Staff Accountant

Northwest Ambulance is building its accounting department from the ground up. Everything was outsourced; now it is not. We have a Controller, an Accounting Manager, and a Payroll Manager. This seat is the fourth, and it exists because three things need an owner: the money going out, proving that the money coming in was recorded correctly, and a trained second person who can run payroll when the Payroll Manager cannot.

This is not a role where you process a queue someone else designed. The processes are being built now, and you will help build them: how invoices get coded, how the vendor file is maintained, and how we prove each month that what our billing company says it collected is what actually reached the bank.

We are a growing ground ambulance company with roughly 430 employees across four Washington locations, about 350 payable documents a month, and a revenue cycle that runs through a third-party billing partner. The work is real and there is a lot of it.

This is a full-time, non-exempt (hourly, overtime-eligible) position reporting to the Accounting Manager, on-site at our Everett administrative office.

What you'll own

• Accounts payable, end to end. Enter and code vendor invoices against the chart of accounts and the correct department. Match each invoice to its purchase authorization and to confirmation that the goods or services actually arrived, and resolve differences before anything is paid, not after. Prepare the weekly payment run for approval and release, and submit the approved payment file to the bank.
• The vendor file. Maintain vendor records so they are actually usable: current W-9, correct remit-to address, payment terms, and reporting status. Verify new banking or remittance details by callback to an independently sourced number, never one from the request itself. Prepare the 1099 reporting file at year end.
• Company card coding and reconciliation. Code roughly 150 card transactions a month, chase the receipts, and reconcile each statement. It's the least glamorous part of the job and one of the most important, because uncoded card spend is invisible spend.
• Revenue reconciliation. Each month, prove that three things agree: cash deposited at the bank, cash our billing partner says it posted, and revenue recorded in the general ledger. Prepare the accounts receivable rollforward and aging. Investigate differences and bring them to the Accounting Manager with an explanation, not just a number.
• Patient refunds and credit balances. Receive refund packets from the billing partner, verify them against the account, prepare refund checks, and track the statutory clock on each one. Identify credit balances monthly and flag anything approaching a refund or unclaimed property deadline.
• Outstanding checks and reconciling items. Age the outstanding check list monthly and work it down. Carry reconciling items on the difference log with a cause, an owner, and a date, and close them.
• Payroll backup. Train to run a full payroll cycle in ADP (approved time exported from our scheduling system, roughly 430 employees across two states) and be ready to run it on short notice. No prior payroll experience is required; we will train you. The Payroll Manager sets pay rules, classifications, and filing positions, and the Controller reviews every register before funding. You will also be the designated backup for garnishment and support order processing.
• Supporting the close. Prepare assigned balance sheet reconciliations to a standard workpaper format on the published close calendar. Prepare recurring journal entries for review. Pull support when our CPA firm asks for it.

What this role does not do

Stated plainly so the boundaries are clear from day one. You prepare; others approve.

• You do not approve or release payments
• You do not approve write-offs or adjustments
• You do not add a vendor to the master file without the Accounting Manager's approval
• You do not own payroll, set pay rules, or make classification or tax filing determinations
• You do not review your own payroll register; the Controller does that every cycle, including the cycles you run

Payroll system access is granted when you need it and removed when you don't. That is a deliberate control, not a reflection on you.

What we're looking for

• Associate's degree in accounting (required)
• 2+ years of full-cycle accounts payable or general accounting experience
• Ability to reconcile an account to an independent source and trace a difference to its cause without being handed the answer
• Solid Excel skills, including lookups and pivot tables, and comfort working with a few thousand rows of data
• QuickBooks experience, or a demonstrated ability to pick up a new accounting system quickly
• Accuracy with volume: this role handles several hundred documents a month, and accuracy matters more than speed
• The habit of asking when something looks wrong rather than coding it and moving on
• Willingness to be trained to run payroll and to be relied on as the backup
• Discretion with confidential employee, patient, and financial information, without exception

Nice to have

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related field
• QuickBooks Online
• Healthcare, EMS, or another third-party payer billing environment
• Experience reconciling to an outsourced billing company, including aging and rollforwards
• Vendor master cleanup or 1099 preparation for a large vendor population
• Experience in a department that was being built or rebuilt
• Payroll processing experience in ADP or a comparable system
• Exposure to garnishments, support orders, or multi-state payroll
• Comfort using AI tools as part of daily practice

Work environment

The work is primarily sedentary, with extended periods at a desk and computer, occasional standing, walking, reaching, bending, and grasping, and the ability to lift up to 20 pounds at times. You will need to read detailed financial data accurately and communicate clearly in person, by phone, and in writing. Expect heavier hours around payment runs, month-end close, and year-end reporting deadlines.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance to ensure the well-being and health of our employees.

Eligible employees who are scheduled to work on a designated company holiday will receive holiday pay in accordance with Northwest Ambulance policy.

We invest in your future with a 401(k)-retirement plan that includes an employer match of up to 5%, helping you build a long-term financial security.

We value work-life balance and offer paid time off, giving you the flexibility to rest, recharge, and take care of what matters most.

Wages:

$32 - $42 per hour, approximately $66,500 to $87,400 annually. Where an offer lands in the range depends on experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Northwest Ambulance is an Affirmative Action Employer / Equal Opportunity Employer. Our employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, military status, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.