Accountant III, Student Financial Services

About North Shore Community College:

North Shore Community College is a diverse, caring, inclusive community that inspires our students to become engaged citizens and to achieve their personal, academic, and career goals through accessible, affordable, rigorous educational opportunities that are aligned with our region's workforce needs and will prepare them for life in a changing world. NSCC is one of 15 Massachusetts community colleges, which serves the 26 cities and towns north of Boston. Since its founding in 1965, NSCC has grown from a single leased building to an urban campus in downtown Lynn and a suburban campus in Danvers, and from five to 80 academic programs of study. Nearly 50,000 students have graduated from NSCC. The college is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

Job Description:

Accountant III, Student Financial Services

Grade 18, AFSCME Unit position, 37.5 hours/week

Campus Location: Lynn

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

SALARY: $2,502.77 biweekly, ($65,540.02 per year) with fringe benefits. An appointment made from outside the bargaining unit (AFSCME) must start at this salary, step #1 of the range or as adjusted in accordance with the AFSCME collective bargaining agreement. Full time benefited employees at North Shore Community College are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package offered through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Click HERE for a highlight of these benefits.

At this time, the College is not providing sponsorships for Visas.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES:

This position is responsible for assisting in the operation of the Student Accounts area. Primary responsibilities include posting student accounts receivable payments, processing student refunds, and following up on uncashed student refund checks in compliance with state & federal regulations. The Accountant III will engage with students & parents about the financial aid process as well as the College's tuition payment policies and practices. They will assist with financial aid paperwork and guide students (& their families) through the key steps in the financial aid process, to include: FAFSA completion, Loan entrance counseling, etc. The Accountant III position reconciles accounts as needed and performs basic data entry and other functions to support financial aid and student accounts processing. This position will work closely with their supervisor and fellow Accountants to support the daily cashier session reconciliation process. This individual will also adjust accounts after payments have been received through the collections & MA State Intercept process.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Serves as the Student Financial Services (SFS) primary contact for student accounts-related questions, inquiries, or service-related issues.
• Use collections experience to resolve past-due accounts, reinforce the NSCC past-due policy, and use professional judgment to settle accounts when necessary.
• Work with the Accountants on the Lynn campus to identify and address student accounts related to staff training as needed.
• Process credit refunds from students' accounts.
• Process financial aid disbursements.
• Process financial aid adjustment runs as needed.
• Understand and comply with state and federal laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures for financial aid and accounting systems.
• Monitor, cancel, and reprocess outstanding uncashed student refund checks. This includes outreach and close collaboration with the Fiscal Affairs Office to reissue or cancel checks as necessary.
• Post payments and waivers to student accounts.
• Provide customer service to students and their families. Assist with all matters related to paying bills, including guidance through the financial aid process, costs to attend, payment options & policies, and the online payment process.
• Maintains students' accounts and records to reflect accurate financial status.
• Reconciles financial reports in preparation for bills and assists with bill generation.
• Reviews department accounting procedures to ensure compliance with department policies and procedures.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

The Human Resource Division Classification Specification for this position is available at http://www.mass.edu/forfacstaff/classificationspecs/classspecs-pers.asp or in the Human Resources Department.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Reports to the Assistant Director of Student Accounts

Requirements:

• Must be able to travel between campuses (when needed) and work evenings and weekends for such events; must have the ability to work on Campus. A valid driver's license is required.

• Ability to use general office equipment and higher education platforms such as BANNER, Navigate, Cognos, Zogotech, QLess, Constant Contact, among others.

• Capacity to understand, explain, and apply the laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, specifications, standards, and guidelines governing assigned unit activities.

• Ability to establish rapport and maintain harmonious working relationships with persons from varied ethnic, cultural, and/or socioeconomic backgrounds.

• Ability to exercise discretion in handling confidential information.

• Applicants must have at least (A) three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time professional experience in accounting or auditing, of which at least (B) one year must have been in a supervisory, administrative or managerial capacity, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions below.

• Substitutions:

• An Associate's degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or business management may be substituted for a maximum of one year of the required (A) experience.*

• A Bachelor's degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or business management may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required (A) experience.*

• A Graduate degree with a major in accounting, business administration, or business management may be substituted for the required experience.*

• Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

• Knowledge of Commonwealth of MA and college accounting practices and procedures.

• Candidates will be required to pass a CORI/SORI and/or National background check as a condition of employment.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual (Spanish)
• Banner experience
• Community College experience
• Successful experience interacting with culturally diverse populations
• Excellent written and verbal communications.
• Student refund processing

Additional Information:

North Shore Community College is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, sex, disability, religion, age, veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy or related conditions, gender identity, sex characteristics, sex stereotypes or sexual orientation in its programs and activities as required by Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable statutes and college policies. The College prohibits Sex-Based Harassment. Inquiries or complaints concerning discrimination, harassment, or retaliation shall be referred to the College's Title IX Coordinator, Affirmative Action and Compliance Officer, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission or the United States Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights: TitleIX@northshore.edu

Prospective employees are encouraged to review the College's Annual Security Report (ASR), in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistic Act, which can be found on the disclosure page of the College's website by clicking here.

In alignment with our mission to provide accessible, affordable, and rigorous educational and employment opportunities, NSCC is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment and employment process, and to support fulfilling essential job functions. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to our ADA/504 Coordinator: Employee_Accom@northshore.edu

North Shore Community College participates in E-Verify.

Application Instructions:

TO APPLY: To be considered for this position click on the "Apply Now" button, you will be prompted to set up a new account or login to an existing account. You will be able to upload the following required documents for consideration:

• Cover Letter, describing your qualifications and experience
• Resume/CV
• Applicants selected for an interview will need to provide the names, address, email and telephone number of at least three current professional references. [References won't be contacted without application notification]

First consideration will be given to those who apply by November 6, 2026.