Senior Accountant

Simmons College Company•Boston, MA

12h•Hybrid

About The Position

Located in Boston’s historic Fenway area, Simmons University has a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles. Simmons was founded for equality 125 years ago as one of the first higher education institutions dedicated to helping women become leaders. Today, our university continues to grow and evolve and now offers Boston’s only women’s undergraduate program and graduate programs open to all. You’re joining our community at an especially exciting time as we continue to innovate for the future. Simmons recently launched a six-school academic structure that leverages our expert faculty and longstanding expertise in professions that make our communities stronger. In addition, we continue to highlight our high-value education proposition that is delivering greater ROI to students and putting them on the fast track to career growth and success. You’ll find that people who work here truly believe in our mission of preparing students to become social justice-oriented leaders who excel in their professions and their communities. This commitment and pride make for a dynamic workplace. As a university that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, Simmons encourages applications from all under-represented groups. Simmons is committed to creating, developing, promoting, and enhancing inclusive hiring practices–at all levels, for all positions–ensuring diverse talent pools and the delivery of a consistent positive candidate experience. Simmons is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to continuing to develop a more diverse faculty, staff, student body, and curriculum. As a member of the Controller’s Office team, the Senior Accountant reports to the Controller and is responsible for maintaining and monitoring general ledger accounts primarily in the areas of gifts, investments, and grants. The Senior Accountant will work closely with colleagues in Advancement to ensure that gifts are being recorded on a timely and accurate basis and that they are being utilized in line with donor intentions. The Senior Accountant will work closely with investment advisors and fund managers to ensure that the University’s investments, with a focus on the endowment, are appropriately valued and accounted for. Other accounting areas may be assigned as needed. For the annual audit, this position will assist the Controller in preparing financial statements and footnotes and monitoring the status of auditor schedules and backup requests related to the accounting areas specified above.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree Required, preferably in a related field.
A minimum of three years of experience in accounting in a non-profit environment.
Experience with gift accounting is preferred.
Prior experience using automated systems, spreadsheet applications, and word processing software is required.
Strong analytical, organizational and problem-solving skills
Ability to work with limited supervision and work effectively to resolve problems under tight time constraints
Commitment to Inclusive Excellence and Social Justice
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to accomplish expected tasks under minimal supervision
Ability to multi-task and maintain composure under pressure

Nice To Haves

Workday experience preferred
Higher education experience is preferred
Prior experience in Public Accounting and CPA license, while not required, strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Reconcile the University’s endowment funds on a monthly basis.
Track the value of the University’s endowment funds using Fundriver on an ongoing basis
Calculate and record distributions on an annual basis to support the University’s philanthropic use of these funds
Work closely with colleagues in Advancement, Student Financial Services, the Provost office and others to provide insight into gift fund balances and activity to date
Monitor and account for the university’s releases from restriction, ensuring that donor funds are being spent in accordance with donor intentions
Support the AVP Finance in data gathering and analysis of endowed funds to facilitate preparation of reports and communications to donors, senior leaders and Trustees
Monitor outstanding receivable and payable balances for the university’s grants portfolio and process drawdowns as needed
Contribute towards the development of processes related to investments, grants, and gifts
Balance assigned general ledger accounts; verify, allocate, post, reconcile transactions; research and resolve discrepancies
Responsible for preparing reconciling entries and year-end closing entries
Assist Controller with preparation and coordination for annual external audit, compile and provide data for auditors
Prepare ad-hoc reporting and analysis as required.
Other duties as assigned