Senior Associate, Accounting

Application Deadline: 9/11

Priority will be given to those who apply by 9/4

About Achievement First

Achievement First (AF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization supporting 39 public charter schools across New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. For more than 25 years, AF has been recognized as one of the top tuition-free public charter school networks in the country. We are committed to creating schools of academic excellence within nurturing environments — schools that prepare students to be college-ready and to pursue and succeed in whatever paths they choose in life.

The majority of AF students are Black and Latinx children from low-income families, many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. Across our network, we employ more than 2,200 staff members — 64% of whom identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color — who collectively educate nearly 15,000 students in Brooklyn and Queens, NY; New Haven, Bridgeport, and Hartford, CT; and Providence and Cranston, RI.

Our mission is to prepare every student to excel in college, career, and life; deepen their understanding of self and community; and lead lives of purpose. We believe in the limitless potential within our students and their power to shape a more just society. That belief drives our deep commitment to student achievement: we aim to set a high bar for learning and create warm, demanding classrooms where rigorous instruction is paired with the care, encouragement, and consistency every student deserves.

We are looking for a strategic and dynamic Senior Associate of Accounting to join our Finance team.

Your Impact

Reporting to the Accounting Manager, this position will serve as Achievement First’s point person for recording all payroll, reclasses and maintaining all intercompany activity for 39 schools as well as the Network Support Team.

 

Multi-entity accounting & consolidation

• Oversee grant revenue recognition and ensure expenditures comply with GAAP and funder requirements
• Develop and maintain detailed budget-to-actual reporting to support financial transparency and decision-making
• Responsible for monthly account reconciliations of several balance sheet accounts
• Support year-end close process and complete all preparatory work ahead of annual audits
• Perform specific duties assigned by supervisor in preparation for and during the annual fiscal audits 
• Collaborate with FP&A, school operations and other teams on revenue and expense allocations based on grant requirements and budget changes

 

Financial Analysis and Reporting

• Oversee and execute the complete cycle of intercompany activity across 41 schools: high school allocation billing, management fee computation, ancillary fee reconciliation, and intercompany revenue/expense allocation
• Oversee AP aging report and collaborate with Accounts Payable to clear outstanding invoices

 

Compliance

• Prepare quarterly consolidated income statements for 22 New York charter academies in full compliance with SUNY authorizer reporting requirement
• Analyze annual payroll data and report staff certified salaries for 10 Connecticut schools for Connecticut’s State Department of Education-Education Financial System also known as CT EFS compliance
• Prepare quarterly functional expense allocation entries for Statement of Functional Expense reporting under ASC 958, including program, management, and fundraising classifications across all entities
• Execute quarterly payroll 941 reconciliations across all 39 entities and the CMO, identifying and resolving discrepancies between payroll records, general ledger entries, and federal tax filings — a process that requires cross-entity data synthesis beyond routine payroll administration

 

Skills You’ll Have

All candidates for this position will support AF core values, lead innovation, and manage projects to ensure our team, like our schools, are setting a high bar in all areas and pursuing it relentlessly. 

An ideal candidate will have the following experience and qualification:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting or related field, pending overall experience 
• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting/finance
• Strong technical knowledge of US GAAP and financial reporting for non-profit organizations, preferred
• Oversight of budgets/accounts/businesses totalling up to $100M (or more), required 
• Advanced Microsoft Word and Excel skills, especially power query, pivot tables, macros and lookups functions, required 
• Experience with non-profit accounting systems or comparable for-profit systems required (ie, Intacct, Oracle, SAP, MIP)

In addition, the following characteristics are required to be successful on this team:

• Results-oriented individual – a determined leader willing to do “whatever it takes.” 
• Detail-oriented individual – one who sweats the small stuff in planning and execution 
• Skill and experience in financial operations and procedures, formulating and enforcing processes, and developing and implementing new tools and processes as the team evolves 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills 
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships 
• Ability to work independently and as a member of a broader team in a fast- paced environment
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize effectively 
• Belief in the Achievement First mission and educational model 
• Maturity, humility, strong work ethic, sense of humor, and “roll-up-my-sleeves” attitude 
• Strong ethics and ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality 
• Confident in interacting with and influencing individuals at all levels within the organization 

Travel Expectations 

This is a hybrid role. The expectation is that the person in the role would be able to come into the Network Support office (NYC, CT, or RI) at least 3 days a week.  There may be additional travel to regions outside of your own on a monthly or as needed basis.

Compensation

Achievement First sets salaries are set through a lens of equity, and based on the requisite skills, education, and experience relevant to the role.  The salary for this position is $85,295.28.  In order to uphold our commitment to equity, Achievement First does not negotiate pay.  Additionally, Achievement First offers to all regular, full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package that includes paid time off, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, a 403(b) retirement benefit package with match, and paid Family Leave.