Staff Accountant

Pennington Partners & Co.; Washington, Baltimore (District of Columbia, MD); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Work-from-home option after leave

Job summary

Pennington Partners is seeking a detail-oriented Staff Accountant to support day-to-day accounting and reporting for investment entities, including private funds and SPVs. This role offers exposure to fund accounting within a growing financial services platform.

The ideal candidate has a foundation in accounting, strong Excel skills, and a drive to expand experience in fund accounting and financial services. This is a hands-on, fast-paced environment with collaborative teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance preferred.
• 1 year of relevant accounting experience preferred; fund accounting experience is a plus.
• Proficiency in Excel (pivot tables and VLOOKUP).
• Familiarity with cloud-based accounting platforms; QuickBooks experience is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional organizational and time-management abilities.
• High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently.
• Strong analytical skills with an inquisitive mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate onboarding for new employees, including benefits enrollment and payroll data entry.
• Maintain payroll profiles for tax and deduction changes.
• Process regular payroll cycles and employee expense reimbursements.
• Track and update employee Paid Time Off balances.
• Set up and maintain accurate vendor records; process vendor invoices.
• Ensure expenses are properly coded and allocated across departments and entities.
• Prepare and issue 1099 forms and resolve vendor inquiries.
• Prepare and issue monthly client invoices and calculate fund billings.
• Process billing across various client portals and reconcile intercompany transactions.
• Support general ledger activities, including journal entries and reconciliations, with the Director of Finance.
• Assist with month-end and year-end closings.
• Support tax return preparation and distribution of K-1s.
• Assist with performance reporting for complex client portfolios.
• Assist with fund audits and coordinate with external auditors and tax preparers.
• Track capital calls, distributions, and management fees per fund agreements.
• Collaborate with portfolio management and operations teams to ensure data accuracy and timeliness.

Skills

Analytical skills

Time management

Communication skills

Independent work

Integrity

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

Tools

Excel (Pivot tables, VLOOKUP)

QuickBooks

Cloud-based accounting platforms

Microsoft Office

Job description

Founded in 2016, Pennington Partners is building a premier financial services holding company and solutions-oriented platform serving the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and their families.

Our culture is vibrant, smart, tireless, and iconoclastic. We are intellectually curious and challenge ourselves every day. We are an ensemble of exceptional professionals with multi-disciplinary backgrounds who value independent judgment, integrity, and fresh ideas. While the firm is gaining scale and institutional structure, we remain committed to our entrepreneurial culture, agility, and flexibility.

About the Position

We are seeking a detail-oriented, analytical, and highly motivated Staff Accountant to join our finance team. In this role, you will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day accounting and reporting functions for a portfolio of investment entities, including private funds and special-purpose vehicles. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with a strong foundation in accounting who is looking to expand their experience in fund accounting and financial services.

What You’ll Do

Payroll & Human Resources

• Coordinate onboarding for new employees, including completion of benefits enrollment and related paperwork, and enter employee data into the payroll system.
• Maintain and update employee payroll profiles for tax and deduction changes.
• Process regular payroll cycles and employee expense reimbursements.
• Track, manage, and update employee Paid Time Off balances.

Accounts Payable & Expense Management

• Set up and maintain accurate vendor records; process vendor invoices in a timely manner.
• Ensure all expenses are properly coded and allocated across departments and entities.
• Prepare and issue 1099 forms.
• Communicate with vendors to resolve billing discrepancies and inquiries.
• Perform ad hoc expense analyses to identify trends and variances across entities.

Accounts Receivable, Cash Management & General Ledger

• Prepare and issue monthly client invoices and calculate fund billings.
• Process billing across various client portals
• Reconcile intercompany transactions and balances.
• Support general ledger activities, including journal entries and account reconciliations, in coordination with the Director of Finance.
• Assist with month-end and year-end closings.
• Support the preparation of tax returns and the distribution of K-1s.
• Assist with performance reporting for complex client portfolios.
• Assist with fund audits and coordinate with external auditors and tax preparers.
• Track capital calls, distributions, and management fees in accordance with fund agreements.
• Work closely with portfolio management and operations teams to ensure accuracy and timeliness of data.

What We Need

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance preferred.
• 1 year of relevant accounting experience preferred; fund accounting experience is a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel (pivot tables and VLOOKUP skills preferred).
• Familiarity with cloud-based accounting platforms; QuickBooks experience is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional organizational and time-management abilities.
• High level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently.
• Strong analytical skills with an inquisitive mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

What You’ll Get

We offer competitive and comprehensive benefits to help you prioritize your wellness and your career development. Working with a company that leverages our Core Values: Developing One’s Greatest Potential, Thinking Big, Client Obsession, Tikkun Olam (Repair Our World).

• Salary - Competitive compensation (base salary + target bonus)
• Benefits - Robust benefits package with a choice of PPO Health Insurance Plans covering medical, dental, vision, disability, and group term life insurance. Optional HSA Plan, with a $650 employer contribution. 401K Plan with employer match, commuter parking benefit, cell phone reimbursement.
• Health & Wellness - $100/month stipend to use on the choice of fitness, meditation classes, meal kits, CSA, and more. Oura Ring welcome gift and one-year subscription to the Oura Ring app, and Pennington welcome swag! Worldwide emergency travel assistance coverage.
• Paid Time Off - 15 days PTO, unlimited sick leave, bereavement leave, 11 federal holidays and 3 floating holidays. Paid maternity and paternity leave for biological and adoptive parents, plus the option to work from home after paid leave ends to extend time with your growing family, and a $4,000 childcare stipend to help you transition back to work.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

It is the policy of Pennington Partners to ensure equal employment opportunity (EEO) for all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, or related conditions), national origin or ancestry, age, disability, veteran status, uniformed servicemember status, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a parent, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. It is Pennington Partners policy to comply with applicable laws concerning the employment of persons with disabilities, including reasonable accommodation for applicants and employees with disabilities.