Bursar

Lake Erie College; Painesville (OH); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Lake Erie College in Painesville, OH, seeks a Bursar to manage student tuition accounts, billing, and cash handling within a full-time, exempt role.

You will oversee charges, coordinate with Registrar and Financial Aid, and ensure timely deposits and reporting, while delivering high-quality service to students and families.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of GAAP and internal controls applied to student accounts.
• Experience with not-for-profit accounting and reconciling multiple ledgers.
• Strong customer service focus and clear written/verbal communication.
• Detail oriented, organized, and able to meet deadlines.
• Proactive, independent, and a collaborative team player.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of student tuition accounts, billing, and charges.
• Coordinate with Registrar, Financial Aid, Student Life, and other offices.
• Provide customer service via email, phone, or in person.
• Manage Perkins Loan collections and other loan programs.
• Handle refunds, payment plans, and delinquent account collections.
• Maintain deposit operations, daily logs, and month-end close schedules.
• Assist with 1098-T reporting and annual audit preparation.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

Internal controls

Not-for-profit accounting

Customer service

Communication

Attention to detail

Team player

Deadline-driven

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

Tools

Accounting software

Job description

REPORTS TO: VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCESTATUS: FULL-TIME, EXEMPT, SALARIEDLake Erie College, a small, co-educational, four-year, independent liberal arts college located in Painesville, OH, 30 miles east of Cleveland, invites applications for the full-time position of Bursar. The bursar assists with the overall administration of all aspects of students’ tuition accounts and cashiering and accounts receivable functions at the college.RESPONSIBILITIES:Has oversight for all aspects of student tuition accounts, including:Has oversight for the billing and processing of all charges, including tuition, fees, room & board, additional charges, posted to student tuition accounts and coordinates with the various offices that generate those charges, including the Registrar’s Office, the Office of Financial Aid, Student Life, Security and many others.Provides high quality customer service, actively responding to questions from students regarding charges and payments, whether through email, phone or walk-in.Works with third party administrator on Perkins Loan collections and closing out Perkins Program.Has oversight for other loan programs, including but not limited to Schell, at the college.Identifies and initiates student refunds.Helps manage the deferred tuition payment plan program for students. This includes helping to establish payment plan dates each semester, completing required forms for students, monitoring status of outstanding payment plans, and collection of delinquent accounts.Assists with other third-party billing and cash collections, such as summer camps.Helps manage the internal collection process, as well as multiple outside collection agencies for student accounts; plays an active role in contracting with and managing the relationships with various collection agencies used by the college.Utilizes sound business judgment to identify and recommend appropriate adjustments and modifications to billed charges, loan balances, monthly payment streams, and other student account related charges (including an allowance calculation and write-offs).Helps maintain and provide status reports as requested regarding receivable balances including, but not limited to, detailed documentation on collection efforts and other collection activities.Helps oversee the deposit operations to ensure all cash, checks, and credit card/electronic receipts processed are properly and accurately deposited and recorded in a timely manner.Maintains and submits daily transaction reports including daily deposit logs and adhering to month-end closing deadlines.Assists in the analysis, reconciliation and preparation of various schedules and general ledger accounts for month-end, quarter-end, year-end closes, and annual audit preparation, including a reconciliation of financial aid. Also, helps to coordinate actions necessary for annual 1098-T reporting to students and the Internal Revenue Service.Updates procedures as necessary as they relate to the area of responsibility.Supervises the Cashier’s office personnel.Assists with maintaining and reconciling a $1,500 daily petty cash fund.Performs other duties and projects as assigned by the Vice President of Finance.PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS & KEY COMPETENCIES:Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and related internal controls and their application, as they relate to accounts receivable.Knowledge of and understanding of applicable Federal and State laws is necessary.General knowledge of not-for-profit accounting and willingness/ability to research and resolve accounting issues within student accounts.Excellent written/verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with a dedicated customer service focus and the ability to work cooperatively/collaboratively with diverse groups of students, employees, and external agencies to maximize performance, creative problem-solving and results.Detail oriented and organized with the ability to meet assigned deadlines.Proactive, independent, flexible and an enthusiastic team player.Prior experience with student accounts, a Bursar Office or in a customer service industry is preferred.Growth and “doer” mindset and institutional teamwork ethic.Creative, strategic, thoughtful, and has a sense of humor.