Associate Director, Student Accounting - Student Accounts, Refunds, Tax Reporting

UNT System Overview:
Welcome to the University of North Texas System. The UNT System includes the University of North Texas in Denton and Frisco, the University of North Texas at Dallas and UNT Dallas College of Law, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. We are the only university system based exclusively in the robust Dallas-Fort Worth region. We are growing with the North Texas region, employing more than 14,000 employees, educating a record 49,000+ students across our system, and awarding nearly 12,000 degrees each year.
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Learn more about the UNT System and how we live our values at www.UNTSystem.edu.
Posting Title:
Associate Director, Student Accounting - Student Accounts, Refunds, Tax Reporting
Department:
UNT-Student Accounting-150300
Job Location:
Denton
Full Time/Part Time:
Full-Time
Retirement Eligibility:
TRS Eligible
Additional Retirement Information:
For more information on retirement plan options, please visit https://hr.untsystem.edu/benefits/retirement-plans/index.php.
Salary Information:
Commensurate with experience
Department Summary:
Student Accounting is deeply committed to delivering the highest quality of innovative student account and financial services to the UNT community, helping ensure UNT's enrollment and financial success. Our team is responsible for assessing and collecting all tuition and fees, processing waivers, exemptions, veterans educational benefits, third-party sponsorships, tuition benefit programs, refunds, departmental deposit and financial services, and Tax Reporting.
Position Overview:
The Associate Director - Student Accounts, Refunds, and Tax Reporting position leads a team of professionals who have primary responsibility to ensure the accuracy and integrity of all student account transactions. The primary areas within the scope of this position include the management of all financial aid transactions transferring into the student account ($380M annual impact); oversight of all processing to bring in transactions from other department billing systems (housing, dining, orientation, health center, parking, athletics, individual colleges, etc.) - a combined impact of over $60M annually; leadership for all student, authorized party (parent, etc.), and third-party organization refunds ($80M annual impact); daily monitoring of all Bursar Working Fund disbursement bank accounts in General Ledger and JP Morgan bank accounts; approving positive-pay and other disbursement transactions created by Student Accounts/Refunds team members; and all student Tax Reporting on behalf of UNT (1098-T tax form, non-resident alien withholding tax, etc.).
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree plus 6 years of progressively responsible experience in a Student Accounting, billing/receivables, reporting, or related business field or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge: The individual in this position must maintain a subject-matter expert level of knowledge on working with large-scale financial transactions in a higher education environment. In addition, a successful candidate will have experience leading organization-wide financial operations involving disbursements or direct payments, such as Accounts Payable or Procurement.
Skills: The individual in this position must have strong financial, analytical, and process analysis skills. In addition, the individual must be proficient with complex reporting methodologies (including Excel, SQL, etc.) and maintain functional expertise of ERP functionalities which serve at the core of SFS student account, refunding, and Tax Reporting functions. A successful individual in this role will possess strong project and team management skills.
Abilities: The optimal candidate in this position will possess a high degree of accountability and a drive to ensure student success. The individual will be detail-oriented and function well as a working manager. They will be able to maintain a complex workload with competing deadlines, lead a diverse team through large-scale projects, and will be able to communicate effectively to students, campus partners, and team members. The individual will be able to develop effective working relationships across team, department, and division boundaries to ensure that projects and initiatives are successful.
Preferred Qualifications:
A preferred candidate will have prior experience in a Student Accounting/finance, budget, accounting setting and/or experience working with large-scale financial transactions in a higher education environment.
Knowledge:
The individual in this position must maintain a subject-matter expert level of knowledge on working with large-scale financial transactions in a higher education environment. In addition, a successful candidate will have experience leading organization-wide financial operations involving disbursements or direct payments, such as Accounts Payable or Procurement.
Skills:
The individual in this position must have strong financial, analytical, and process analysis skills. In addition, the individual must be proficient with complex reporting methodologies (including Excel, SQL, etc.) and maintain functional expertise of ERP functionalities which serve at the core of Student Accounting student account, refunding, and Tax Reporting functions. A successful individual in this role will possess strong project and team management skills.
Abilities:
The optimal candidate in this position will possess a high degree of accountability and a drive to ensure student success. The individual will be detail-oriented and function well as a working manager. They will be able to maintain a complex workload with competing deadlines, lead a diverse team through large-scale projects, and will be able to communicate effectively to students, campus partners, and team members. The individual will be able to develop effective working relationships across team, department, and division boundaries to ensure that projects and initiatives are successful.
Work Schedule:
Monday-Friday 8am-5pm, with overtime as needed
Driving University Vehicle:
No
Security Sensitive:
This is a security sensitive position.
EEO Statement:
The University of North Texas System and its component institutions are committed to equal opportunity and comply with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University of North Texas System and its component institutions do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, and employment practices.
