Senior Accountant

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Inc.; Iowa; On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is seeking a Senior Accountant to oversee core accounting operations and financial reporting for the Laboratory, ensuring accuracy, GAAP and Uniform Guidance compliance, and alignment with institutional policies.

This role partners with Budget, Grants, Payroll, Treasury, and operations to strengthen financial processes, support month-end and year-end closes, audits, and system improvements including Workday.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Three or more years of accounting experience, preferably managing or auditing non-profit organizations.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and Uniform Guidance.

Responsibilities

• Financial Reporting & Close: assist with monthly, quarterly, and annual statements, journal entries, reconciliations, and close processes.
• Audit Coordination & Compliance: prepare for annual financial statement audits and Uniform Guidance audits; ensure GAAP compliance.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

Uniform Guidance

Non-profit accounting

Financial reporting

Month-end close

Audit coordination

Workday

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or related field

Tools

Workday ERP

Excel

Job description

Worker Type

Regular

Job Description

Position Description: Responsible for supporting core accounting operations and financial reporting for the Laboratory, ensuring accuracy, compliance with GAAP and Uniform Guidance, and alignment with institutional policies. The Senior Accountant plays a key role in the monthly and year-end close procedures, audit coordination, financial systems improvements, and analysis supporting institutional decision-making. This position partners closely with Budget, Grants, Payroll, Treasury, and operational departments to strengthen financial processes and reporting.

Position Responsibilities

• Financial Reporting & Close Management: Support preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, prepare and review journal entries, reconciliations, and supporting schedules, participate in the coordination and execution of month-end and year- end close processes, and analyze variances and provide recommendations to improve reporting accuracy and efficiency.
• Audit Coordination & Compliance: Coordinate preparation for the annual financial statement audit and uniform Guidance audit, prepare schedules and documentation required by auditors and regulatory agencies and ensure adherence to GAAP, federal grant requirements, and institutional financial policies.
• Grant Accounting Support: Support post-award grant accounting activities in partnership with the Grants office, including reviewing grant expenditures for allowability and allocability under Uniform Guidance, reconciling sponsored award activity to the general ledger, and assisting with the preparation of the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards (SEFA) and periodic financial reports to sponsors.
• Institutional & Technical Accounting: Support preparation of institutional regulatory filings, including Form 990 and related disclosures, assist with indirect cost proposal development and fringe benefit rate calculations, research and document technical accounting issues and recommend appropriate treatment, maintain and improve accounting policies and procedures documentation and assist with implementation of new accounting standards as required.
• Systems & Processes Improvement: Support financial system enhancements, integrations, and ERP initiatives (including Workday implementation and post go-live stabilization), identify opportunities to streamline close activities and strengthen internal controls, partner with Finance leadership to improve reporting workflows and automation and support testing and validation activities related to system upgrades and enhancements.
• Staff Support & Collaboration: Provide guidance and review support for work prepared by accounting staff, assist with training on accounting procedures and financial systems, collaborate with departments across the Laboratory to improve financial date accuracy and reporting consistency and support projects and institutional finance initiatives as assigned.

Position Requirements

Bachelor's degree. Three or more years of accounting experience, preferably managing or auditing non-profit organizations.

Compensation and Benefits

Our employees are compensated in many ways for their contributions to our mission, including competitive pay, exceptional health benefits, retirement plans, time off, and a range of recognition and wellness programs. Visit our CSHL Benefits sites to learn more. The salary range for this role is $80,000-$90,000. The salary range and/or hourly rate listed is a good faith determination of potential base compensation that may be offered to a successful applicant for this position at the time of this job advertisement and may be modified in the future. When determining a base salary and/or rate, several factors may be considered as applicable (e.g., years of relevant experience, education, credentials, and internal equity).

Environment

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is a world-renowned biomedical research institution in New York. It has shaped contemporary biomedical research and is the home of eight Nobel Prize laureates. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory provides a highly dynamic and interactive research environment and also a unique opportunity of timely exposure to advances in various biomedical research fields and of interaction with a broad range of researchers from all over the world through its renowned Meetings and Courses program. We believe that science is for everyone and our researchers have a wide variety of backgrounds. CSHL is an EO Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or protected veteran status. VEVRAA Federal Contractor For more information about CSHL, please visit us at www.cshl.edu.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) is a community of more than 1,100 scientific, academic, administrative and support staff hailing from more than sixty different countries throughout the world, working together to advance research and education in the biological and biomedical sciences. It’s a stimulating and dynamic place to work, with cutting-edge research programs and science education and training at all career levels. From secondary education and enrichment programs run through the DNA Learning Center to the laboratories of our faculty and principal investigators, CSHL thrives by assembling a rich mix of people who are provided the resources and creative freedom to develop new ideas, solve problems, and advance knowledge.