Senior Accountant

Species360; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Species360 seeks a Senior Accountant to own the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of our accounting records and close processes. You’ll prepare financial statements, manage payroll, administer the annual budget and forecast cycle, and lead audit preparation.

You’ll review routine and non-routine transactions, resolve accounting questions, and ensure GAAP compliance while partnering with the Director of Finance & Administration and cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field
• Five or more years of progressive accounting experience, including ownership of a full month-end close
• Demonstrated ability to research accounting questions independently and reach a defensible conclusion
• Experience with budget cycle administration and multi-department coordination
• Proficiency with cloud accounting systems and advanced spreadsheet skills
• Ability to work with minimal direction, establish priorities independently, and manage competing deadlines
• Nonprofit accounting experience and external audit support (preferred)
• CPA license or active candidacy (preferred)

Responsibilities

• Own the month-end and year-end close process to completion, on schedule
• Maintain the general ledger and record activity per GAAP and policy
• Perform and own balance sheet reconciliations and resolve reconciling items
• Reconcile bank accounts and resolve variances
• Coordinate Budgyt budgeting end-to-end and load budget inputs
• Prepare budget-versus-actual reporting and variance analysis
• Prepare internal and external financial statements and provide trend analyses
• Research and recommend accounting treatments for non-routine transactions
• Manage audit preparation and supporting schedules
• Oversee accounts receivable cycle and member invoicing
• Review payroll and vendor/master file changes for legitimacy
• Identify internal control weaknesses and drive remediation

Skills

Five or more years of accounting

Own research accounting questions

Budget cycle administration

Cloud accounting systems

Advanced spreadsheet skills

Multi-department coordination

Self-directed work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field

Tools

QuickBooks Online

Budgyt

FP&A software

Job description

OUR OPPORTUNITY

Species360 is seeking a Senior Accountant to own the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of our accounting records and financial close. Reporting to the Director of Finance and Administration, you’ll prepare financial statements, manage payroll and benefits, administer the annual budget and forecast cycle, and lead preparation for the annual audit. You’ll also review transactional accounting work and independently resolve accounting questions, including researching and recommending treatment for non-routine transactions.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Month-End and Year-End Close

• Own the month-end and year-end close process to completion, with accuracy, and delivered on the published schedule
• Maintain the general ledger and record business activity in accordance with GAAP and organizational policy
• Perform and own balance sheet account reconciliations, including investigation and resolution of reconciling items through to clearance
• Reconcile bank accounts and resolve variances
• Recommend improvements to close procedures and implement approved changes

2. Budget and Forecast Cycle Administration

• Administer the annual budget cycle in Budgyt end to end: system setup, actuals loads, version control, and template maintenance
• Coordinate directly with department leaders across all departments to collect, review, and load budget inputs; follow up independently on outstanding submissions
• Maintain the rolling forecast, including monthly actuals refresh and reforecast mechanics
• Review departmental submissions for reasonableness and internal consistency; question variances with the submitting department before escalating
• Produce budget-versus-actual reporting and variance analysis, including written commentary identifying drivers rather than differences
• Prepare budget and forecast review materials for the Director of Finance & Administration and leadership review cycles
• Serve as the organization’s functional administrator for Budgyt, including user access, structure changes, and integration with the general ledger

3. Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Prepare accurate and timely internal and external financial statements in accordance with established reporting calendars
• Analyze results for accuracy, completeness, and conformance to standards; investigate and resolve discrepancies, escalating items requiring a policy decision or carrying material judgment
• Provide analysis of trends, drivers, and results with written interpretation
• rack project, program, and grant budgets; identify issues, work cross-departmentally to resolve them, and report resolution status
• Prepare grantor and funder financial reporting in accordance with award terms
• Partner with department leaders to ensure financial reporting is accurate, understandable, and useful for decision-making

4. Technical Accounting and Audit

• Research and recommend accounting treatment for non-routine and new transactions, including revenue recognition under ASC 606 and ASC 958-605, software capitalization under ASC 350-40, and lease and contract matters
• Own audit preparation: manage the prepared-by-client request list, prepare supporting schedules in advance of fieldwork, and track outstanding items to completion
• Maintain documentation of accounting policies and procedures; recommend updates as practice or guidance changes
• Support preparation of the Form 990 and related regulatory filings