Classification Title:
Assoc Dir Student Accounting
Physical Requirements:
Carrying, Kneeling, Lifting up to 50 pounds, Reaching, Sitting, Standing, Twisting, Walking, Writing, Talk or Hear, Ability to communicate
o:
Responsible for delivering exceptional customer service to all internal and external customers. Maintains positive interactions with others. Provides professional, clear and accurate verbal and written communication. Resolves customers issues, offers alternatives or submits them to the appropriate personnel following the chain of command. Alerts supervisor(s) of escalating issues.
o:
Promotes a positive work environment for all team members. Demonstrates respect, flexibility, open-mindedness, and kindness in all interactions with students, team members, and campus partners. Demonstrates a commitment to the mission and vision of Student Accounting, the Division of Enrollment, and the University of North Texas. Serves as an example of positive engagement in the department through active participation in meetings, within committees, and by assisting others.
o:
Must maintain a working knowledge of the EIS system, navigate the system, comprehend and explain Student Accounts, troubleshoot issues and understand processes which affect the student account. Must document appropriate comments in EIS when necessary.
o:
Completes assignments accurately and in a timely manner with minimal follow-up required. Demonstrates initiative by taking action to provide customer service within scope of position and actively seeks additional assignments from supervisor.
o:
Actively supports initiatives to engage all employees in the workplace. Provides timely communication to team members. Takes actions to demonstrate care for team members and to communicate their value as part of the team. Recognizes and promotes accomplishments of team members.
o:
Must develop and maintain a working knowledge of the PeopleSoft Campus Solutions and Financials systems. Identify opportunities for enhanced use of administrative systems and collaborate with Student Accounting senior leadership team on implementation.
o:
Leads the distribution of over $300M in direct refunds to students, authorized parties (parents, etc.), and third-party organizations annually, across multiple platforms and delivery methods, including EFT, paper check, international wire, and credit card. Provides strategic direction to the refunding process to ensure that student financial transactions are timely, accurate, compliant with university policy and statutory guidelines, and efficient for customers. Directs the work of the Student Accounts/Refunds team in carrying out refund processing for all student transactions. Serves as a primary point of contact for Nelnet Student Choice Refunds (third-party refund delivery vendor). Coordinates pricing, payment, access to vendor software, enhancements as well as training for departmental teams.
o:
Manages the processing of incidental and auxiliary campus fees, credits, and student account adjustments such as Housing, Dining, Medical/Parking services, Athletics, and college-based fees, exceeding $60M annually. Manages the posting of over $380M in financial aid transactions to the student account, leads the reconciliation of financial aid disbursement rosters to student account transactions. Develops and monitors Service-Level Agreements with campus departments to maintain the highest levels of accuracy, efficiency, and customer service for transactions that are transferred to the student account. Ensures the accuracy of transaction transfers from department ledgers to student account sub-ledger and general ledger. Provides oversight and guidance to team members responsible for transaction processing, as well as serving as the primary contact for campus departments who feed transactions through the student account system.
o:
Leads and directs the annual student Tax Reporting for all tuition, fee, payment, and aid transactions in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) standards. Plans, coordinates and communicates activities with Student Accounting team members, executive leadership, and project stakeholders to ensure accurate and timely reporting to over 55,000 students and the IRS. Ensures that all student Tax Reporting records are reconciled to student account and financial aid transactions. Holds responsibility of certifying all educational tax records within the IRS secure file transfer process for UNT.
o:
Oversees the management of special student account award programs, such as the DSA Prior-Term Balance (PTB) Award and the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) student emergency grants, and all associated compliance reporting for state and federal regulators. Coordinates the work of team members, customer service staff, and the cross-division processes which support these programs.
o:
Provides strategic leadership in the management of all emergency loan programs offered to students through Student Accounting and the Student Money Management Center (SMMC). Ensures that all emergency loans transferred to Student Accounting are complete, posted to the student account, and that any applicable refunds are processed according to loan program guidelines. Responsible for leading the loan disbursement processing for Student Account/Refunds team and collaborating with the SMMC Team Leaders to ensure loan posting operations align with strategic goals.
o:
Serves as the area supervisor for the Student Accounts, Refunding, and Tax Reporting team within Student Accounting, a team with significant impact across the department as well as the overall university. Focuses on continuous improvement across all student account functions to ensure accuracy, simplicity, and customer satisfaction. Leads and directs the work of direct reports, as well as providing guidance on student account, refunding, and tax issues across the entire department, division, and institution.
o:
Serves as a member of the Student Accounting leadership team, and works collaboratively with team members to advance the mission of the department and the university to provide the best possible service to students and their families.
Posting Number:
S7440P
Quicklink for Posting:
https://jobs.untsystem.edu/postings/78399