Junior Staff Accountant (Payroll & AR Focus)

Reports to: Accounting Manager

The Mission: The Junior Staff Accountant is a key member of the finance and accounting team, responsible for the timely, efficient, and precise execution of the company’s daily financial, monthly, and quarterly reporting and fiscal management. In this role, by managing end-to-end payroll processes and key balance sheet accounts, supporting accounts receivable, and providing direct support to the Accounting Manager, you ensure the financial sustainability, integrity, and operational efficiency required to support our growing team and client base. As needed, this role also provides vital cross-functional support for billing, accounts payable, and other key departmental processes.

Key Results:

• Payroll Accuracy & Timeliness: Seamless execution of payroll cycles, ensuring all employees are paid accurately and on-time while maintaining strict confidentiality and compliance.

• Effective AR Management: Maintenance of a healthy aging report through proactive billing, diligent follow-up, and professional resolution of payment discrepancies.

• Analytical Insight: Delivery of clear, accurate data sets and reconciliations that allow the Accounting Manager to identify trends and ensure financial integrity.

• Operational Support: Successful completion of assigned month-end closing tasks—such as reconciliations and general ledger support—enabling the production of timely financial reports and supporting daily, weekly, or monthly team processes as needed.

• Process Optimization: Identification and implementation of small, daily improvements in accounting workflows to increase departmental efficiency and data transparency across the company.

Core Responsibilities:

• Payroll Processing: Handle the end-to-end payroll workflow, including time-card verification, tax withholdings, benefits deductions, and year-end reporting. Manage reconciliations of accounts with vendors/employees and assist with related audits.

• Accounts Receivable: Generate and distribute client invoices, apply incoming payments, and manage the collections process with a focus on professional relationship management.

• Financial Analysis & Support: Perform account analysis and reconciliations, identifying and resolving discrepancies in the general ledger as required.

• General Ledger Maintenance: Assist with journal entries, accruals, and maintaining the chart of accounts with high attention to detail.

• Full-Team Support: Provide cross-training and direct support for billing, accounts payable, and other capacities during high-volume periods or team absences.

• Financial Reporting: Assist in or lead the preparation of preliminary data for monthly financial statements and specialized reports for leadership.

• Vendor & Internal Liaison: Act as a helpful point of contact for employee payroll inquiries and client billing questions, resolving issues with clarity and respect.

• Audit Readiness & Security: Maintain organized, transparent, and secure digital and physical files to ensure the company is always prepared for financial reviews.

Core Competencies & Traits:

• Detail Oriented: Demonstrates a meticulous approach to every task; catches discrepancies before they become issues and maintains high standards for documentation, data entry, and filing.

• Understanding of Basic Accounting: Solid grasp of GAAP principles, including a strong understanding of debits/credits, the relationship between the balance sheet and P&L, and the mechanics of accrual accounting.

• Strong Analytical Skills: The ability to look beyond the numbers to understand the "why," identifying patterns and ensuring data consistency across various reports.

• Technical Precision: A high degree of accuracy in data entry and a "get it right the first time" approach to financial records.

• Timely & Organized: Able to prioritize work, understand scope, clarify expectations, and deliver accurate information on time to the appropriate stakeholders.

• Problem-Solving & Collaboration: A proactive "lend a hand" attitude, working closely with other departments to resolve payroll or billing hurdles.

• Service-Oriented Communication: A commitment to providing clear, helpful, and timely support to internal staff and external partners.

• Continuous Improvement: A natural drive to look at repetitive tasks and find ways to make them more efficient and user-friendly.

• Learning Mindset: Thrives on learning and balancing immediate tasks with improvements and critical thinking.

Qualifications:

• Experience: 3 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping, or a related specialist role. Specific experience in Accounts Receivable, payroll cycles, and balance sheet account management is preferred.

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance, and/or a relevant Accounting Certificate (or equivalent professional experience), is preferred.

• Technical Skills: Direct experience with payroll processing, payroll vendor management, and accounts receivable workflows. Strong proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs) and accounting software (QuickBooks and others).

• Interpersonal Skills: High level of interpersonal skill and the ability—or willingness—to explain financial concepts to non-financial staff, while actively working to teach and learn within the accounting team.