Senior Accountant

NACBA; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NACBA in Milwaukee seeks a Senior Accountant to lead technical accounting, ensure general ledger integrity, and coordinate month-end close. The role requires robust GAAP knowledge and nonprofit accounting experience, with NetSuite proficiency and a focus on audit readiness.

You will own cash/banking, specialized housing-related accounting, revenue recognition, and balance-sheet reconciliations, while guiding the Staff Accountant and collaborating with the VP of Finance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field.
• At least five years of progressively responsible accounting experience.
• Nonprofit accounting experience strongly preferred.
• CPA or other relevant professional certification preferred but not required.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and internal controls.

Responsibilities

• Own general ledger integrity and coordinate monthly and year-end close.
• Prepare complex journal entries, accruals, and reconciliations with complete support.
• Review designated entries and schedules prepared by Staff Accountant.
• Maintain fixed-asset accounting and depreciation schedules.
• Coordinate audit support and liaison with the VP of Finance.

Skills

GAAP knowledge

General ledger accounting

Excel (advanced)

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

Description

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Senior Accountant serves as the organization's lead technical accountant and is responsible for general ledger integrity, coordination of the month-end and year-end close, complex accounting and reconciliations, and first-level review of designated work prepared by the Staff Accountant. The position owns key accounting areas including cash and bank reconciliations, specialized revenue and housing-related accounting, deferred revenue, complex accruals, balance-sheet reconciliations, and audit preparation. The Senior Accountant provides technical guidance and coordinates accounting deadlines but does not have formal personnel-management responsibility unless specifically assigned.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

General Ledger and Month-End Close

• Serve as the primary owner of general ledger integrity and coordinate execution of the monthly and year-end close calendars.
• Monitor close progress, communicate deadlines, identify delays or unresolved issues, and coordinate timely completion.
• Prepare complex journal entries, accruals, allocations, corrections, and other accounting entries with complete support.
• Review designated journal entries, reconciliations, schedules, and close work prepared by the Staff Accountant.
• Ensure material balance-sheet accounts are reconciled monthly and reconciling items are resolved timely.
• Perform analytical review of general ledger activity for unusual transactions, classification errors, duplicate activity, and unexpected fluctuations.
• Coordinate the Finance team general ledger review and track identified items through resolution.
• Support monthly financial statement preparation and develop toward preparing the initial financial statement package for VP of Finance review.
• Support period-close, period-lock, and post-close adjustment procedures.
• Maintain fixed-asset accounting records, including additions, disposals, transfers, depreciation, and reconciliation of fixed-asset schedules to the general ledger.

Cash, Banking, and Treasury Accounting

• Prepare monthly reconciliations for assigned operating, payroll, money market, sweep, investment, and other financial accounts.
• Investigate outstanding checks, deposits in transit, unidentified transactions, stale items, transfers, and other reconciling items.
• Maintain bank-reconciliation support for independent VP of Finance review.
• Monitor cash balances and assist the VP of Finance with cash-flow planning and liquidity management.
• Assist with banking relationships, account maintenance, and implementation of banking controls.

Revenue, Housing, and Specialized Accounting

• Own accounting for housing commissions, hotel rebates, convention subsidies, restricted opportunity funds, and other specialized destination-related activity.
• Coordinate with operational departments to obtain complete and accurate source information.
• Review contractual terms and transaction activity to determine appropriate accounting treatment and timing.
• Prepare or review related invoices, accruals, reconciliations, revenue entries, and supporting schedules.
• Maintain and reconcile deferred revenue schedules and related general ledger accounts.
• Monitor outstanding balances, aging trends, collectability concerns, and unusual items.

Accounts Payable, Payroll, and Staff Accountant Review

• Perform first-level review of AP batches, supporting documentation, approvals, unusual transactions, and duplicate-payment risks.
• Review new vendor setups and vendor-master changes in accordance with established controls.
• Confirm that sensitive vendor banking changes have been independently verified before approval.
• Review designated payroll registers, payroll reconciliations, payroll accruals, and payroll-related journal entries.
• Review corporate card reconciliations, employee expense activity, and other Staff Accountant-prepared schedules as assigned.
• Provide timely technical feedback and require correction of incomplete or unsupported work.
• Review and approve purchase orders in accordance with established authorization thresholds, budget availability, procurement requirements, and segregation-of-duties controls.

Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Assist in preparing accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
• Prepare supporting schedules, budget-to-actual analysis, prior-period comparisons, and other financial analyses.
• Investigate significant quantitative and qualitative variances.
• Assist in preparing reports for executive leadership, committees, and the Board of Directors.
• Support annual budget preparation, forecasting, and budget monitoring as assigned.

Audit, Tax, and Compliance

• Coordinate preparation of schedules, reconciliations, rollforwards, and support for the annual financial statement audit.
• Serve as a primary Finance contact for designated auditor requests and coordinate responses across the accounting team.
• Support Form 990, Form 1099, sales and use tax, and other applicable compliance requirements.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation throughout the year and assist with corrective-action implementation.

Internal Controls, Systems, and Technical Leadership

• Recommend improvements to accounting processes, close procedures, documentation standards, and internal controls.
• Support segregation of duties across initiation, approval, recording, custody, reconciliation, and system administration.
• Serve as a Finance subject-matter expert for NetSuite and related systems and assist with reporting, integrations, testing, and automation.
• Maintain written procedures, provide accounting guidance and training to the Staff Accountant, and coordinate close priorities.
• Cross-train on critical functions and stay current on accounting standards, nonprofit reporting, and control practices.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The employee may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

Visit Milwaukee is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required education and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• At least five years of progressively responsible accounting experience, including general ledger accounting, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial reporting.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing accounting work and resolving complex accounting issues.
• Nonprofit accounting experience strongly preferred.
• CPA or other relevant professional certification preferred but not required.

Required skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Strong knowledge of GAAP, general ledger accounting, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• Ability to prepare and review complex reconciliations and journal entries.
• Strong understanding of month-end and year-end close processes.
• Experience with ERP systems; NetSuite experience strongly preferred.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, project-management, and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to provide constructive technical review and guidance without formal supervisory authority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High degree of professional judgment, integrity, discretion, and accountability.
• Commitment to process improvement, automation, and strong internal controls.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to sit at a desk and operate a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to hear and communicate by telephone, video conference, and in person.
• Ability to stoop, bend, reach, and occasionally lift boxes or equipment up to 25 pounds.
• Occasional local travel may be required.