Schools, such as colleges and universities, are the most common employers of bursars. A person may work as an assistant or as part of a team within a bursar’s department in these positions. Individuals working as school bursars must act as the institution’s accountants, treasurers, and auditors.
Individuals applying for school bursar jobs will be expected to collect tuition, book fees, and other fees while also keeping track of student records. All transactions and receipts are typically presented to a board that oversees the financial affairs of the institution. An individual bursar, an assistant bursar, or a team member comprised of a group of individuals who make up a bursar’s department may be hired to provide accounting assistance to a school.
When a person works as a bursar in a supervisory capacity, their responsibilities will include supervising other employees as well as ensuring that the institution’s financial matters are handled properly. Reporting petty cash spending, managing refunds, monitoring credit card operations, and monitoring bank reconciliations are likely to be included in such bursar jobs. Some bursar job descriptions may also call for a bursar to oversee spending related to the institution’s general building and grounds maintenance. A head bursar will be expected to troubleshoot and act as a liaison between the customer and the institution as accounting questions or problems arise.
Some of the duties and responsibilities of a head bursar may be shared by assistant bursars. This is especially true in the case of assistant bursar jobs for large institutions, where it has been determined that a single bursar is incapable of handling an increasing influx of accounting and other financial responsibilities on their own. As the institution grows and new technologies are introduced, an assistant bursar may be asked to assist in the development of new policies and procedures.
A person working as a bursar may also be required to work as part of a team within an accounting department. As a result, bursar responsibilities will be shared among key staff members. Individual bursar job descriptions will most likely vary in this position, as each employee will be expected to complete separate tasks in order to help the department run more efficiently. A person working as a bursar in this position can expect to be supported by a team and led by a head bursar, as well as one or more assistant bursars.