Senior Accountant/Fiscal Analyst - 61165524

Posting number: 191491

Department: Department of Education

Division: Finance

Job classification: Senior Accountant/Fiscal Analyst

Posting type: Open

Categories: Accounting and Finance, Education

Summary

The mission of the South Carolina Department of Education is to serve students, support teachers, empower parents, and engage the community so that every student graduates prepared to reach their full potential.

Job Purpose:

The Financial Systems Analyst serves as the functional bridge between the agency’s financial operations and its enterprise technology environment. This position performs professional-level accounting, financial analysis, and financial systems support that spans both the business and technical domains. Under general supervision, the incumbent ensures that financial data flowing through the agency’s financial management platforms is accurate, compliant, and actionable — and leads efforts to improve financial reporting, analytical processes, and data quality through both traditional financial management practices and modern technology tools.

This is an intermediate-level, cross-functional role that blends governmental accounting, enterprise financial system administration, advanced data analytics, and AI-assisted workflow development in an active public-sector environment. The incumbent contributes directly to fiscal operations, financial system support, budget reporting, and agency-wide process improvement — leveraging a broad toolkit that includes enterprise financial platforms, business intelligence tools, and AI productivity applications to produce accurate, governed, and actionable fiscal data that agency leadership and central government offices rely on.

Responsibilities:

Financial Analysis & Accounting

• Perform professional-level accounting functions including journal entries, account reconciliations, budget-to-actual variance analysis, and financial report preparation in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards; ensure compliance with applicable SC fiscal policies, federal grant requirements, and SC Code of Laws governing the management of public funds.
• Analyze revenue and expenditure trends using a combination of financial system reporting tools, spreadsheet modeling, and business intelligence platforms; prepare ad hoc financial reports, dashboards, and data summaries to support management decision-making and legislative reporting.
• Build and maintain financial models using advanced Excel techniques (dynamic arrays, Power Query, Power Pivot, DAX formulas) and supplementary tools such as Power BI or Tableau to present fiscal data clearly for both technical and executive audiences.
• Assist in the preparation of annual budget submissions, grant financial reports, and closing packages; monitor expenditures against appropriations, identify variances, and develop forecast models to project end-of-year positions.

Financial Systems & Technology Support

• Serve as agency functional resource for the agency’s enterprise financial management system(s), supporting transaction processing, workflow routing, chart of accounts maintenance, and system access requests; coordinate issue resolution with central Information Technology (IT) staff and system vendors.
• Identify, document, and troubleshoot financial system issues across platforms; simulate or recreate errors to verify root cause; maintain system process documentation and knowledge base entries to support ongoing staff training and audit readiness.
• Work across multiple financial management platforms (e.g., ERP systems, grant management portals, procurement systems, budget tools) to ensure data consistency and integration accuracy; document data flows and interface dependencies between systems.
• Assist in the design and documentation of improved financial workflows, system configuration changes, and automated controls to reduce manual processing, strengthen internal controls, and improve the reliability of financial reporting outputs.
• Evaluate emerging financial technology tools and platforms; prepare comparative analyses and proof-of-concept assessments to inform agency technology investment decisions.

Data Analytics & Visualization

• Query, extract, and transform financial data from multiple systems using SQL, Power Query, or comparable data extraction tools; validate data integrity across sources and reconcile discrepancies between subsidiary records and the general ledger.
• Design and publish interactive financial dashboards and reports in Power BI, Tableau, or comparable business intelligence platforms; build visualizations that surface trends, anomalies, and key performance indicators (KPIs) in formats accessible to non-technical decision-makers.
• Apply statistical and analytical techniques (trend analysis, regression, variance decomposition, scenario modeling) to financial datasets; interpret findings and translate them into actionable recommendations for agency leadership.
• Maintain data integrity standards across financial systems; document data quality rules, define data definitions and field-level metadata, and support the agency’s data governance framework for financial information.

