Description:
Client is undertaking a multi-year Customer Information System (CIS) modernization initiative to replace the legacy Basis2 system with a modern, integrated platform that will support customer service, billing, payments, collections, financial management, and operational efficiencies for more than 600,000 water customers.
The implementation will transform business processes, technology, reporting, and customer experience across the organization. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will serve as dedicated functional leaders responsible for representing current business operations, validating future-state solutions, and ensuring the successful implementation of the new system.
Position overview / Statement of Work
The Lead Accounting Subject Matter Expert (SME) serves as the functional authority for accounting and financial business processes throughout the CIS implementation. This individual will represent the Water Revenue Bureau's (WRB) Accounting Division during all phases of the project, including statement of work requirements, solution design, configuration, testing, data conversion, training, cutover planning, and post-go-live stabilization.
The SME is expected to possess extensive knowledge of the City's current Basis2 accounting processes and understand how customer billing, payments, financial transactions, and general ledger activities support the City's water revenue operations.
Key Responsibilities:
- Serve as the primary Accounting representative for the CIS implementation project
- Provide functional expertise regarding current Basis2 accounting processes and business rules
- Define and validate future-state accounting workflows and system functionality
- Review and validate functional requirements, design documents, configuration workbooks, and business process documentation
- Identify opportunities to standardize, streamline, and improve accounting processes while minimizing customizations
- Collaborate with Finance, Customer Service, Billing, Collections, Payment Operations, IT, and vendor implementation teams
- Participate in system configuration workshops and design sessions
- Validate accounting-related system configurations and ensure compliance with City accounting policies and governmental accounting standards
- Support data cleansing, data validation, and financial data conversion activities
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- Validate financial interfaces, payment settlement processing, reconciliation processes, and General Ledger postings
- Assist in developing training materials, standard operating procedures, and end-user documentation
- Support cutover planning, production readiness, hyper care, and post-go-live issue resolution.
Work Activities and Essential Functions:
The Lead Accounting Subject Matter Expert (SME) will perform the following activities in support of the Customer Information System (CIS) implementation:
Billing & Revenue Accounting
- Validate current and future-state billing and revenue accounting processes
- Review billing transactions, revenue recognition, and financial impacts
- Validate billing adjustments, reversals, cancel/rebill processing, and account corrections
- Verify billing calculations, meter read impacts, and billing exception processing
- Ensure accounting requirements are accurately reflected in the configured solution
Payment Processing & Settlement
- Validate payment processing across all payment channels, including ACH, lockbox, credit/debit card, and electronic payments
- Review payment settlement and reconciliation processes
- Validate returned payments, reversals, refunds, and adjustment processing
- Verify daily balancing, settlement, and cash reconciliation functionality
- Validate payment processing interfaces and related financial transactions
Accounts Receivable
- Validate customer accounts receivable balances and financial transactions
- Review processing for credits, refunds, write-offs, adjustments, and payment applications
- Validate collections-related accounting transactions and financial impacts
- Verify aging calculations, receivable balances, and financial reporting
- Ensure accounts receivable transactions are processed accurately throughout the customer lifecycle
General Ledger & Financial Integration
- Validate General Ledger posting logic and accounting distributions
- Review Chart of Accounts mappings and financial transaction processing
- Verify journal entries and financial interface transactions
- Validate integrations between the CIS and enterprise financial systems
- Review month-end, year-end, reconciliation, and revenue reporting processes
Financial Controls & Compliance
- Validate accounting controls, audit requirements, and financial compliance
- Review segregation of duties and financial security requirements
- Verify system controls supporting accurate financial reporting
- Validate financial data integrity throughout accounting processes
- Identify accounting risks and recommend appropriate resolutions
Solution Design & Configuration
- Participate in functional requirements, design, and configuration workshops
- Review and validate functional requirements, solution designs, and system configuration
- Evaluate proposed system functionality against operational and accounting requirements
- Recommend process improvements that leverage standard system functionality
- Collaborate with business stakeholders, project teams, vendors, and technical resources to resolve accounting-related issues
Data Conversion
- Validate converted customer, billing, payment, accounts receivable, and financial data
- Review data reconciliation results and verify accounting accuracy
- Validate the completeness and integrity of converted accounting data prior to production
Testing & Quality Assurance
- Participate in System Integration Testing, User Acceptance Testing, and other testing activities
- Validate end-to-end accounting, billing, payment, and financial business processes
- Review testing results and verify resolution of accounting-related defects
- Confirm accounting functionality meets business requirements and is ready for production
Go-Live & Post-Implementation Support
- Participate in cutover planning and production readiness activities
- Provide accounting expertise during go-live and hypercare
- Validate production transactions and financial processing following deployment
- Assist with issue triage, root cause analysis, and post-implementation stabilization
- Confirm accounting operations continue to function accurately following implementation
Skills/experience of the assigned staff:
Required:
Mandatory Experience: Candidates must possess extensive hands-on experience using the Basis2 Customer Information System within Water Revenue Bureau's accounting operations.
- Demonstrated expertise in water utility accounting processes
- Thorough understanding of customer billing and revenue accounting
- Strong knowledge of payment processing and settlement operations
- Experience with Accounts Receivable accounting
- Experience validating General Ledger postings and financial reconciliations
- Knowledge of governmental accounting principles and financial controls
- Experience interpreting accounting transactions and financial reporting
- Ability to analyze current business processes and identify improvement opportunities
- Ability to translate business requirements into functional system requirements
- Ability to evaluate proposed system functionality against operational needs
- Experience participating in cross-functional initiatives involving accounting, operations, and technology
Highly Desired/Preferred
- Previous participation in a CIS, ERP, billing, or financial system implementation
- Experience supporting system testing, including User Acceptance Testing
- Experience validating financial data conversions
- Knowledge of utility billing and customer information systems
- Experience working with system integrators or software vendors
- Familiarity with system interfaces, data migration, and reporting validation
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field CPA or governmental accounting experience is a plus
Soft Skills & Other Requirements:
- Strong collaboration and teamwork across business and technical organizations
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to explain complex accounting concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences
- Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Ability to prioritize multiple deliverables in a fast-paced project environment
- Sound judgment and attention to detail
- Ability to influence decisions through subject matter expertise
- Adaptability and willingness to embrace organizational change
- Customer-focused mindset with a commitment to continuous improvement
- Ability to build productive working relationships with project leadership, stakeholders, vendors, and peers
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