Senior Staff Accountant

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Department of Defense, Veterans' and Emergency Management

• Job Class Code: 0330B
• Grade: 23 (Professional/Technical Services)
• Salary: $52,659.36 - $73,885.76/Annually *Salary includes 2.25% Stipend
• Location: Augusta, ME

Opening Date: November 6, 2026

Closing Date: November 23, 2026

Currently, this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions.

DESCRIPTION: The Directorate of Facilities Engineering (DFE) is seeking a highly skilled, analytical, and detail-oriented Senior Staff Accountant to support the financial integrity, accountability, and operational effectiveness of its fiscal operations.

This position performs advanced professional accounting work involving complex governmental accounting, financial reporting, account reconciliation, internal controls, and financial systems management.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring that state and federal financial resources are accurately recorded, appropriately managed, and administered in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) standards, and applicable state and federal regulations.

Working with a high degree of independence, the Senior Staff Accountant will collaborate with financial management, procurement personnel, program managers, and state and federal fiscal partners to identify financial issues, resolve discrepancies, strengthen internal controls, and improve accounting processes.

This position requires an individual who can move beyond routine transaction processing to independently analyze financial information, identify underlying problems, develop practical solutions, and contribute to sound financial decision-making.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Financial Accounting and Reconciliation

• •Perform complex reconciliations of financial accounts, expenditures, revenues, encumbrances, and related accounting records.
• •Investigate discrepancies, determine their underlying causes, and initiate appropriate corrective actions.
• •Analyze nonstandard and complex accounting transactions to determine appropriate accounting treatment.
• •Prepare and review adjusting journal entries and other financial corrections while maintaining complete supporting documentation and audit trails.
• •Ensure accounting transactions are properly classified, supported, recorded, and reconciled.
• •Identify recurring accounting errors and recommend sustainable solutions to prevent future occurrences.

2. Governmental Accounting and Fiscal Compliance

• •Apply GAAP, GASB standards, governmental fund accounting principles, and applicable state and federal financial requirements.
• •Monitor compliance with established accounting policies, fiscal controls, funding restrictions, and reporting requirements.
• •Review accounting activities to ensure expenditures and revenues are recorded within the appropriate funding sources, accounts, and fiscal periods.
• •Evaluate complex accounting matters involving multiple funding sources and fiscal restrictions.
• •Identify potential compliance concerns and recommend corrective measures before they become significant financial or audit findings.

3. Financial Systems and Process Improvement

• •Utilize the State of Maine's Advantage financial management system to research transactions, analyze financial activity, identify errors, and support accurate financial reporting.
• •Evaluate existing accounting workflows, procedures, and controls to identify operational weaknesses and opportunities for improvement.
• •Develop and recommend improvements to accounting processes, reconciliation procedures, reporting tools, and internal controls.
• •Assist in designing and implementing standardized financial tracking and reporting mechanisms.
• •Support improvements in financial data accuracy, consistency, documentation, and accessibility.
• •Coordinate with appropriate fiscal and technical personnel to resolve financial system issues.

4. Budgetary Accounting and Financial Analysis

• •Analyze appropriations, allotments, expenditures, encumbrances, and available financial resources.
• •Prepare and interpret financial reports to support budget monitoring, financial planning, and management decisions.
• •Assist with cash forecasts, expenditure projections, revenue estimates, and funding analyses.
• •Identify emerging financial trends, funding constraints, and potential budgetary issues.
• •Support the development and reconciliation of financial information necessary for budget orders, financial orders, and other funding actions.
• •Communicate financial findings clearly and provide recommendations to management.

5. State and Federal Financial Coordination

• •Support the accounting and financial reporting requirements associated with DFE's state and federally funded operations.
• •Assist with reconciling state expenditures, federal funding authorizations, reimbursement activity, and related financial records.
• •Collaborate with personnel responsible for federal reimbursement requests, including Standard Form 270 (SF-270), to support accurate and timely reimbursement processes.
• •Research and resolve financial discrepancies involving state accounting records and supporting federal financial documentation.
• •Coordinate with internal and external fiscal partners to ensure financial transactions are supported, accurately recorded, and consistent with applicable funding requirements.

6. Internal Controls and Audit Readiness

• •Develop, evaluate, and maintain effective accounting controls that safeguard public funds and promote financial accountability.
• •Ensure financial transactions are properly authorized, documented, and supported.
• •Identify accounting practices that may create compliance risks, reporting inaccuracies, or audit findings.
• •Maintain organized financial records and supporting documentation to facilitate financial reviews and audits.
• •Recommend and implement corrective actions to address identified deficiencies.
• •Promote consistent adherence to established accounting procedures and financial accountability standards.

7. Collaboration, Leadership, and Professional Accountability

• •Provide technical accounting guidance and support to professional and paraprofessional accounting personnel.
• •Work collaboratively with accounts payable, procurement, engineering, and other operational staff to resolve accounting issues.
• •Communicate complex financial matters in a clear, professional, and understandable manner.
• •Independently manage assigned responsibilities, establish priorities, and meet required deadlines.
• •Exercise sound professional judgment when evaluating financial transactions and recommending corrective actions.
• •Provide guidance, training, and technical assistance to staff as appropriate.
• •Support a professional, respectful, collaborative, and accountable work environment.
• •Perform supervisory responsibilities if assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

The successful candidate must demonstrate:

Advanced Accounting Knowledge

• •Strong understanding of GAAP, GASB, governmental accounting, and fund accounting principles.
• •Ability to analyze complex financial transactions and accounting relationships.
• •Knowledge of financial statement preparation, reconciliations, and financial reporting.

Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills

• •Ability to independently investigate financial discrepancies and identify their underlying causes.
• •Strong critical-thinking skills and the ability to develop practical, defensible accounting solutions.
• •Ability to evaluate financial data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance.

Financial Systems an