Senior Accountant

Are you looking for more than just a job and want to make difference? If so, then join the National Student Clearinghouse talent community and discover your impact today!

We are a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization and the leading provider of educational reporting, data exchange, verification, and research services. Serving the education, workforce and learner communities has been at the heart of our mission for over 25 years. Our work — performed in a trusted, secure, and private environment — provides numerous time- and cost-saving benefits to students, schools, administrators, and requestors.

About the Role:

The Specialist III, Accounting (a.k.a. Senior Accountant) position is ideal for an individual with excellent interpersonal skills, extraordinary drive and a strong attention to details and accuracy. A successful Specialist III combines excellent analytical skills with a thorough knowledge of accounting principles to process financial transactions, prepare financial entries, account reconciliations, and analyze financial reports. The ideal candidate also has experience collaborating on a team to complete monthly and annual close. The Specialist III assists the Controller and CFO to generate effective management reports by producing ongoing and ad hoc analyses of operating results.

Currently, this position is a hybrid position and this position will be required to periodically work on-site at our Herndon office, and the frequency would depend on the department/division's requirements. Therefore, candidates must reside within a reasonable distance to commute to our office when required.

How You Contribute:

• Demonstrate NSC’s competencies, which align with our corporate value Manager will provide more detail to candidates as needed.
  • Core Competencies include: Customer Focus, Optimizes Work Processes, Collaborates, Communicates Effectively, and Be Open and Authentic.

Customer Focus:

• Provide analytical support for various departments as it corresponds to revenue, expense, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
• Maintain vendor and customer relationships by responding to all inquiries, requests for documentation and providing timely reports as needed.

Optimizes Work Processes:

• Prepare monthly schedules and accounting entries to ensure a timely and accurate monthly close. Prepare schedules and reports to be included within corporate financial statement package. Resolve any general ledger discrepancies from source data prior to financial statement preparation.
• Conduct monthly and quarterly account reconciliations to ensure accurate reporting and ledger maintenance.
• Develop systematic processes to effectively monitor accounts, transactions, and changes in accounting policies. Assists in developing and updating accounting internal controls.

Collaborates:

• Assist with annual and interim audit by preparing assigned schedules and providing requested documentation to external auditors.

Communicates Effectively:

• Develop an understanding of the Clearinghouse’s business and its financial transactions. Communicate complex accounting and financial topics to Clearinghouse Executive, senior leadership, and staff.

Be Open and Authentic:

• Demonstrate openness to new perspectives and ideas.
• Build trust with internal and external stakeholders by demonstrating consistency between words and actions.

Financial and Grant Transaction function:

• Collaborate with Financial Planning to ensure correct alignment of budget and actual financial results and address ad-hoc grant related questions.
• Prepare all grant cash, staff allocation and revenue entries. Ensure accurate financial statement reports for Grant service lines
• Validate and post daily lockbox, ach and credit card customer payments. Investigate and reconcile all discrepancies.
• Monthly reconciliation of unpaid invoices for Verification Services and Transcript Ordering to Intacct AR.
• Prepare monthly deferred revenue reconciliations. Review and reconcile all revenue schedules and payments from partners.

Accounts Payable (AP) function:

• Prepare and enter required monthly close entries for payroll, employee benefits and accrued expenses.
• Reconcile and prepare monthly surcharges. Ensure accurate and timely payment of all surcharge payments
• Direct and manage AP Workflow, ensuring the proper coding and approval on all invoices and the accurate posting to the accounting system, Intacct
• Review and process all Concur expense reports
• Prepare monthly AP aging and accrued expense reconciliation reports.

Position may be required to perform other duties as required. These essential functions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.

What You Bring to the Table:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance and 8 total years of overall professional experience. A combination of education and experience will also be considered.
• CPA or an active CPA candidate.
• 3-5 years of experience in general accounting, and knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Advanced knowledge of Excel.
• Knowledge of grant regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to Federal and foundation grant funding and programs.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Work both independently and successfully on a team.
  • Facilitate problem solving, and resolution.
• Strong conflict resolution, time management, attention to detail, and analytical skills.
• Demonstrates a professional, positive, and personable demeanor.
• Demonstrates the Clearinghouse’s core competencies: customer focus, optimizes work processes, communicates effectively, collaborates, and is open and authentic.
• Live within a commutable distance of Herndon, VA.

Additional Desired Requirements:

• CPA
• Experience with:
  • Sage Intacct.
  • Concur administration.
  • Avalara sales tax reporting software.
• Knowledge of regulations, policies, and procedures applicable to not-for-profit organizations.

Physical Demands:

• Use of a computer for 8 or more hours a day.
• Use of a copy machine and telephone.
• Frequently required to sit for 7 or more hours per day in close proximity to others in an open office environment.
• Occasionally required to use hands and fingers to operate, handle, and reach.
• Vision abilities include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• Travel via car, train and airplane when needed.

Benefits and Related Information

The National Student Clearinghouse provides a robust benefit program designed to help meet the needs of each employee and their family, both now and in the future. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as life and disability insurance benefits, for employees and their qualified dependents. Health care, dependent care, and limited purpose flexible spending accounts, as well as a health savings account, are options available for employees to set aside pre-taxed dollars for certain qualifying expenses. We offer a very generous 401k matching contribution program with the opportunity to defer pre-tax and Roth contributions, as well as catch-up contributions for those who are eligible! We are proud to offer a competitive paid leave program consisting of vacation, sick, and personal time, as well as paid holidays. Vacation time will accrue based on length of service, and new full-time hires can accrue up to 13 days of vacation and up to 10 days of sick time per year. On an annual basis, new employees may use up to 32 hours of accrued sick time as personal time. Additionally, the Clearinghouse observes at least 11 paid holidays per year.

Another perk is that employees have the option to get reimbursed for basic wholesale company and roadside assistance memberships (e.g., Costco and AAA) and to request a buy back on portions of unused accrued vacation based on tenure and certain other qualifications. Employees can further their education and professional development by using our Employee Education Assistance Program, which establishes reimbursement for qualified education expenses upon successful completion of the program, and leveraging the enterprise-wide LinkedIn Learning subscription. There are additional employee benefits, to find out more, please request a copy of our complete benefit package!