Program Accountant

Erie County, Pennsylvania; Erie (Erie County); On-site; USD 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Erie County Office of Mental Health & Intellectual Disabilities seeks a Program Accountant to provide administrative and accounting support for fiscal operations across MHID and HealthChoices.

The role involves preparing journal entries, maintaining accounts payable, reviewing invoices, and managing assets and HUD grants. Strong accounting knowledge and attention to detail are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of accounting principles and practices.
• Ability to prepare financial reports and statements.
• Ability to perform detailed work involving written/numerical data to make arithmetical calculations rapidly and accurately.
• High School Diploma or GED with a minimum of 1 year as a Fiscal Assistant or 3 years Maintaining Fiscal Records OR an Associate's Degree in Accounting or Business Administration OR an equivalent combination of education and training.

Responsibilities

• Assist both programs in the preparation of monthly journal entries, trial balances, financial reports wire transfers, and budgets.
• Oversee accounts payable and weekly check runs.
• Review batched invoices and batch control totals for accuracy.
• Maintain contract control schedules and reconcile to financial statements.
• Approve creation of new vendors and vendor maintenance.
• Prepare voided check authorization forms and perform post-audit checks on accounts payable.

Skills

Accounting principles

Financial reporting

Attention to detail

Microsoft Excel

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate's Degree in Accounting or Business Administration

Job description

Erie County Office of Mental Health & Intellectual Disabilities

Status

Full Time

Starting Pay Rate

$19.26 Hourly

37.5

Exemption Status

Non-Exempt

Posting Date

08/26/2026

Closing Date

09/10/2026

Pay Grade

NB11

Bargaining Unit

NON-BARGAINING

Posting Number

5848

Definition of Class

• The position will provide administrative and accounting support to manage the fiscal operations of the Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities and HealthChoices.

Nature of Work

• This position will assist the Assistant Managers of Accounting in directing the total fiscal operations of the Erie County Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities and HealthChoices. Program areas include Mental Health, Intellectual Disabilities, Early Intervention, Human Services Development Fund, Homeless Assistance, HealthChoices, along with various pass-through grants. The position reports directly to the Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Assistant Manager of Accounting.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Assist both programs (Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities and HealthChoices) in the preparation of monthly journal entries, trial balances, financial reports wire transfers, and budgets.
• Responsible for oversight of accounts payable and weekly check runs.
• Review all batched invoices and batch control total prepared by Fiscal Technician for mathematical accuracy and completeness.
• Maintain contract control schedule for each program area to ensure that payments are within the contract maximum; reconcile contract control schedule to financial statements after each check run.
• Approve the creation of new vendors and all vendor maintenance, as needed.
• Perform preliminary review of pre-payment report for accuracy. Prepare all voided check authorization forms.
• Performs post-audit function on selected accounts payable invoices on a quarterly basis.
• Prepare Custody Transfer of Cash Tracking Form for all cash/checks received for the Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Program; update cash ledger weekly and maintain list of cash receipts monthly.
• Maintain Federal Awards Schedule for all Housing & Urban Development (HUD) grants.
• Review HUD invoices for mathematical accuracy and completeness; update individual schedules for each subrecipient, prepare voucher for reimbursement.
• Conduct annual physical inventory of county assets using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and by independent site verification.
• Maintain fixed asset inventory for the department.
• Prepare fixed asset authorization forms for the addition, transfer and disposal of program assets.
• Reconcile fixed asset ledger to general ledger on an annual basis.
• Review selected agency refunding proposals for mathematical accuracy and completeness.
• Participates in annual refunding hearings as requested. Participates in subrecipient monitoring as requested.
• Review agency audit reports and maintain audit control summary.
• Prepare audit confirmations for agency external auditors and run vendor history reports to reconcile disbursements to County records.
• Assist County external auditors, as needed.
• Serve as primary back-up to Fiscal Technician and the Assistant Managers of Accounting.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Assistant Managers of Accounting.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of accounting principles and practices.
• Knowledge of office practices and equipment.
• Ability to prepare financial reports and statements.
• Ability to perform detailed work involving written/numerical data to make arithmetical calculations rapidly and accurately.
• High School Diploma or GED with a Minimum of 1 year as a Fiscal Assistant or 3 years Maintaining Fiscal Records OR an Associate's Degree in Accounting or Business Administration OR an equivalent combination of education and training

Supervision Received

• Employee works with considerable independence within standard procedures; detailed supervision and review is done for new or unusual situations or changes in procedures. This position is supervised by the Office of MH/ID Assistant Manager of Accounting in regularly scheduled meetings and/or on an as needed basis.

