Accounting Intern

About the Department

The City of Jersey City is seeking an Intern for the Accounts and Control Division for the Department of Finance. The Internship is a learning experience that will allow the student to explore an interest in serving the community in a positive and vital way through financial monitoring, with exposure to what could be a future career path. The goal of the internship is to apply knowledge acquired in the classroom to real-world situations, as well as gain the skills and experience to prepare the student for a successful career in accounting. Orientation and training is provided. Interns must be available Monday through Friday. Schedule/hours to be determined in accordance with the City and Student’s needs.

Position Duties

• Assist with month-end financial reporting and closing 
• Work under supervision of other accountants 
• Assist with bank statements reconciliation 
• Perform general ledger reconciliation 
• Assist with the preparation of ad hoc and other internal reports 
• Ensure the completion of assigned tasks in line with established deadline 
• Study the government accounting policies and processes of the City and abide by them 
• Compose, input, file and scan Journal Entries
• Assist in voucher processing in preparation for the city’s council meeting 
• Perform research in files and the City Financial System 
• General office support including data entry, filing, scanning etc. 
• All assignments are confidential and may involve time sensitive deadlines 
• Submit a signed log of hours completed for time worked 

Minimum Qualifications

Must be a current college or city college student in good academic standing, enrolled in an accredited two or four year college or university. Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 grade scale or a 3.5 on a 5.0 grade scale.

Other Qualifications

• Strong understanding of local government functions
• Ability to multi-task and juggle multiple assignments, often on deadline and with short lead time
• Strong organizational, research, and oral and written communication skills

Preferred Area of Study: Students majoring in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Business Management, Computer Science, Information Technology or a similar field with related coursework. Students in Graduate and Master’s program are encouraged to apply.
Preferred Skills: 

• Facility for numbers 
• Basic understanding of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB)
• Basic Accounting Knowledge 
• Advanced knowledge of Excel 
• Comfortable with performing simple accounting functions: Bank reconciliation, journal entries etc. 
• Interested in learning government accounting systems and functions  
• Detail oriented, able to follow directions, and take initiative when needed 
• Must be able to handle confidential information with solid judgment and discretion 
• Understanding of compliance, auditing procedures is helpful