Overview
Position Overview
The Illinois Department of Public Health is seeking a highly motivated individual to perform the duties of Accountant. Under general supervision, performs professional accounting work in maintaining a complex, complete set of general account ledgers, by program and funding source for assigned funds and federal projects, procures goods and services as requested by program staff; prepares vouchers for payments to vendors, prepares contract obligation documents (CODs) for grants and contracts, maintains ledgers and prepares financial reports.
Essential Functions
- Prepares, audits, and processes vendor invoices for payment through the Accounting Information System (AIS).
- Establishes and maintains ledgers for assigned state funds and federal projects. Reconciles ledgers with AIS.
- Prepares and enters contract obligation documents (CODs) through AIS.
- Reviews program requests for travel and procurement of goods and services.
- Assists other staff as necessary to ensure timely processing of fiscal documents and to ensure cross training of fiscal activities.
- Prepares detailed reports and responses to satisfy routine and special requests including, but not limited to, GAAP, audit requests, legislative requests, and Court of Claims.
- Maintains fiscal files including obligations, vouchers, grant awards, correspondence and other documents to provide adequate audit trail and documentation for assigned state funds and federal projects.
- Performs other duties as assigned or required which are reasonably within the scope of those enumerated above.
About Illinois Department Public Health
In Illinois, if you have eaten at a restaurant ... required hospital or nursing home care ... vacationed at a campground or swam at a public beach or pool ... drank a glass of milk ... got married or divorced ... had a baby, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has touched your life in some important way.
Assuring the quality of our food, setting the standards for hospital and nursing home care, checking the safety of recreation areas, overseeing the inspection of milk producing farms and processing plants, maintaining the state's vital records and screening newborns for genetic diseases are just some of the duties of IDPH.
In fact, IDPH has 200 different programs that benefit each state resident and visitor, although its daily activities of maintaining the public's health are rarely noticed unless a breakdown in the system occurs. With the assistance of local public health agencies, these essential programs and services make up Illinois' public health system, a system that forms a frontline defense against disease through preventive measures and education. Public health has provided the foundation for remarkable gains in saving lives and reducing suffering. Today, life expectancy is 80 years for women and 74 years for men compared with fewer than 50 years at the at the beginning of the 20th century.
In the past, IDPH directed state efforts to control smallpox, cholera and typhoid, virtually eliminated polio, reduced dental decay through fluoridation of community water supplies, and corrected sanitary conditions that threatened water and food supplies.
Today, IDPH has programs to deal with persistent problems that require continued vigilance – infectious diseases, such as AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and meningococcal disease; foodborne and communicable diseases, such as E. coli 0157: H7, monkeypox, salmonella and West Nile virus; vaccine preventable diseases; lead poisoning; lack of health care in rural areas; health disparities among racial groups, breast, cervical and prostate cancer; Alzheimer's disease; and other health threats -- sexually transmitted diseases, tobacco use, violence, and other conditions associated with high-risk behaviors. In addition, IDPH has been charged with handling the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat of bioterrorism.
IDPH, which is one of the state's oldest agencies, was first organized in 1877 with a staff of three and a two-year budget of $5,000. IDPH, now has an annual budget of $2.9 billion in state and federal funds, headquarters in Springfield and Chicago, seven regional offices located around the state, three laboratories, and 1,200 employees.
IDPH is organized into 12 offices, each of which addresses a distinct area of public health. Each office operates and supports numerous ongoing programs and is prepared to respond to extraordinary situations as they arise.
