Interim Financial Systems & Accounting Analyst - 1.0 FTE

Interim Financial Systems & Accounting Analyst - 1.0 FTE

The Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division at Montfort Centre

Red Deer, AB

Position Type:  Temporary Full-Time Contract (6 to 9 Months)

Hours per Week: 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday, On-site at Central Office in Red Deer 

Benefit Eligibility:  Eligible for vacation time and benefits in accordance with division policies for contract appointments 

Closing Date:  Review of applications begins November 16, 2026; position open until filled

Annual Salary: starting at $65,084 (prorated to the length of the term) 

Position Overview

The Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division is seeking an organized, detail-oriented Interim Financial Systems & Accounting Analyst for a 6 to 9 month term.

Following our division-wide migration to the PowerSchool Atrieve ERP environment, our central finance department is actively stabilizing core operations. This role directly supports the Senior Accountant with day-to-day accounting functions, high-volume reconciliations, and school-level fee management, while diagnosing and refining data workflows between Rycor and our core ERP system.

This position reports directly to the Director of Finance and works closely alongside the Senior Accountant, school principals, and administrative staff.

Key Responsibilities

1. Accounting Operations & Reconciliations Support (70%) 

• Specialized Allocations & Audits: Review and process high-volume reconciliations for teacher Professional Development (PD) fund allocations and internal account transfers.
• Accounts Payable Technical & Systems Support: Provide direct guidance and resolution to the Accounts Payable team on Rycor-related matters (student refunds, receipting exceptions, fee setup rules, and account allocations) to support their ongoing interactions with school secretaries. 
• Rycor Merchant & Fee Balancing: Reconcile daily and monthly Rycor online payment feeds, merchant settlement statements, and Point-of-Sale (POS) transactions against the general ledger; investigate and resolve payment exceptions, chargebacks, and unallocated receipts.
• Journal Entries & Month-End Support: Prepare and post standard, recurring, and adjusting journal entries; assist the Senior Accountant with period-end close schedules, working papers, and variance checks.
• Compliance Checks: Review school-generated financial submissions for compliance with division accounting guidelines, the Chart of Accounts, and internal control policies.
• Bank & General Ledger Reconciliations: Work directly alongside the Senior Accountant to perform monthly bank reconciliations, matching central against general ledger balances in PowerSchool Atrieve.

2. Workflow Optimization & Systems Stabilization (30%) 

• Data Integration Tracking: Trace and document the transaction lifecycle from Rycor into the Atrieve Finance environment, identifying areas where manual workarounds or duplicate entries occur.
• Process Automation: Assist in testing and implementing automated file imports, batch scheduling, and improved mapping rules between Rycor, external clearing sheets, and Atrieve.
• Training & Resources: Develop practical "cheat sheets" and step-by-step guides for school administrative personnel to reduce common Rycor and transactional errors at the source.
• Operational Evaluation: Provide feedback to the Director of Finance and Senior Accountant regarding ongoing workload requirements, helping establish best practices and permanent structural recommendations for year-end and future fiscal cycles.

Qualifications & Attributes 

• Education & Credentials: Degree or Diploma in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration. Active enrollment the CPA program, or an ASBOA Certified School Business Official (CSBO) designation, is considered an asset.

• Hands-on Accounting Experience: Minimum 3–5 years of practical accounting experience with demonstrated strength in multi-account bank reconciliations, clearing account balancing, and month-end journal entry preparation.

• K-12 Sector Experience: Direct financial or accounting experience within an Alberta or Canadian public/separate school division is strongly preferred.

• Software Competency: Working familiarity with PowerSchool Atrieve (Finance/ERP), MyBudgetFile (MBF) (budgeting)  and Rycor (student fee management), or transferable ERP/subledger clearing experience.

• Spreadsheet Skills: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables, SUMIFS, and handling large data extract files).

• Communication & Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills with the patience and ability to guide school-based administrative staff through financial processes and software workflows.

• Division Alignment: A commitment to fostering and supporting the mission and values of Catholic education in our division.