Staff Accountant

The Ward Companies; Davison (MI); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

The Ward Companies is seeking a Staff Accountant / Payroll Specialist to handle daily accounting and lead payroll processing. You will manage general ledger tasks, reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close across multiple entities while ensuring accuracy and confidentiality.

You will collaborate with Human Resources and leadership to ensure payroll accuracy, timely processing, and compliance with company policies and applicable requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting required.
• Minimum of 1–2 years of accounting experience.
• Strong understanding of general ledger accounting and reconciliations.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial data analysis.
• Strong organizational and communication skills including written and verbal.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned balance sheet reconciliations and resolve reconciling items.
• Perform monthly bank reconciliations and research discrepancies.
• Prepare and post journal entries and assist with month-end close.
• Assist with intercompany reconciliations across entities.
• Process payroll accurately and on established deadlines.
• Coordinate with HR on new hires, changes, and payroll data.
• Maintain payroll records and ensure confidentiality of information.
• Respond to employee payroll questions in a timely manner.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Organization

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The Staff Accountant / Payroll Specialist supports the day-to-day accounting activities of the company while maintaining primary responsibility for accurate and timely payroll processing. This position performs general ledger accounting, account and system reconciliations, journal entries, month-end and year-end close activities, and other accounting functions across multiple companies.

As the primary owner of the payroll process, this position is responsible for ensuring payroll is processed accurately, timely, and in accordance with company policies and applicable requirements. The role works closely with Human Resources and company leadership while maintaining appropriate segregation of duties, confidentiality, and internal controls.

As a new position within the organization, the responsibilities of this role are expected to evolve. The Staff Accountant / Payroll Specialist will have the opportunity to assume additional accounting responsibilities as they develop their knowledge of the company, its operations, systems, and financial processes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Staff Accounting & Reconciliations

• Own assigned balance sheet reconciliations and ensure reconciling items are researched, documented, and resolved
• Perform monthly bank reconciliations and research outstanding or unusual reconciling items
• Maintain and reconcile prepaid expense accounts, including preparation of amortization schedules and related journal entries
• Reconcile customer deposit accounts to supporting records and applicable systems
• Perform intercompany reconciliations across multiple company entities and coordinate the resolution of differences
• Understand the flow of financial information between accounting, payroll, banking, and operational systems and reconcile information between systems as necessary
• Identify differences caused by timing, posting errors, system interfaces, account coding, or other issues and determine appropriate corrective action
• Prepare and post journal entries and maintain appropriate supporting documentation
• Assist with monthly, quarterly, and year-end closing processes, including accruals, adjusting entries, and reclassifications
• Maintain organized supporting documentation for reconciliations and financial reporting requirements
• Assume additional accounting responsibilities as knowledge and experience within the position develops
• Assist with Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable functions as needed, including transaction processing, account reconciliation, and issue resolution

Payroll

• Serve as the primary owner of the company's payroll process, ensuring payroll is accurate and completed according to established deadlines
• Review employee time records for completeness and appropriate approvals prior to payroll processing
• Process regular and special payrolls, including wages, commissions, bonuses, deductions, reimbursements, and other approved payroll items
• Review payroll calculations and reports for accuracy and resolve discrepancies prior to final processing
• Reconcile payroll registers and related liability accounts to the general ledger and prepare payroll journal entries
• Coordinate with Human Resources on new hires, terminations, compensation and status changes, benefits, and other information affecting payroll
• Own quarterly and year-end payroll reporting, including Forms W-2 and required payroll filings
• Maintain accurate payroll records and ensure the confidentiality of employee and payroll information
• Respond to employee payroll questions professionally and timely
• Stay current on payroll requirements and communicate compliance or process concerns to management

Internal Controls & Confidentiality

• Follow established internal controls, segregation-of-duties procedures, and authorization requirements
• Protect confidential employee, payroll, banking, financial, and company information
• Identify discrepancies, unusual transactions, or control concerns and communicate them to management

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting required
• Minimum of 1-2 years of experience in accounting or similar role
• Strong understanding of fundamental accounting principles, including general ledger accounting and account reconciliations
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to research and resolve discrepancies
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and the ability to work effectively with financial data and reconciliations
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and recurring deadlines
• Ability to learn and work effectively within multiple accounting, payroll, and operational systems
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of payroll, employee, banking, and financial information
• Effective written and verbal communication skills

Preferred Experience:

• Previous payroll processing experience, including experience with payroll and timekeeping systems
• Previous accounting experience, including internships or entry-level accounting experience
• Experience performing bank or general ledger reconciliations
• Experience in a multi-company environment and/or reconciling information between multiple systems

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life insurance