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# Lead Accounting Subject Matter Expert (SME) ## Position Overview / Statement of Work The Lead Accounting Subject Matter Expert (SME) serves as the functional authority for accounting and financial business processes throughout a Customer Information System (CIS) modernization and implementation initiative. This individual will represent the Accounting function during all phases of the project, including requirements gathering, solution design, configuration, testing, data conversion, training, cutover planning, and post-go-live stabilization. The SME is expected to possess extensive knowledge of accounting processes within a water utility environment and understand how customer billing, payments, financial transactions, and general ledger activities support revenue operations. ## Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Accounting representative for the CIS implementation project.
• Provide functional expertise regarding existing 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 applicable accounting policies and governmental accounting standards.
• Support data cleansing, data validation, and financial data conversion activities.
• 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, hypercare, and post-go-live issue resolution. ## Work Activities and Essential Functions ### 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 ### Required
• Extensive hands-on experience with a Customer Information System (CIS) supporting water utility 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.
• Experience participating in CIS implementation, modernization, or transformation projects.
• Strong analytical, communication, documentation, and stakeholder collaboration skills.