Senior Staff Accountant at The Aspen Institute in Washington, DC

Job description

• The Senior Staff Accountant will focus on managing complex financial reconciliations, analyzing balance sheet activity, overseeing endowment transactions, and ensuring the accuracy of financial reporting related to operational and investment accounts. The Senior Staff Accountant will also supervise the Finance Associate, ensuring daily finance functions are performed efficiently and accurately. The ideal candidate will bring a strong accounting background, exceptional attention to detail, and experience with nonprofit or fund accounting.
• This position reports to the General Ledger Manager. This position has a salary of $89,100 - $113,900. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the Director should be willing to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance

Responsibilities

• Calculate and record Overhead, including NICRA Overhead allocations, Interest, and Regrant Fee.
• Track and post journal entries for Capital Leases (DC & NY).
• Review and validate Meadows’ balance sheet reconciliations for accuracy, anomalies, and compliance with internal policies.
• Prepare and post monthly entries on Meadows Operating Results and Balance Sheet activities.
• Record Scholarship Transfers.
• Record fixed asset transactions, including acquisitions, depreciation, disposals, and lease accounting.
• Reconcile Fixed Asset Accounts.
• Track and record Meadows FF&E transactions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support audits and ensure financial integrity.
• Supervise the Finance Associate, providing guidance, training, and performance feedback.
• Reconcile complex balance sheet accounts, including cash, receivables, investment pools, lease liabilities, and accrued benefit liabilities (e.g., Flexfund, TIAA-CREF, Roth Retirement).
• Reconcile and track all monthly Flex, Dependent Care, and HSA activity.
• Reconcile Payroll and Payroll taxes to the general ledger.
• Record OIA Bad Debt entries.
• Maintain daily tracking of Cigna healthcare balances.
• Record Internal Conference Center Fees.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or related field.
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit accounting.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting.
• Minimum of 1 year of direct supervisory experience required.
• Experience with accounting systems (NetSuite preferred).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including advanced functions for data analysis and reconciliation.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and meet critical deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, along with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams.

Skills

Required

• Exceptional organizational skills
• GAAP
• Microsoft Excel
• NetSuite (preferred)

Benefits

• The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.