CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Operational Accounting Lead Salary in the United States

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every ­one of the qualifications for the position.

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Operational Accounting Lead reports to the Operational Accounting Manager and oversees the Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Corporate Credit Card Administration processes. The Operational Accounting Lead is also responsible for performing other duties as assigned by the Operational Accounting Manager.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable persons with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Accounts Payable

• Ensure timely, complete, and accurate processing of all Accounts Payable (AP) transactions
• Ensure AP service level standards and response times are maintained
• Investigate and implement solutions upon identification of root causes to recurring issues
• Own the new supplier on-boarding process and ensure all required tax forms are received
• Oversee the preparation and reporting of IRS Forms 1099 and other AP-related filings
• Provide backup support for the AP-related duties of the Accounting Clerk:
  • Enter purchase order (PO) and non-PO supplier invoices, expense reports, and other payment requests in Oracle Fusion’s Payables module
  • Ensure submissions to AP are in accordance with the Academy’s expenditure policies and authorization matrix
  • Identify, investigate, and follow up on 2-way and 3-way match system payment holds
  • Identify and submit new supplier and supplier change requests
  • Prepare check, ACH, and wire payment batches on scheduled AP pay runs
  • Respond to AP-related inquiries from employees and resolve concerns and issues
  • Correspond with vendors and other external payees and respond to inquiries in a timely manner
  • Research and resolve vendor invoice and account balance discrepancies
  • Organize and maintain all AP files including email correspondence and invoice and payment records
  • Close Payables module at the end of each month and prepare AP general ledger account reconciliation to subledger with invoice aging schedule

Accounts Receivable

• Generate customer invoices and administer billings to ensure that invoices are accurate, reflect appropriate line detail and remittance advice, and are distributed timely
• Prepare monthly Accounts Receivable (AR) account reconciliations and aging reports and follow up on overdue accounts
• Develop and maintain credit memo policies and administer credit memos/customer refunds as needed

Cash Management

• Review daily operating bank account activity including cash receipts and disbursements
• Ensure timely, complete, and accurate cash application in Oracle Fusion’s Cash Management module
• Investigate and resolve unidentified cash receipts as well as returned payments on a timely basis
• Identify and resolve action items from month-end bank reconciliations

Corporate Credit Card Administration

• Administer corporate credit cards
• Respond to credit card-related inquiries from employees and resolve concerns and issues in a timely manner
• Liaise with JPMorgan Chase Bank as needed for matters relating to the overall credit card program or activity on individual cards
• Prepare monthly accounting journal entries for all employee corporate credit card activity
• Monitor employee compliance with credit card policies and cardholder/transaction approver responsibilities in the corporate credit card portal

Other Duties

• Provide regular status reports and issue logs to the Operational Accounting Manager
• Supervise and assign/review work of the Accounting Clerk
• Serve as a subject matter expert on Oracle Fusion’s Payables, Receivables, and Cash Management modules to share knowledge and learnings within the accounting department
• Serve as the initial contact for internal and external business partners to assist with questions/problems and document actions taken to resolve issues
• Assist with preparation of quarterly and annual audit schedules
• Prepare journal entries
• Prepare account reconciliations and investigate reconciling items
• Follow all Academy safety regulations
• Other duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

The qualifications listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required or preferred.

EXPERIENCE and/or EDUCATION:
A qualified candidate will have a combination of the following education and/or equivalent experience:

• Combination of 5+ years’ experience in Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable roles
• Accounting or business related classes or certificate preferred

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• In-depth Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable knowledge in order to work independently
• Basic understanding of general ledger accounts and debits/credits
• Intermediate skills preferred in Microsoft Excel/Google Sheets or similar spreadsheet program
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills
• Clear and efficient written and verbal communication skills including the ability to communicate appropriately and professionally with external partners, customers, and vendors
• Proven initiative for working independently
• Enjoys and works well as part of a collaborative team to meet timelines

LANGUAGE SKILLS: 
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups or individuals. Bilingual (spoken and/or written) in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, or other non-English language preferred but not necessary.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT: 
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, and reach with hands and arms, and talk or hear. Must be able to lift 20 pounds with or without assistance. Must be able to perform repetitive motions 85% of the time.

While this position would normally be expected to work in the Academy offices with the rest of the Accounting team, under current operations the position is expected to be primarily remote through June 2021.