Cost Accountant - Business Analysis

Overview
Background: As a result of the Department's efforts to re-engineer and modernize core financial systems, there has been over 1,500 computing assets identified as performing some level of financial planning, analysis, and management functionality that are impacted by the State of Florida's accounting system. The Florida Planning, Accounting, and Ledger Management (PALM) project is a multiyear endeavor to replace the State of Florida's accounting and cash management systems with a modern financial management solution. The Florida PALM Project is targeted to replace Central, Payroll, and Departmental FLAIR functionality, with go-live scheduled for January 6, 2026.

The 1,500 computing assets are comprised of interfaces, enterprise applications, databases, automated processes, and reporting programs that will require remediation due to:

• Adoption of the Florida PALM Standardized Business Process Model
• Transition to the Florida PALM Chart of Accounts values
• Replacement of Central, Payroll and Departmental FLAIR functionality
• Redevelopment of agency incoming and outgoing interfaces to the statewide accounting system
• Implementation of Information Warehouse data to support agency specific reporting requirements.
• The computing asset modifications to complete the PALM System Transition (FPST) will take place over the course of two years in alignment with the Florida PALM Project scheduled timeline.
• Problem Statement: Modifications to the Department's computing assets are necessary to align with the Florida PALM solution and are essential to the continuity of business. The selected candidate will be assigned initially to analyzing and documenting the Department's payroll distribution process and the Florida PALM project's reengineering of journal vouchering processes impact on critical business functions, supporting business processes, and related computing assets. Additional focus will be on analyzing related financial planning and analysis systems and dependent business processes owned by the Department and assisting in re-engineering in areas impacted by the Florida PALM Standardized Business Process Model and redeveloped interfaces. As part of this effort, a fit-gap determination must be made comparing the Department's computing assets functional scope with the Florida PALM Standardized Business Process Model to recommend those assets that may be decommissioned and addressed with the functionality within the Florida PALM solution.
• The selected candidate will be given access to existing documentation and staff and be required to identify functional gaps, develop, and document business rules and processes supporting critical functions. Documentation will be completed with advice from Department staff in a desk procedure template or other formats conducive to communicating the information. The analyst filling this position will be assigned to the Department’s Project Costing functions. Prior knowledge of Cost Accounting or Project Based Costing is REQUIRED for this role.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, finance, or accounting is preferred though work experience in these fields can be substituted for the educational requirement.
• Experience
• Candidate must have a minimum of 5 years' experience working in cost accounting or project costing OR experience working as a business analyst supporting the cost accounting functions of an organization.

Primary Job Duties/ Tasks

• The submitted candidate must be able to perform the following duties and/or tasks. Duties of the selected candidate will include, but not be limited to:
• Participate in efforts to define the impact on Department computing assets from the implementation of Florida PALM standard business process model, chart of accounts, and PeopleSoft solution. Produce deliverables including, but not limited to business process diagrams and narratives, business requirements, program specifications, and supporting business processes, data conversion, technical impact analyses, and testing scripts.
• Use subject matter expertise, industry methodologies and best practices, and automated tools to analyze and make recommendations on behalf of the Department for required changes to complex financial-related business processes to align with the Florida PALM solution.
• Detail data element inputs and outputs for Department computing assets interfacing with Department of Financial Services FLAIR. Inputs may include, but not limited to, manual data entry, direct access via scripting solutions, and batch uploads. Outputs can include data extracts, outgoing interfaces, and reports.
• Prepare specifications to communicate Department specific functional requirements for the FPST transition efforts and address dependencies with other interfacing computing assets and external stakeholder interfaces. Oversee the development of testing strategies, data scenarios, and test plans to ensure functional requirements are addressed.
• Assist in the business process redesign and documentation as needed to support ongoing FPST efforts in the enterprise environment.
• Work with functional and enterprise system support staff during technical assessments of the Department's internal financial-related systems and interfaces from/to the Florida PALM solution.
• Document business cases and feasibility studies. Facilitate work sessions to elicit and prioritize remediation requirements. Identify any functionality seen as needed, but missing, in Department maintained systems. Include analysis of outstanding remediation requests.
• Translate high level business requirements into detailed business documents and/or functional specifications.
• Assist with User Acceptance Testing and Florida PALM cycle testing; Confer with Central Office and District personnel to ensure Department financial-related systems are performing as required.
• Evaluate critical information gathered from multiple resources. Summarize detailed data into executive level formats as well as breaking down aggregate information into meaningful pieces.
• Develop standardized desk procedures that include the purpose, prerequisites, process flows and narratives of business processes.
• Help manage user stories, the project backlog, and sprint backlogs.
• Prepare proposed business rules, develop, monitor, and implement knowledge transfer activities.
• Participate in SCRUM meetings including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and sprint retrospectives.

Job Specific Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• The submitted candidate must be able to apply common knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:
• Prior knowledge of cost accounting or project-based costing standards and best practices.
• Prior experience developing and analyzing cost standards
• Proven ability to analyze a project and properly calculate values for materials costs, labor costs, and overhead costs associated with the project
• Knowledge of financial management best practices which can be translated to transportation financial practices.
• Ability to produce legible and complete functional documentation in a way that
• thoroughly captures business processes and inputs/outputs of the applications.
• Ability to analyze and accurately and completely define processes and workflows to design efficient information solutions, including missing or duplicate functionality in existing applications.
• Ability to develop and manage business and information systems technical documentation in accordance with the Department's standards
• Skill in testing complex applications and interpreting whether requirements
• and designs were met in the product.
• Ability to work effectively with Project Managers, Business Analysts, Data Analysts, and Technical Architects to build efficient, viable solutions in the maintenance of business applications utilizing all established Departmental standards.
• Ability to prepare computer program test plans and to create test databases and test environments.
• Ability to interpret and communicate technical information related to computer programming and data processing, both verbally and in writing.
• Advanced skills with Microsoft products: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio.
• Experience working on accounting and financial computing applications and monitoring complex interfaces with external systems.
• Knowledge of Agile Project Management methodologies and practices.
• Knowledge of the SCRUM Framework.

Preferred KSAs

• Skill in performing QA reviews and provide valuable feedback in determining that standards are met and that documents are complete and comprehensive.
• Knowledge of legacy technology such as mainframe and Cobol.
• Skill in data conversion techniques, data cleansing approaches and validating data relationships.
• Basic knowledge of Universal Modeling Language (UML) and supporting enterprise tools to document business processes and data lineage, collect requirements, develop test scripts,
• and manage traceability.

General Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

The submitted candidate must be able to apply common knowledge, skills, and abilities in the following areas:

• Communication: Ability to clearly convey information, in both written and verbal formats, to individuals or groups in a wide variety of settings (i.e., project team meetings, management presentations, etc.). Must have the ability to effectively listen and process information provided by others.
• Customer Service: Works well with clients and customers (i.e., business office, public,
• or other agencies). Able to assess the needs of the customer, provide information or assistance to satisfy expectations or resolve a problem.
• Decision Making: Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions.
• Flexibility: Open to change, new processes (or process improvement), and new information. Has the ability to adapt in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Ability to receive and give constructive criticism and maintain effective work relationships with others.
• Interpersonal: Shows friendliness, courtesy, understanding, and politeness to others.
• Leadership: Motivates, encourages, and challenges others. Adapt leadership styles in a variety of situations.
• Problem Solving: Ability to identify, evaluate, and use sound judgement to generate
• and evaluate alternative actions, and make recommendations as accordingly.
• Team Building: Encourages, inspires, and guides others toward accomplishing the common goal.

Job Type: Full-time

Work Location: In person