Conditions Of Employment

• Required to provide and are subject to Pennsylvania criminal and child abuse clearances as well as an FBI fingerprint clearance prior to the start of employment.

Position: Program Accountant

Department MHID Administration Location Erie County Office of Mental Health & Intellectual Disabilities Status Full Time Starting Pay Rate $19.26 Hourly Hours Per Week 37.5 Exemption Status Non-Exempt Posting Date 08/26/2026 Closing Date 09/10/2026 Pay Grade NB11 Bargaining Unit NON-BARGAINING Posting Number 5848

Definition of Class

• The position will provide administrative and accounting support to manage the fiscal operations of the Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities and HealthChoices.

Nature of Work

• This position will assist the Assistant Managers of Accounting in directing the total fiscal operations of the Erie County Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities and HealthChoices. Program areas include Mental Health, Intellectual Disabilities, Early Intervention, Human Services Development Fund, Homeless Assistance, HealthChoices, along with various pass-through grants. The position reports directly to the Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Assistant Manager of Accounting.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Assist both programs (Office of Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities and HealthChoices) in the preparation of monthly journal entries, trial balances, financial reports wire transfers, and budgets.
• Responsible for oversight of accounts payable and weekly check runs.
• Review all batched invoices and batch control total prepared by Fiscal Technician for mathematical accuracy and completeness.
• Maintain contract control schedule for each program area to ensure that payments are within the contract maximum; reconcile contract control schedule to financial statements after each check run.
• Approve the creation of new vendors and all vendor maintenance, as needed.
• Perform preliminary review of pre-payment report for accuracy. Prepare all voided check authorization forms.
• Performs post-audit function on selected accounts payable invoices on a quarterly basis.
• Prepare Custody Transfer of Cash Tracking Form for all cash/checks received for the Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Program; update cash ledger weekly and maintain list of cash receipts monthly.
• Maintain Federal Awards Schedule for all Housing & Urban Development (HUD) grants.
• Review HUD invoices for mathematical accuracy and completeness; update individual schedules for each subrecipient, prepare voucher for reimbursement.
• Conduct annual physical inventory of county assets using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and by independent site verification.
• Maintain fixed asset inventory for the department.
• Prepare fixed asset authorization forms for the addition, transfer and disposal of program assets.
• Reconcile fixed asset ledger to general ledger on an annual basis.
• Review selected agency refunding proposals for mathematical accuracy and completeness.
• Participates in annual refunding hearings as requested. Participates in subrecipient monitoring as requested.
• Review agency audit reports and maintain audit control summary.
• Prepare audit confirmations for agency external auditors and run vendor history reports to reconcile disbursements to County records.
• Assist County external auditors, as needed.
• Serve as primary back-up to Fiscal Technician and the Assistant Managers of Accounting.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Assistant Managers of Accounting.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Thorough knowledge of accounting principles and practices.
• Knowledge of office practices and equipment.
• Ability to prepare financial reports and statements.
• Ability to perform detailed work involving written/numerical data to make arithmetical calculations rapidly and accurately.

Minimum Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED with a Minimum of 1 year as a Fiscal Assistant or 3 years Maintaining Fiscal Records OR an Associate's Degree in Accounting or Business Administration OR an equivalent combination of education and training

Supervision Received

• Employee works with considerable independence within standard procedures; detailed supervision and review is done for new or unusual situations or changes in procedures. This position is supervised by the Office of MH/ID Assistant Manager of Accounting in regularly scheduled meetings and/or on an as needed basis.

Conditions Of Employment

• Required to provide and are subject to Pennsylvania criminal and child abuse clearances as well as an FBI fingerprint clearance prior to the start of employment.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Erie County provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Erie County Government values the power of diversity in our workforce. Our goal is to continue developing inclusive workforce policies that require individual equality, support the diversity of employee experiences, and include unique perspectives.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.