AI-Assisted Financial Workflows & Innovation

• Incorporate AI-powered productivity tools into financial analysis workflows, including Microsoft Copilot for drafting financial narratives, summarizing variance reports, and accelerating routine documentation; and Claude or comparable large language models for synthesizing financial data, generating analysis outlines, and reviewing content for clarity and consistency.
• Apply effective prompting practices when using AI tools to produce financial analysis drafts and data summaries; exercise professional judgment to validate all AI-assisted outputs against source data before use in official reports or presentations.
• Identify opportunities to automate repetitive financial processes using low-code/no-code tools (e.g., Microsoft Power Automate, Excel macros, Python scripts) to reduce manual data entry, accelerate report production, and improve analytical accuracy.
• Support the agency’s responsible AI use framework by documenting acceptable use standards for AI-assisted financial analysis, maintaining human-in-the-loop review procedures for high-impact financial outputs, and staying current on evolving AI tool capabilities relevant to public-sector finance.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

• Provide technical guidance and training to agency fiscal staff on financial system processes, analytical tools, and reporting procedures; represent the agency in system user groups, vendor training events, and statewide finance community of practice sessions.
• Coordinate with program offices, central government fiscal authorities, and external partners to gather accurate financial data, validate reporting, and ensure timely compliance with statewide accounting deadlines.
• Participate in agency financial reviews, internal audits, and process improvement initiatives; contribute to quarterly financial scorecards and benefits realization reporting as assigned.
• Maintain current knowledge of financial system updates, changes to SC fiscal regulations, GASB pronouncements, and emerging best practices in public-sector financial technology and data analytics.

This position is located in the Office of Finance. Examples of dutiesA bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related field and professional experience in a related area, such as accounting, auditing, finance, or banking.
Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, information systems, or a closely related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience as approved by the Division of State Human Resources.
• One to three (1-3) years of professional experience in financial analysis, accounting, budgeting, or financial systems support.
• Working knowledge of GAAP and/or GASB accounting principles and their application to financial reporting and compliance.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel for financial analysis, including pivot tables, XLOOKUP, and Power Query; ability to build and maintain workbooks used for reporting and modeling.
• Experience working with at least one enterprise financial management system (e.g., SCEIS, Oracle Fusion, Workday, PeopleSoft, Tyler Munis, or comparable ERP platform) in an accounting, budgeting, or reporting role.
• Experience with a state or local government financial management system and familiarity with governmental fund accounting and fiscal year-end reporting cycles.
• Working knowledge of at least one business intelligence or data visualization tool (Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent) for building financial dashboards and reports.
• Familiarity with AI-assisted productivity tools (e.g., Microsoft Copilot or comparable large language models) applied to financial workflows such as variance summaries, narrative drafting, or data synthesis.
• Exposure to SQL, Power Query, or comparable tools for querying and reconciling financial data across systems.
• Experience with process automation (Power Automate, Excel macros, or low-code tools) to streamline recurring financial reporting tasks.
• Familiarity with federal grant accounting requirements (2 CFR Part 200) or public-sector compliance reporting.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Government Finance Officer (CGFO), Certified Public Finance Officer (CPFO), or a relevant technology certification (e.g., Power BI, Tableau), or active pursuit of the same.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills; ability to present financial data and findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Supplemental information

As a part of a generous compensation package, we offer comprehensive benefits that include generous paid time off, preeminent health care benefits, professional development opportunities, pension, and a 401(k). 

The South Carolina Department of Education offers an exceptional benefits package that includes: 

• Health, Dental, Vision, Long Term Disability, and Life Insurance for Employee, Spouse, and Children. 
• 15 days annual (vacation) leave per year. 
• 15 days sick leave per year. 
• 13 paid holidays. 
• State Retirement Plan and Deferred Compensation Programs.

ONLY THOSE APPLICANTS CHOSEN FOR AN INTERVIEW WILL BE NOTIFIED BY LETTER THAT THE POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED.

http://www.ed.sc.gov/jobs/human-resources/title-ix-nondiscrimination/