Accounting Technician

The University of Southern California (USC) department of Payroll Services is seeking an exceptional Accountant Technician to join its team!

About the Opportunity

As a valued member of USC’s Payroll Services team, the Accountant Technician provides comprehensive administrative and analytical support for payroll tax reporting and research. This role ensures the accuracy and integrity of payroll tax data, supports ongoing compliance with federal and state regulations, and contributes to the development of documentation, tools, and process improvements related to payroll tax operations.

Availability to work during peak periods is required.

The Accountant Technician:

• Establishes and maintains accounts, ledgers, journals, files, blanket requisitions, reports, and other documentation for departmental or university accounts, and assists with month-end and year-end closing processes as needed.

• Prepares, reviews, and submits accounting documents for processing; determines appropriate fund allocations and secures required approvals while ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations.

• Enters and reviews financial data from various source documents for accuracy and completeness; resolves errors by rejecting or returning documentation as needed.

• Records, balances, and reconciles account activity; identifies potential issues and conducts research to provide context or explanations; produces and distributes related reports; verifies report accuracy prior to distribution; and maintains documentation for audit purposes.

• Provides customer service and technical support to faculty, staff, students, researchers, and external contacts by responding to inquiries and resolving issues related to financial and payroll transactions.

• Monitors outstanding and suspense items, researches supporting documentation, and follows up to resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.\

• Reviews and processes account charges, expense transfers, and closing entries, and prepares and distributes related financial reports, ensuring accuracy.

• Supports payroll tax compliance efforts by researching federal and state regulations, documenting findings, and assisting in the development of reference materials and guidance.

• Assists with payroll tax and accounting-related projects by creating, updating, and maintaining templates, reports, and tracking tools, and by documenting key information from trainings and meetings.

Preferred Requirements:

• 1 year work experience in payroll taxes or payroll accounting.

• University accounting experience.

• Proficiency in Excel, including Power Query and Power Pivot, with experience working with large and complex data sets, including data validation and cleanup.

• Experience handling highly confidential and sensitive information.

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.

Minimum Requirements:

• Associate's degree; combined experience/education as substitute for minimum education.

• Related bookkeeping/accounting experience.

• Knowledge of bookkeeping/accounting practices and principles.

• Ability to use a variety of bookkeeping/accounting software applications (e.g., databases, spreadsheets), as required.

The hourly rate for this position ranges from $26.14 - $31.50 per hour. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

USC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or USC policy. USC observes affirmative action obligations consistent with state and federal law. USC will consider for employment all qualified applicants with criminal records in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations, including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for employers and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and with due consideration for patient and student safety. Please refer to the Background Screening Policy Appendix D for specific employment screen implications for the position for which you are applying. 

We provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should contact USC Human Resources by phone at (213) 821-8100, or by email at uschr@usc.edu. Inquiries will be treated as confidential to the extent permitted by law.

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