Senior Accounting Manager

About ScholarMatch

Founded in 2010 by author Dave Eggers, ScholarMatch began as a scholarship crowdfunding platform and has since evolved into a full-service college access and persistence organization.

At ScholarMatch, we are committed to supporting first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds earn a bachelor’s degree within five years. We’re working towards realizing our vision where all students have access to higher education, support to persist to graduation, and opportunities to succeed in fulfilling careers.

Education opens doors to opportunity and social mobility by allowing students a chance to build fulfilling careers. However, the road to higher education is paved with challenges that can be particularly daunting for first-generation college students. We strive to change this scenario for young people from low-income backgrounds by offering them comprehensive support services focusing on individualized college and career advising, targeted scholarships, and ongoing mentorship from high school to college graduation and the launch of their careers.

Our ultimate goal is to nurture a community of young people who can successfully navigate the higher education landscape, confronting its challenges, breaking barriers, and redefining success on their paths to graduation and beyond. Learn more at ScholarMatch.org.

Position Description

ScholarMatch is seeking a full-time, exempt Senior Accounting Manager to play an important role in our growing non-profit. This position reports to the Executive Director and helps to organize, execute, and manage a wide variety of accounting and finance functions. The Senior Accounting Manager supervises the Program and Finance Coordinator and works in collaboration with the Development and Human Resources departments. This position operates in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and the organization’s policies, procedures, and contracts.

The ideal candidate has a passion for our mission as we strive to foster a just, equitable, prosperous future for all. The position is remote, but candidates must be located in the San Francisco Bay Area or greater Los Angeles. While rare, this position may be required to work and travel within California for work on evenings, weekends as needed.

Employment Type: Open to Full-time or Part-time. This role can be structured as a full-time or a part-time position, with the exact schedule to be determined based on the successful candidate's availability and the company's needs.

Primary Responsibilities

Cash Receipts and Banking

• Log, enter, and review cash receipts (checks, ACH, credit cards, stock donations, etc.) and relevant back-up
• Communicate and collaborate with various team members to obtain all necessary cash receipt documentation and details; optimizing workflows
• Monitor bank activities; logging, recording, and approval of all incoming and outgoing flows of funds to ensure accuracy of general ledger cash and credit card balances
• Review all cash and bank postings to ensure accuracy; funder & GAAP compliance
• Oversee and audit Cash Disbursements & Payables process
• Oversee and audit vendor, contractor, and credit card purchases and payments (ACH, check, credit card, etc.)
• Oversee and audit staff and contractor expense reimbursement requests
• Record payables, disbursements, expense reimbursement requests, prepaids, and accruals to the general ledger
• Track contractors and payments for accurate year-end reporting of CA-FTB-590, and CA-EDD-542
• Record, log, and track recurring payments
• Review all cash disbursements, credit card, and payables postings to ensure accuracy; funder & GAAP compliance

Invoicing and Receivables

• Record and manage pledges and pledge payments in the general ledger
• Organize disbursement records throughout the accounting cycle to facilitate efficient invoicing and cost reimbursement requests required by funders
• Work with the Development team to follow up with the donors and other parties to determine the status of unpaid pledges
• Review all pledge and income postings to ensure accuracy; funder & GAAP compliance
• Ensure payroll is processed on a semi-monthly basis in conjunction with HR Department
• Enter payroll to the general ledger
• Maintain 401(k) participant data and review regular semi-monthly contributions of Guideline platform
• Download and save period, quarter, and annual payroll reports
• Assist with year-end reporting for W-2, retirement, and worker’s compensation
• Prepare monthly payroll allocation journal entry
• Ensure benefits, insurance, tax, and other payments are made timely
• Review all payroll postings to ensure accuracy; funder & GAAP compliance

General Ledger

• Record recurring and regular monthly journal entries
• Record special and adjusting journal entries as directed
• Post cash receipts, cash disbursements, credit card charges, payroll, payroll and shared cost allocations, and month-end closing entries
• Perform month-end, year-end, and other periodic and special account reconciliations
• Review all general ledger postings to ensure accuracy; funder & GAAP compliance
• Support month-end close process and preparation of monthly financial reports
• Support various audits (accounting, 401(k), worker’s compensation, etc.) and other special projects
• Support budget preparation, modification, entry, and reporting
• Ensure compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and the organization’s policies, procedures, and contracts
• Interface with internal staff and external parties to answer inquiries, ensure policy compliance,and identify, troubleshoot, and resolve problems
• Demonstrate solid judgment by making independent decisions guided by established policy and involving a supervisor and other stakeholders when necessary
• Document and update internal and external policies and workflows to ensure ongoing clarity, transparency, and written documentation of accounting practices
• Assisting with board and committee meeting materials as needed
• Assists with grant and funder reporting as needed
• Maintains accurate and complete records of the organization’s finances and related transactions
• Perform all other duties and tasks as assigned, “all-hands-on deck” mindset

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelors in Finance, Accounting or similar
• Five (5) years of professional accounting experience in a complex nonprofit setting
• Advanced experience with QuickBooks Online Advanced, MS Excel, Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Drive, Gmail, Slides, Forms, etc.), payroll processing (Trinet preferred), online banking, and bill pay required. Experience with ERPs, CRMs, databases, and technology migration is a plus
• A high degree of comfort, curiosity, excitement, and motivation to learn new technology
• Demonstrated aptitude working in a complex fund accounting environment with multiple funding streams, in-depth general ledger system, and sophisticated cost allocation methodologies is strongly preferred
• Extremely organized with strict attention to detail and the ability to set priorities and follow up on tasks to meet deadlines
• Able to take direction, receive criticism, and adapt to quickly a changing business environment
• Fundamental commitment to continuous process improvements that help achieve incremental gains in efficiency and work quality
• Able to work independently, set priorities, and manage multiple deadlines
• Able to maintain a high level of confidentiality at all times regarding financial, personnel, and other confidential information
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills are required with the ability to form effective partnerships with key stakeholders at every level of the organization and externally
• Positive, team-oriented attitude with a can-do approach to problem-solving

Preferred but not required

• CPA License

Compensation and Benefits

Starting salary is commensurate with experience, regional location, and is based on a competitive public interest salary scale.

ScholarMatch practices a transparent, negotiation-free salary process. While starting salary is commensurate with experience, regional location, and is based on a competitive public interest salary scale, ScholarMatch aims to provide a living wage to all staff by bringing them in at a starting salary of $50,000/year.

The salary range for this position is:

• San Francisco Bay Area: $92,329 - $125,639/year
• Greater Los Angeles Area:$80,850 - $105,000/year

As a growing organization, ScholarMatch prides itself in offering a competitive benefits package:

• 100% paid medical, dental, vision, and basic term life for full-time employees
• 401k retirement plan with 4% employer automatic contribution, 100% vested on day 1
• 20 accrued PTO days per year
• 11 paid holidays every year, birthday off, plus a staff-wide “winter break” from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day with reduced workload
• Annual retention bonus that increases with every year, maxed out at year 10
• Eligibility for a one-month paid sabbatical after your 5-year anniversary
• FSA/HSA
• Landmark Chiropractic/Acupuncture plan (available with FSA healthcare plan)
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Phone and internet stipend
• Staff and dependent EAP access

The salary and benefits shown above for this position are for full-time staff and will be prorated for part-time (PT) staff.

How to Apply

Apply online through the career page: scholarmatch.org/careers

ScholarMatch does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.

ScholarMatch is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Please join us!