The posting
The Fiscal Specialist works as part of a team among the Administrative & Finance staff of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office (MDAO) with primary responsibility for managing all aspects of the daily encumbrance, procurement, accounts payable, and accounts receivable functions of the MDAO. This includes daily use of MOSAIC, the Commonwealth’s accounting system and the Commonwealth’s Information Warehouse (CIW). This includes managing expenses against the MDAO’s current budget, assisting the CFO in developing future budget projections and budget requests, and procuring goods and services consistent with the required policy, procedures and statutes. Significant involvement with the MDAO fiscal year closing and opening activities are required which may impact the ability to schedule vacation time during this period of time. The Commonwealth fiscal year closes on June 30th.
This is a great opportunity for a self-motivated individual that enjoys being part of a fast-paced office, is able to multi-task, re-prioritize regularly and has an unwavering attention to detail. The successful candidate will also enjoy working with numbers; have the ability to think logically; have a passion to solve problems; and understand the important role this position plays in advancing the mission of the MDAO. The successful candidate will politely, courteously and professionally represent the MDAO in dealings with other state agencies within the scope of this position.
S/he will also have experience working with Access, Excel and Word in a professional office setting. Experience with MOSAIC and a Data Warehouse system are preferred, as well as experience creating and running Access data queries. S/he will have a demonstrated ability to accurately and timely manage the Accounts Payable and Budget Management processes.
The successful candidate will have the ability to immediately manage the existing budget procedures and will also have the ability to identify for management consideration, potential systematic and policy changes that would improve and streamline the operation of the budget office procedures while also maintaining the necessary safeguards.
The Fiscal Specialist reports to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and also works with the Payroll Analyst, the other Administrative Directors, the leadership of the office, members of the staff, other state agencies and outside vendors.
Responsibilities Include:
Budget Management
Verify that expenses are tracking to current budget.
Work with CFO to adjust budget throughout the fiscal year, as required due to changed circumstances
Run, review, and analyze appropriate best practice reports to provide necessary fiscal information to the CFO
Input approved budget change documents
Contribute to the development of the monthly fiscal reports
Accounts Payable
Receive, verify and process invoices consistent with stated procedures and time standards
Accurate and timely processing of AP documents; prepare payment documents for review and approval of CO
Research past due issues with vendors and staff
Maintain fiscal vendor files
Coordinate staff reimbursement process
Accounts Receivables / Banking
Work with COO to ensure proper checks and balances are in place for AR procedures
Regular banking responsibilities (deposits to bank, positive pay interface)
Encumbrance Management
Prepare and manage encumbrances for all expenditures under direction of the CFO
Update vendor attributes consistent with State Comptroller requirements and safeguards
Procurement
Coordinate purchasing of approved goods and services consistent with MDAO procedures (contract management, Operational Services Division (OSD) commodity pricing, bid procedures, developing & maintaining bid files, utilizing OSD procurement procedures (as appropriate), managing purchase orders, coordinating that goods & services are encumbered against proper funding source, and other special requirements are met)
Arrange authorized travel and related arrangements
Monitoring / Reconciling / Reporting
Run appropriate reports, based upon Comptroller best practices or equivalent, to verify AP, AR, account balances, spending against budget; encumbrance management; reconcile errors and provide necessary information to CFO.
Run and review MDAO created Access reports against data warehouse to ensure payroll, AP, AR information is captured correctly for all daily, bi-weekly, fiscal year opening / closing payroll operations across all accounts.
Customer Service Focus
Ability to respond in a timely manner to inquiries via telephone, e-mail and walk-in on budget policies, budget related questions from staff and vendors. Direct questions to appropriate manager if unable to answer or beyond scope of responsibility
Ensure that vendor paperwork is completed: procurement stage, receipt of goods and services, payment and payment files.
Assist in reviewing, revising, implementing and managing budget policies and procedures; and the MDAO Internal Control Plan.
Appropriately raise issues and /or questions for supervisor in a timely manner
Affirmatively notify supervisor and employee of any payroll or Time & Attendance issues, especially those that may impact employee payroll
Timely manage employee reimbursements, and approved procurement requests
Grants
Assist with grant related purchasing, encumbering, payments, tracking & reporting
Systems & Procedures Improvement
Continuously evaluate current systems and procedures with a focus towards improving efficiency while maintaining safeguards
Other Areas of Responsibilities
State Police Weekly Overtime Report
Assist with office-wide Inventory
Other Requirements
Flexibility to manage your own vacation and leave time, as appropriate, so as not to interfere with significant budget activities
Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment
Responsibilities may be modified (additions, deletions, changes) from time to time to meet the needs of the office
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- Prior experience working in a professional office environment; preferably working in a fiscal role
- Developed skill in customer service, written and verbal communication and organizational skills
- Ability to assess and address complex issues and matters in a timely fashion
- Strong personal character, integrity, judgment and maturity in handling sensitive & confidential matters
- Outstanding interpersonal skills and professional workplace etiquette
- Excellent organizational and project completion skills, with strong attention to detail
- Ability to multi-task, refocus and re-prioritize in a high volume and fast paced environment
- Proven ability to meet firm deadlines
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- An understanding of the role of a modern prosecutor’s office within the Criminal Justice System and the community
- A sincere interest in the public sector and the work of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office
- Strong computer skills are required. Experience with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook
- A valid Massachusetts driver’s license, as limited travel within the Greater Boston area and across Middlesex County may be required from time to time
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with the Commonwealth’s MMARS system and its Information Warehouse
- 3-5 years prior budget and fiscal experience
- Prior Commonwealth Agency fiscal experience or equivalent
- Experience Working with database queries, i.e. Access
By submitting your application, you acknowledge the following:
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. M.G.L. c. 149, § 19B.
You certify that the facts set forth in this employment application and attached resume are true and complete to the best of your knowledge and authorize the Middlesex District Attorney's Office to verify the accuracy of the education and employment information herein. You understand that falsified statements shall be considered grounds for discharge.
You understand that the Middlesex District Attorney's Office requires a Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) check on all prospective employees as a condition of their employment, and that individuals other than those provided by a candidate may be contacted in the course of completing a full background and qualifications check.
Benefits
Starting Salary: Commensurate with experience
Vacation: 2 weeks per year, with the ability to carry over up to two weeks each calendar year
Sick leave: 15 days per year, accrued monthly
Personal days: 3 personal days per year
Healthcare, Dental and Vision plans (both individual and family), Retirement benefits, State pension benefits, vesting at 10 years of service
