Staff Accountant

Hutchinson and Bloodgood LLP; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Generous health and welfare benefits

Work-life balance focus

Friendly and supportive team

CPA candidate mentoring

Job summary

Hutchinson and Bloodgood LLP in the United States is seeking an Associate for the Client Accounting and Advisory Services (CAAS) team. You will support existing clients and new engagements, focusing on detailed data entry, reconciliations, financial reporting, and maintaining accurate records across court and trust matters.

Ideal candidates hold a Bachelor's in Accounting/Finance, at least 2 years of accounting experience, and are pursuing CPA certification.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 2+ years accounting experience, preferably in public accounting or full-charge bookkeeping.
• Experience with reconciliations, data entry, and account balancing.
• Experience analyzing balance sheets and financial statements to identify errors or irregularities.
• Payroll processing experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate court and trust accounting records from source documents and statements.
• Reconcile bank and trust accounts and resolve discrepancies.
• Review balances and activity for reasonableness and suggest next steps.
• Support monthly close, account analysis, and financial reporting with emphasis on balance sheet detail.
• Identify problems and propose practical solutions, process changes, or adjustments.
• Recommend process improvements, workflow efficiencies, and automated opportunities.

Skills

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Team collaboration

Discretion with confidential info

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance

CPA license pursuit preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

QuickBooks

Job description

Client Accounting and Advisory Services – Associate

Are you interested in becoming a valued member of a collaborative and highly specialized team? A place where your talents can shine as you assist clients in improving their financial, tax, and business aspects? Are you seeking a collaborative, innovative, and fulfilling work environment where your contributions are recognized and rewarded?

With over 100 years in the industry, our firm serves clients locally and globally. Our expertise extends across a wide array of industries, ensuring that we can cater to the unique needs of clients from diverse sectors.

Join our team and experience a collaborative and enriching work environment. With an emphasis on continuous technical training and the development of essential skills, we prioritize your success by providing the tools and resources needed to thrive in the world of public accounting.

Job summary

The Client Accounting and Advisory Services (CAAS) team provides support for existing clients as well as new and ongoing court and trust accounting engagements. This role requires more than data entry: you must understand how transactions flow through the ledger into the balance sheet and other financial statements, and use that understanding to identify and resolve issues. There is a strong focus on detailed data entry, account reconciliations, financial reporting, and maintenance of accurate accounting records.

Essential functions

Court and trust accounting

• Maintain accurate accounting records for court and trust matters, including detailed data entry from source documents and statements.
• Reconcile bank and trust accounts, identify out‑of‑balance conditions, and work with the team to resolve discrepancies.
• Review balances and activity for reasonableness, ask questions when something looks off, and suggest solutions or next steps.

Accounting support and advisory

• Serve as an extension of the client’s accounting function, providing hands‑on support for accounting and reconciliation needs.
• Support monthly close, account analysis, and financial reporting as needed, with an emphasis on understanding and explaining balance sheet and activity detail.
• Think critically and proactively to not only identify problems but propose practical solutions, process changes, or adjustments.
• Recommend process improvements, workflow efficiencies, and automation opportunities to improve accuracy and turnaround time.

Administrative responsibilities

• Work independently with minimal supervision while managing multiple engagements and deadlines.
• Follow all firm policies and procedures.
• Enter time daily to ensure current and accurate tracking of hours.
• Assign hours to each client to ensure accurate billing.

Job requirements

To perform this job successfully, the individual must possess the following education, experience, and skills.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Candidates who are interested or actively pursuing a CPA license are strongly preferred.

Experience

• 2+ years of accounting experience, preferably in public accounting or full charge bookkeeping.
• Experience with reconciliations, data entry, and account balancing required.
• Experience analyzing balance sheets and other financial statements to identify and correct errors or irregularities preferred.
• Experience with payroll processing is a plus, but not the primary focus of this role.

Technical skills

• Strong reconciliation, analytical, and problem‑solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to understand how transactions affect the general ledger, balance sheet, and other financial statements—not just input data.
• Familiarity with balance sheet analysis and reconciliation.
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to maintain a high level of accuracy in preparing and entering information.
• Ability to organize large volumes of data and documentation efficiently.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and QuickBooks.
• Ability to manage multiple engagements simultaneously and work independently.

Interpersonal skills

• High level of enthusiasm for working collaboratively in a team environment to meet and exceed expectations for internal and external clients.
• Self‑motivated, adaptable, and able to work with minimal direction.
• Upholds professional standards of conduct and demonstrates a high degree of personal integrity.
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

What we offer

• Competitive compensation.
• Generous health and welfare benefits.
• Focus on work/life balance.
• Opportunity to work with a friendly and supportive team.
• Strong mentoring program with a focus on the success and growth of each team member, including support for CPA candidates.

The compensation for this position ranges from $25 - $29 per hour. Actual compensation will depend on the individual’s qualifications, experience, skills, licensure, and certifications.