Sr. Accounting Operations Analyst, Payment Operations (77)

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.; Florham Park (NJ); On-site; USD 74,501,000 - 83,097,000; Full time

Job summary

Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Accounting Operations Analyst to oversee analytics and controls across payment operations and recovery programs, including reporting, reconciliations, KPI governance, and month-end close support.

You will collaborate with Accounting, Financial Reporting, Sales Audit, and external agencies to ensure accurate tracking and timely cash application. The role requires a Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance and at least five years of experience,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in business analysis, financial operations, or accounting operations.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills; cross-functional work ability.

Responsibilities

• Oversee recurring and ad hoc reporting related to payment operations, recovery activity, and fees; ensure definitions and schedules are consistent.
• Perform reconciliations and variance analysis; support month-end close and financial accuracy.
• Coordinate with collection agencies and internal partners to support recovery activity and accurate receipt allocations.
• Lead process improvement initiatives and reporting automation; strengthen internal controls and KPI documentation.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Excel

Access

SQL

PeopleSoft

Job description

Education - It's in Our DNA At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

Education - It's in Our DNA At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education.

Education - It's in Our DNA At Barnes & Noble Education (“BNED”) and across our family of brands, we are dedicated to making tomorrow a better, more inclusive, and smarter world by servicing all who work in education. As a leading solutions provider for the education industry, we are committed to driving affordability, accessibility, and achievement at hundreds of academic institutions nationwide by ensuring millions of students are equipped for success in the classroom and beyond. Together, our teams work to elevate lives through education. To support this mission, we are seeking a Sr. Accounting Operations Analyst to provide analytical and operational oversight across key payment operations and recovery programs. This role focuses on exception-based activities that require strong analysis, cross-functional coordination, and effective financial controls. The analyst will oversee recurring and ad hoc reporting, KPI governance, reconciliations, variance analysis, and performance insights across rental recovery, bad debt collections, non-return fees, chargebacks, and other tender-related activities. The role partners closely with Accounting, Financial Reporting, Sales Audit, and operational stakeholders, while coordinating with external collection agencies and service providers to ensure accurate financial tracking, receipt allocation, and month-end close support. The position will also help identify opportunities to strengthen controls, improve processes, and drive greater operational efficiency.

How You'll Make An Impact

• Own the preparation, validation, and distribution of recurring and ad hoc reporting related to rental activity, recovery performance, payment processing, chargebacks, fees, and other tender-related activity; ensure reporting definitions and schedules are maintained and consistently applied.
• Perform reconciliation and variance analysis for payment operations-related balances and activity; partner with General Accounting and Financial Reporting to resolve discrepancies and support financial accuracy for month-end close and reporting.
• Support administration of the rental and collections lifecycle by monitoring rental activity and account status, ensuring accurate and timely transmission of records to and from external collection agencies, and maintaining appropriate documentation and controls.
• Coordinate with collection agencies and internal business partners to support recovery activity, resolution of outstanding accounts, and accurate application and allocation of receipts; support periodic performance reviews and action planning.
• Analyze non-return fees, chargebacks, and other exception-based activity to identify trends, root causes, and opportunities for operational improvement and control enhancement.
• Maintain and enhance chargeback reporting, analytics, and performance monitoring to support visibility into fraud trends, high-risk activity, recovery rates, and operational effectiveness; **escalate** emerging risks and recommended mitigations to leadership.
• Review and validate third-party invoices related to payment operations programs (e.g., agency fees and service providers) and support month-end close activities, including accrual preparation and reconciliation support.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis for payment operations-related programs and expenses; provide insights to inform planning and decision-making.
• Facilitate recurring business reviews with internal stakeholders and external partners focused on key metrics, operational trends, performance results, and action plans; document outcomes and follow-up actions.
• Lead or support initiatives focused on process improvement, reporting automation, operational controls, implementation and testing of new workflows or system enhancements; maintain process materials and KPI documentation.
• Additional responsibilities as required.

What You'll Need To Succeed

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in business analysis, financial operations, accounting operations, payment operations, or a related analytical role.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and work cross-functionally in a deadline-driven environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong technical aptitude; experience with reporting and analysis tools and databases (e.g., Access, SQL) preferred.
• Experience with financial and retail systems preferred (e.g., PeopleSoft General Ledger and operational retail systems).
• Detail-oriented with strong financial and analytical aptitude; experience supporting reconciliations, reporting, variance analysis, KPI development, and operational decision-making.

We believe your success is our success, so our benefits package is designed specifically to support you in every aspect of your life. At BNED, we offer a variety of programs and resources to support the physical, mental, and financial well-being of our employees by offering a competitive total rewards package for full-time employees, which includes medical, dental, and vision plans, 401k with an annual discretionary match, life insurance, commuter benefits, paid time off with paid holidays, and a broad range of other benefits.

The hiring range for this position is $26-29 per hour. This range represents the base salary only, in good faith at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

At Barnes & Noble Education, we empower everyone. Our mission is to support students, faculty, and schools, serving as a catalyst to meet the evolving needs of the education system and a new generation of students. That starts with fostering an environment for our employees where diversity and individuality is celebrated.

Barnes & Noble Education is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affiuhmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Barnes & Noble Education provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete an application or participate in the interview process, please contact [e-mail].