Summer Accounting Intern

Inland Group; Downers Grove (IL); Hybrid; USD 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Inland Devon is offering a hands-on internship in real estate accounting at our Downers Grove, IL headquarters. The program emphasizes financial analysis, month-end close support, and process automation to improve accounting efficiency.

The role targets accounting majors who are juniors with a minimum 3.0 GPA, seeking real estate industry experience and advanced MS Office and Yardi familiarity.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
• Minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Ability to work 40 hours per week in our Downers Grove, Illinois corporate headquarters.
• Strong interest in pursuing a career in real estate accounting.
• Knowledge of MS Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Knowledge or aptitude to learn Yardi.
• You must be a junior in college at time of application.

Responsibilities

• Assist with bank reconciliations, accounts receivable/payable reviews, and financial variance analysis.
• Support the month-end close process by preparing key financial reports.
• Leverage Excel and financial models to enhance efficiency in property accounting.
• Assist in automating manual accounting tasks using Excel formulas or macros.
• Support documentation and streamlining of financial reporting workflows.
• Data reconciliation between financial statements and operational reports.
• Participate in meetings related to financial strategy, budgeting, and compliance.

Skills

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Self-motivated

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting

Tools

Yardi

MS Office

Job description

To provide the intern with a hands-on, structured internship that enhances his understanding of real estate accounting and financial operations, while leveraging his technical expertise to improve efficiency in key accounting processes at Inland Devon.

Onboarding (Week 1-2)

• Introduction to Inland Devon and the self-storage financial landscape.
• Training on key systems including Yardi, Xceptor, and Microsoft Excel-based models.
• Mentorship assignment (Senior Corporate Accountant or Property Accountant).
• Shadowing property accountants to understand financial reporting and month-end close processes.

Core Responsibilities (Weeks 3-10)

Financial Analysis & Reporting

• Assist with bank reconciliations, accounts receivable/payable reviews, and financial variance analysis.
• Support the month-end close process by preparing key financial reports.
• Leverage Excel and financial models to enhance efficiency in property accounting.

Process Automation & Data Integration

• Assist in automating manual accounting tasks, leveraging Excel formulas, macros, or other tools.
• Support the documentation and streamlining of financial reporting workflows.
• Work on data reconciliation between financial statements and operational reports.

Operational Support & Compliance

• Assist in reviewing financial statements for errors, discrepancies, and missing entries.
• Work with operations to improve workflow efficiencies in financial reporting.
• Participate in meetings related to financial strategy, budgeting, and compliance.

Professional Development

• Attend internal training sessions on financial reporting, Yardi, and industry-specific accounting principles.
• Engage in networking opportunities with Inland leaders and finance professionals.
• Gain a deeper understanding of real estate financial operations and asset management.

Wrap-Up & Final Presentation (Week 11-12)

• The intern will present his key learnings, contributions, and recommendations for process improvement.
• Feedback session with the CFO and mentor to discuss career aspirations and potential future opportunities.
• Evaluation of potential for future employment at Inland Devon.

What are we looking for?

• Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting
• Minimum 3.0 GPA
• Ability to work 40 hours per week in our Downers Grove, Illinois corporate headquarters
• Strong interest in pursuing a career in real estate accounting
• Demonstrable working knowledge of MS Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Knowledge or desire and aptitude to learn other software such as Yardi
• Attention to detail and analytically minded
• Self-motivated, diligent, outstanding communication skills
• You must be a junior in college at time of application.