Lead Accountant

Overview

This role supports the accuracy and integrity of accounting services delivered to assigned schools and clients. You will own complex accounting work for specific client entities and strengthen the quality of the accounting close through technical judgment, thoughtful review, and coaching. You will also serve as a resource for challenging accounting questions, including multi-entity work, unusual transactions, and high-judgment close and reporting matters, while providing day-to-day guidance to less-experienced accounting professionals.

Reporting to an Accounting Manager or Senior Accounting Manager, you will be accountable for complex accounting execution, technical quality, and peer guidance without formal people-management responsibility. You will also support client onboarding and transitions, audit preparation, and process improvements to promote consistency and financial transparency.

Responsibilities

Month-End Close and Reconciliations

• Lead the monthly close for assigned complex client entities, including preparation of complex journal entries, accruals, allocations, and adjustments.
• Prepare and review balance-sheet account reconciliations, investigate variances, and resolve aged or unsupported reconciling items.
• Perform balance-sheet and income-statement flux analysis, explain significant fluctuations, and identify potential errors before reporting.
• Resolve non-routine and unusual transactions, multi-entity and intercompany activity, and other high-judgment close issues.
• Deliver assigned close work within the agreed close calendar and raise timing or quality risks to the Accounting Manager early.

Technical Accounting and Research

• Research accounting questions, assess appropriate treatment, and document recommended conclusions consistent with GAAP, organizational policy, and applicable school or nonprofit requirements.
• Apply fund-accounting, grant, and restricted-revenue principles where applicable to school and nonprofit clients.
• Prepare clear technical memos and supporting documentation that can be relied on by reviewers, auditors, and future preparers.
• Serve as a resource for difficult accounting questions and escalate matters involving policy interpretation or material risk to the Accounting Manager.

Review, Coaching, and Development

• Review selected Staff Accountant work for accuracy, completeness, and adherence to close procedures.
• Provide timely, constructive feedback and day-to-day coaching to build technical capability and reduce avoidable rework.
• Support onboarding and training of new team members on close procedures, accounting systems, and approved workflows.
• Model strong documentation, review, and escalation practices for less-experienced accountants.

Audit and Financial Reporting Support

• Prepare and review audit schedules and supporting documentation for assigned client entities.
• Lead responses for assigned accounting matters and resolve follow-up questions with the audit specialty or manager as appropriate.
• Support preparation of financial statements and management reports, ensuring accuracy and consistency with the general ledger.
• Track and resolve audit adjustments and recommendations affecting assigned entities.

Client Onboarding and Transitions

• Lead accounting work for client onboarding, offboarding, balance-sheet cleanup, and other complex transitions.
• Establish opening balances, chart-of-accounts mapping, and close procedures for newly onboarded entities.
• Document transition status, open items, and risks for the Accounting Manager and Client Management.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Payroll, AP, Client Management, Financial Operations, and Compliance on accounting handoffs and data-quality issues.
• Identify and resolve upstream data issues that affect accounting accuracy or close timelines.
• Provide accurate, timely accounting information to Client Management to support client communication and advisory services.

Process Improvement and Controls

• Improve workpapers, templates, close checklists, accounting-system practices, and training materials to strengthen consistency across the team.
• Maintain required support and review evidence, and escalate control exceptions promptly.
• Identify recurring defects, manual effort, or unclear procedures and recommend improvements through approved changes.
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) for assigned accounting areas, processes, or systems, acting as the go-to resource for related team questions.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, desk procedures, and job aids for SME areas, keeping them current as workflows or requirements change.
• Lead training and knowledge-sharing sessions on SME topics and support team adoption of new or updated procedures.
• Represent SME areas in system enhancements, user testing, and cross-team improvement initiatives, escalating design, policy, or capacity decisions to the Accounting Manager.
• Contribute to special projects that enhance service delivery and financial transparency.

Decision Making Authority

• Own technical accounting judgment and assigned complex close work.
• This role does not own the enterprise audit process and does not have formal performance-management responsibility.
• Client Management remains accountable for client communication and advisory services.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• CPA or progress toward CPA is a plus.
• Four or more years of progressive accounting experience, including monthly close, reconciliations, account analysis, and audit preparation preferred.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting, with demonstrated ability to resolve complex accounting issues.
• Experience with Sage Intacct.

Preferred Qualifications

• School finance, nonprofit, fund-accounting, multi-entity, or professional-services experience.
• Experience with enterprise accounting systems and standardized close, audit, or reporting workflows.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, confidentiality, and ability to manage recurring deadlines.
• Ability to research and explain complex accounting treatment, review work constructively, and guide less-experienced accountants.
• Clear written and verbal communication with Accounting, Client Management, AP, Payroll, Financial Operations, Compliance, and external partners as appropriate.
• Working proficiency with spreadsheets and enterprise accounting systems; ability to learn and apply approved workflows and reporting tools.
• Ability to identify discrepancies, assess risk, document conclusions, and escalate issues through the appropriate authority path.

Compensation & Benefits

• Industry-leading pay and rewards.
• Referral bonuses.
• Unlimited flexible paid time-off for performance.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k) plans with a 6% employer match on contributions.
• Mentoring and money to take training classes.

Location

Not specified in the provided job description.