Senior Accountant

Choate Rosemary Hall, an independent boarding and day school for students in grades 9 through postgraduate in Wallingford, Connecticut, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Senior Accountant. This is a full-time, exempt position working 40 hours per week, year-round, with a regular five-weekday schedule of eight hours per day. Some evening and/or weekend work may be required during peak times. The position is hybrid and reports to the Assistant Controller in the Finance Office.

The Finance Office employs multiple Senior Accountants, all carrying the same formal title and the same core responsibilities (currently two; the number may change as the School’s needs change). Every Senior Accountant is responsible for being able to perform every duty listed in this description and to step in for a colleague in any area. Day to day, work is divided so that each Senior Accountant has one or more areas of primary focus, assigned by management based on office needs, workload, and each incumbent’s background and strengths. Areas of focus may change over time and do not limit the scope of the position; not every Senior Accountant will perform every duty in a given month or year, but each must be prepared to do so. This structure reduces single points of failure on specialized functions and gives each position meaningful ownership and room to grow.

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY AND AREAS OF PRIMARY FOCUS: All Senior Accountants share responsibility for every Essential Function listed below. Regardless of how many Senior Accountants are on staff, each must be individually capable of performing all of them, supported by cross-training and written procedures. Each Senior Accountant’s actual workload will vary from month to month and year to year.

Areas of primary focus. Within that shared scope, the Assistant Controller, with the Controller’s approval, designates one or more areas of primary focus for each Senior Accountant: (1) Core Accounting & Business Operations, (2) Financial Planning & Analysis, and (3) Endowment & Investment Accounting. The Senior Accountant with primary focus on an area serves as its lead and first point of contact, and another Senior Accountant is designated as backup. Assignments are based on office needs and management direction, are documented in the Finance Office duty assignment matrix rather than in this description, are reviewed at least annually, and may change at any time.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Shared Day-to-Day Accounting & Business Operations (all Senior Accountants)

1. Coordinate general ledger processing, including cash receipts, credit card receipts, journal entries, and various GL integrations; alternate cash-receipt posting and bank reconciliation duties by period with another Senior Accountant to preserve appropriate segregation of duties

2. Manage bank and general ledger reconciliations monthly and for year-end

3. Coordinate the closing of each fiscal period and year-end close for the School’s financial system

4. Conduct general ledger research for various projects

5. Prepare monthly reports for the Data Book

6. Share responsibility for fixed asset record-keeping, including preparing and reconciling asset and depreciation reports

7. Assist with year-end reconciliations and the annual external audit, including fixed assets

8. Coordinate the student enrollment contract process and critical dates for returning and new students

9. Coordinate credit card reporting and reconciliations, and manage the School’s external credit card company and systems

10. Responsible for Outside Events and other miscellaneous billing

11. Responsible for the weekly food service (Sage) catering report and monthly reconciliation of external food service activity

12. Maintain and support the School’s enrollment databases and enrollment reporting

13. Provide backup coverage for the Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Administrators

14. Assist the Admissions Office with enrollment management, including the process for enrolling returning students

15. Maintain “Super User” status for the School’s general ledger and student billing systems

16. Participate in the School’s AI training and implementation efforts in coordination with the Controller and CFO

17. Create and maintain written procedures for this position’s processes and participate in cross-training with other Finance Office staff

18. Share responsibility for CHEFA/Moody’s/ABOPS survey reporting and ad hoc reports, analysis, and projects as assigned by the Controller or CFO

19. Other financial office responsibilities as assigned

Financial Planning & Analysis (all Senior Accountants; primary focus assigned by management)

20. Maintain detailed budget worksheets for operating and capital equipment budgets

21. Maintain the School’s financial projection model

22. Coordinate the annual budget process with School budget managers, including training

23. Drive the School’s capital equipment budgeting process

24. Support the work of the Trustee Finance Committee and other relevant committees

25. Prepare monthly income statements and other reports comparative to budget; perform monthly analytics

26. Perform journal entries, open budgets, and upload them into the School’s financial system; reconcile uploaded budgets to the final budget approved by the Board of Trustees

27. Maintain funding data for building projects, shared with the CFO

28. Distribute weekly reports to budget managers via the School’s online financial reporting system

29. Maintain, troubleshoot, and create reports with the financial system’s online reporting tool

30. Review bi-weekly payroll and process entries for the general ledger; review compensation entries for accuracy and correct GL coding

31. Responsible for accurate and timely 1099 reporting and filing

32. Perform internal audit of controls and procedures as requested

Endowment & Investment Accounting (all Senior Accountants; primary focus assigned by management)

33. Perform the general ledger accounting for the School’s investments on a monthly and/or quarterly basis, and unitize the School’s endowed funds

34. Review endowment and restricted spending in accordance with donor restrictions

35. Manage accounting for the School’s broader gift and restricted-fund portfolio, including temporarily restricted funds, current unrestricted gifts, life income funds (including calculation of amortization of discount and changes in donor life expectancy), and pledges

36. Monitor underwater endowed funds and ensure compliance with UPMIFA and applicable donor restrictions or board designations

37. Serve as administrator of the Fundriver platform, including role management, database configuration, auditing, reporting, and training for team members and stakeholders

38. Serve as a key relationship partner with the Alumni and Development office, ensuring a shared understanding of donor-stated gift purposes and reconciling gift records between the Finance and Development systems on a regular basis

39. Coordinate the restricted gift notification process with Development and communicate with budget managers

40. Prepare an annual report on Endowment Spending and measure against the Operating Budget

41. Provide support during the annual audit for all endowment-related activity, analytics, and pledge reporting; assist with items related to restricted funds and philanthropy

SECONDARY DUTIES

1. Assists in other areas and projects of the Financial Office as deemed necessary.

Education:

· Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Operations (or equivalent experience)

Prior experience:

· Minimum of 5–7 years of progressive accounting experience in an automated accounting system, including general ledger close, reconciliations, fixed assets, and audit preparation; not-for-profit or independent school experience preferred

· Candidates with strong experience in either financial planning/budgeting or fund/endowment accounting are encouraged to apply — new Senior Accountants are cross-trained so that each can perform all duties in this description, with areas of primary focus assigned based on background and office needs

Licenses & Certifications: CPA preferred but not required; demonstrated experience in fund/endowment accounting or financial planning/analysis carries equal or greater weight

Specialized training in:

· Proficient in a Mac-based computing environment, with advanced skill in Microsoft Office Suite (especially Excel) and Adobe Acrobat

· Knowledge of the School’s financial system (Microsoft Dynamics GP/Great Plains or its successor), Management Reporter, and Fundriver a plus

· Uses AI tools in a discerning, informed, and ethical manner, consistent with Choate’s institutional stance on Generative AI (choate.edu/ai/gen)

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Other Key Competencies:

· Excellent organizational, analytical and communication skills

· Strong customer service orientation with internal and external constituents

· Ability to handle confidential and difficult situations with diplomacy, professionalism and tact

· Initiative to problem solve and critical thinking skills

· Strong attention to detail and highly organized

· Ability to juggle multiple tasks and meet a variety of deadlines

· Ability to work effectively with various constituencies and office team members

· Adaptability –adapts to changes in the work environment, manages competing demands and frequent change, delays, or unexpected events

· Dependability.

· Versatility and willingness to flex between day-to-day accounting, financial planning, and endowment work as needs shift, with the ability and commitment to perform all duties in this description and to cross-cover for other Senior Accountants

Compensation and Benefits Involved: