Senior Benefits Plan Accountant

JOB OVERVIEW

Human Resource Management and Development comprises a variety of teams and units that manage different key employment-related issues for The George Washington University. GW Benefits is dedicated to supporting our faculty, staff, and postdocs by delivering quality, comprehensive and competitive benefit plans with a focus on the participant experience. We aim to build security for our employees by providing services that help support and protect their health, financial, and well‑being goals.

The Senior Benefits Plan Accountant position is responsible for the accurate accounting, reconciliation, and reporting of employee benefit programs, including health insurance, retirement plans, and other employee‑related benefits. This role ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies while supporting strategic initiatives related to employee benefits. The Senior Benefits Plan Accountant is responsible for monitoring and completing appropriate accounting activities for the benefit programs, including but not limited to: maintaining and reconciling general ledger accounts related to employee benefits, preparing monthly, quarterly, and annual journal entries and financial reports for benefits‑related accounts, collaborating with HR, TPA and payroll teams to ensure accurate benefit deductions and contributions, monitoring and analyzing benefit plan costs, trends and variances, leading annual audits, ensuring compliance with federal/state/local regulations, supporting preparation and ensuring accuracy of regulatory filings, and providing financial analysis for benefits planning and forecasting.

This position has enterprise‑wide scope and serves as a subject matter expert managing complex benefits accounting functions for the university. This position also participates in various benefits projects. The Senior Benefits Plan Accountant reports directly to the Benefits Director and works under limited supervision to apply generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and procedures to analyze financial information, prepare accurate and timely reports and ensure appropriate accounting control procedures are met.

• Process vendor invoices and ensure timely payments in accordance with GW policies and contractual terms.
• Reconcile vendor statements and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Maintain accurate records of all payment transactions and support month‑end/quarter‑end closing activities.
• Collaborate with procurement and finance teams to ensure alignment on payment schedules and vendor terms.
• Liaison with health and welfare benefit enrollment TPA for benefit deduction review/reconciliation and analysis.
• Coordinate annual audit for university 401(a) and 403(b) retirement plans. Lead liaison with external auditors, investment service providers, and coordinate collection of audit documents.
• Lead responding to auditors' inquiries, discuss issues as well as perform research on potential exceptions.
• Prepare financial statements and supplemental schedules for retirement plans.
• Coordinate actuarial evaluation for post‑retirement and post‑employment benefits and preparation of related quarterly and annual journal entries and reconciliations.
• Update all internal control narratives, reports and assumption memos for retirement plans and post‑retirement and post‑employment benefits for university financial statements audit.
• Coordinate and prepare Forms 5500s, 8955‑SSAs, and Summary Annual Reports for health and welfare and retirement plans.
• Assist review of 457(f) restoration retirement plan calculations and preparing journal entries to record the liability at the end of quarter.
• Coordinate nondiscrimination testing for health and welfare and retirement plans.
• Prepare monthly analysis for retirement plans; reconcile university contributions amounts to investment providers’ application amounts for both 401(a) and 403(b) plans.
• Review annual retirement plan true‑up calculations.
• Audit plan operation.
• Oversee processing of any payroll manual checks or any discrepancies as needed.
• Perform sample test of the distribution payments issued from the 401(a) and 403(b) plans to determine…