Sr. Associate, Accounting

National College Attainment Network (NCAN); Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 78,000 - 99,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Professional development

Bonus potential

Job summary

National College Attainment Network (NCAN) seeks a Sr. Associate, Accounting to own day-to-day accounting, reconciliation, and payroll setup across BILL, QuickBooks Online, iMIS, and Paychex.

You will work in a hybrid office in Washington, DC, onsite Mondays and Wednesdays, and collaborate with Programs and Finance teams to ensure accurate, timely financial operations and grant tracking.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of bookkeeping, accounting, or financial operations.
• Working knowledge of QuickBooks Online; Sage Intacct preferred.
• Experience with an AMS/CRM (iMIS preferred).
• Comfort with deadline-driven reconciliation and detail-oriented work.
• Ability to work independently while flagging discrepancies.
• Strong data hygiene and accuracy across systems.
• A commitment to educational equity and diverse communities.

Responsibilities

• Process payables, vendor invoices, reimbursements, and card transactions in BILL.
• Create invoices in iMIS or QuickBooks Online and follow up with customers.
• Track member renewals and generate invoices with Programs Team.
• Maintain staff records in Paychex; draft payroll workbook.
• Perform daily reconciliations across iMIS, BILL, and QBO; assist month-end close.
• Prepare year-end schedules for the annual audit; support grants tracking.
• Set up vendor/member accounts across BILL/QBO/iMIS; resolve discrepancies.

Skills

Attention to detail

Independent worker

Cross-system fluency

Timely problem solving

Commitment to equity

Tools

QuickBooks Online

Sage Intacct

iMIS

Paychex

Job description

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is a small, collaborative team of experienced professionals committed to achieving equity for students historically underrepresented in higher education—students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation-to-college students, and/or students of color. Our fast-paced work environment supports a work-life balance that allows team members to use their talents to the fullest. As a national membership network, we are continually informed and inspired by organizations and systems across the country committed to breaking down barriers for students and supporting them in earning college degrees and building successful careers.

The Opportunity

NCAN is a hybrid workplace with a centrally located office in Washington, D.C., requiring team members to be onsite two days per week—Mondays and Wednesdays.

The Sr. Associate, Accounting owns the day-to-day transactional accounting, database maintenance, and reconciliation work that keeps NCAN's financial operations accurate and current. This role blends early-career bookkeeping fundamentals with hands-on ownership of NCAN's core systems, including iMIS, BILL, and QuickBooks Online, and serves as the operational backbone of the finance function.

You Are Someone Who...

• Notices when something looks off in the numbers before anyone points it out
• Feels real satisfaction in a clean reconciliation and a balanced ledger
• Moves comfortably between multiple systems and platforms without losing accuracy
• Flags a question or discrepancy right away rather than letting it sit
• Wants to build a strong foundation in nonprofit accounting and financial operations

Key Responsibilities

Accounts Payable, Receivable, and Payroll

• Process payables for approval and payment, including preparing and coding all vendor invoices, staff reimbursements, and reviewing credit-card transactions in NCAN’s accounts payable system (currently BILL) for approval.
• Create invoices in NCAN’s Association Management System (iMIS) and/or accounting system (currently QuickBooks Online), including follow-up as needed with customers and/or NCAN staff
• Work with Programs Team to track membership renewals and generate invoices as needed
• Maintain accurate staff records in Paychex related to on/offboarding, salary and/or benefits adjustments on an as-needed basis
• Draft the payroll workbook for review and approval.

Reconciliations, Journal Entries and Monthly Close

• Perform daily reconciliation of batching activity in iMIS, weekly check deposits and reconciliation, and monthly reconciliation of all benefits accounts and among QBO, iMIS and NCAN’s conference registration system (Cvent).
• Complete monthly bank account and lock box reconciliations
• Prepare and make required journal entries in QBO to maintain timeline and accurate records across NCAN’s information systems.
• Support month-end and year-end close, including drafting work papers for review by the Sr. Director.
• Prepare required year-end financial schedules and documents in preparation for the organization’s annual audit.

Grant and Financial Operations Support

• Support accurate coding, tracking, and documentation of financial activity related to grants and other restricted funds, as directed by the Sr. Director.
• Provide timely accounting information required for grant reporting, reconciliations, and compliance.
• Support annual budget data entry and other routine financial reporting needs.

Systems and Database Maintenance

• Set up and maintain vendor and member accounts across BILL, QuickBooks Online, and iMIS.
• Maintain accurate staff records in NCAN’s external FSA system.
• Help identify and resolve discrepancies or data inconsistencies across financial and operational systems
• Flag unusual transactions, discrepancies, or potential issues promptly and assist with research and resolution.

Communication and Customer Service

• Monitor the Accounting, Payroll, and Accounts Payable inboxes, and respond to routine member billing and accounting inquiries

What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days

In this role, success means that NCAN’s day-to-day accounting and financial operations are accurate, timely, organized, and well documented. The successful Sr. Associate, Accounting will:

• Fully onboarded on NCAN’s core financial systems (QuickBooks Online, iMIS, BILL, and Paychex) and able to navigate day-to-day transactions independently
• Processing routine payables, receivables, and reconciliations accurately and on schedule with minimal oversight
• Completed at least one full monthly close cycle, including reconciliations and journal entries, under the Sr. Director’s review
• Proactively flagging discrepancies or data issues rather than letting them sit unresolved
• Recognized by colleagues as responsive and reliable on routine accounting, billing, and payroll inquiries
• Building working familiarity with NCAN’s grant coding and restricted-fund tracking conventions

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience in bookkeeping, accounting, or financial operations
• Working knowledge of accounting software QuickBooks Online required; experience with Sage Intacct Accounting software highly preferred
• Experience with an association management system or CRM database (iMIS experience strongly preferred, but comparable AMS/database platforms considered)
• Comfort with recurring, deadline-driven reconciliation work and high attention to detail
• Ability to work independently while flagging discrepancies proactively
• Strong data hygiene instincts: accuracy and consistency in recordkeeping across systems
• A commitment to educational equity and experience working with diverse communities.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation: $88,848.75

Associate salary band. Full-time, 37.5 hours/week, non-exempt.

Salaries are set based on role scope and market benchmarking, not negotiation history. All employees in comparable roles are paid equitably.

Benefits include:

• generous leave time
• health, dental & vision insurance
• employer-matched 401(k)
• professional development
• performance-based bonus (budget dependent)

Equity and Equal Opportunity

NCAN seeks to recruit, develop, and retain staff members reflecting the full spectrum of the students and families our members serve. Diversity, equity, and inclusion among our team are critical to our success and mission. We encourage applications from all interested candidates, including people of color, people from low-income backgrounds, and first-generation college graduates. NCAN is committed to providing equal opportunity in all employment areas: recruitment, employment assignment, transfer, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and employer-sponsored education, social, and recreational programs. It is our policy that all employment decisions are made for sound business reasons and without regard to an individual’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.