Associate Staff Accountant
The Associate Staff Accountant serves as the architect of fiscal integrity and administrative efficiency within University Relations, supporting both Notre Dame Alumni Association (NDAA) Finance and Development Finance. This role provides critical strategic value by professionalizing financial workflows, engineering standardized resource frameworks, and conducting key reconciliation efforts to ensure all institutional expenditures are compliant, accurate, and optimized for high-level reporting and audit readiness.
Key Responsibilities
Contract Administration & Vendor Management: Oversee the contract request process, track milestones, and manage purchase order and requisition workflows. Lead vendor onboarding (W-9, PaymentWorks), determine appropriate payment channels, and coordinate IT/software security reviews prior to procurement.
Operational & Administrative Processing: Process complex Journal Vouchers and Financial Transfers. Input payroll entries for temporary staff and student workers, manage check deposits, and handle financial transfer allocations for Advancement Services.
Financial Analysis & Event Budget Management: Establish and evaluate quality-control tracking systems for complex event budgets across Development and NDAA.
Revenue Account Management & Oversight: Reconcile event underwriting, direct monthly reconciliations for NDAA merchant platforms (Bluefin, Braintree/Hivebrite), manage inter-unit fund transfers, and govern check deposit oversight workflows.
Internal Controls, Compliance & Access Governance: Design and execute independent financial compliance audits. Authorize and audit user access across financial platforms, configure approval workflow routing, and create automation templates for budget/forecast inputs.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field (or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant work experience).
- 1-2 years of progressive experience in accounting, financial analysis, or financial operations.
- Must be authorized to work in the United States without visa sponsorship.
- Key Traits & Skills:
- Strong Aptitude for Learning: Demonstrated ability to pick up new software tools, financial platforms, and processes quickly.
- Attention to Detail: High level of accuracy when managing numerical data, reconciliations, and documentation.
- Problem-Solving Mindset: A genuine desire to dig into processes, fix inefficiencies, and organize workflows.
- Spreadsheet Proficiency: Working knowledge of Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel (e.g., standard formulas, basic lookups, pivot tables).
- Core Accounting Fundamentals: Foundational understanding of general ledger accounting principles and basic internal controls.
Preferred Qualifications
- Specialized financial analysis and audit experience within a higher education environment or complex non-profit organizational structure.
- Advanced Skills:
- Proven track record in process automation, financial template design, and workflow optimization.
- Strong familiarity with higher education advancement, university development finance, and alumni association revenue models.
RESUME & COVER LETTER REQUIRED to be considered for this position. Please add in the attachments section of your application.
Application Deadline to Apply: October 1, 2026
SALARY: Low $60s, commensurate with experience
The University of Notre Dame seeks to attract, develop, and retain the highest quality faculty, staff and administration. The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or age in employment. Moreover, Notre Dame prohibits discrimination against veterans or disabled qualified individuals, and complies with 41 CFR 60-741.5(a) and 41 CFR 60-300.5(a). We strongly encourage applications from candidates attracted to a university with a Catholic identity.