinating departmental and college system needs with appropriate IT staff
• Perform user maintenance and testing of all ERP system functions including rate tables, tuition calculations, application of payments, refunding, holds processing, credit card and ACH processing, drop for nonpayment, and other related functions
• Manage and promote the College’s internal payment plans for credit and non-credit students
• Work collaboratively in a diverse, inclusive, and student-centered environment to promote a seamless financial experience for students and the College community
• Other related duties as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business administration, or related field
• A minimum of five years’ supervisory experience in management of a complex accounting system, public accounting, large billing and collections office OR similar a combination of experience
• At least three years supervisory experience
• Working knowledge of a complex ERP system
• Excellent oral and written communications skills
• Strong interpersonal and team building skills
• High level analytical and organizational skills
• Proficiency in MS Office Excel and Word applications
• Must be proficient in the use of personal computers, calculators, mailing pressure sealers, and office telephone systems

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Master’s degree in accounting, business administration, or related field
• Bursar/Student Accounts/OneStop experience at an institution of higher education
• Working knowledge of Banner Finance and Student Account Receivables systems
• Familiarity with the Financial Aid handbook, PCI council Standards, and FERPA regulations
• Experience with databases, Microsoft Power Bi and other analytic reporting tools
• Experience with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and other AI applications

All requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable tosponsoror take over sponsorship of any employmentvisa including student visas.