5. Accounts Receivable and Member Billing

• Own the accounts receivable cycle end to end, from invoice generation through collection and account resolution
• Oversee the automated member invoicing process from the CRM through to the general ledger, including batch review prior to release, exception handling, and investigation of sync failures
• Verify billing accuracy against governing agreements, membership terms, and approved rates, and correct underlying CRM records where billing errors originate
• Serve as the primary finance contact for members and customers on billing and account balance questions, resolving disputes and discrepancies directly
• Manage collections activity, including dunning schedules, escalation, payment arrangements, and coordination with membership and development staff on at-risk accounts
• Perform allowance for doubtful accounts analysis and recommend write-offs for approval
• Own the monthly membership count reconciliation and investigate variances against source systems
• Identify and resolve revenue recording discrepancies between the CRM and the general ledger
• Maintain and update accounts receivable and collections procedures

6. Review, Internal Control, and Team Support

• Review accounts payable transactions entered by the Accounting Associate
• Review the payroll register each cycle prior to submission, confirming all changes against approved documentation
• Review vendor and employee master file additions and changes for legitimacy and proper authorization
• Identify internal control weaknesses and recommend remediation
• Serve as informed backup for critical transactional processes during absence
• Provide technical guidance and coaching to the Accounting Associate

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field
• Five or more years of progressive accounting experience, including ownership of a full month-end close
• Demonstrated ability to research accounting questions independently and reach a defensible conclusion
• Experience with budget cycle administration and multi-department coordination
• Proficiency with cloud accounting systems and advanced spreadsheet skills
• Ability to work with minimal direction, establish priorities independently, and manage competing deadlines

Preferred

• CPA license, or active CPA candidacy with eligibility
• Nonprofit accounting experience, including restricted contributions and grant reporting
• Experience with QuickBooks Online, Budgyt, or comparable FP&A software
• Experience supporting an external financial statement audit

MORE ABOUT SPECIES360

As the predominant non-profit serving zoo and aquarium animal management needs for 50 years, Species360 is the market leader in our field. Our Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) is accepted and preferred by international regulatory bodies worldwide, such as CITES; recommended by the World Zoo and Aquarium Association; required by the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

ZIMS is the world’s most comprehensive database holding more than 22,000 species, 10,000,000 animals, and has 38,000 individual users. ZIMS is instrumental in identifying sustainability strategies for many of the species assessed as vulnerable, endangered, and extinct in the wild. We serve over 1,200 zoos, aquariums, and wildlife facilities in over 100 countries, helping our membersaddress today’s most urgent wildlife issues.

OUR WORK CULTURE: ALL ARE WELCOME HERE

Species360 is an equal-opportunity employer. We serve a diverse, global population of members and welcome and value diversity in our team. We strive to be an organization that is a diverse blend of talented people who want to come, stay, and do their best work to make a difference in this world.

COMPENSATION

The hiring range for this exempt position is$75,000 – $85,000 based on experience.

OUR US BENEFITS

We offer generous time off benefits, combining holidays and vacation into one Paid Time Off benefit for maximum employee flexibility. You start accruing PTO at 5 weeks per year. In addition, we provide 10 paid sick days plus8 weeksof paid parenting leave.

We offer medical, dental, life, vision, short term and long-term disability insurance, and an HSA plan with employer contributions. You can contribute to our 401(k) plan immediately at hire, including a generous employer contribution to all employees. We provide a one-time office set-up stipend for home office equipment and supplies, the required technology andcomputer, and a monthly technology stipend.

OUR TEAM

The most important benefit to working at Species360 is our team. We offer a casual, personable, respectful, and fun work environment. Our employees are committed to an open communication culture where we value partnering to achieve the greatest results for our members. We are transparent in our operations, have an all-team meeting monthly, an annual team retreat, and encourage peer recognition and celebration.

EOE - LGBTQIA

EOE - LGBTQIA