Accountant I

Accountant I - FT 40 hrs. per wk.

Department: Finance
Reports To: Accounting Manager
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
Salary Level: $20.00 to $26.00 / hr.

Summary : This is an on-site position.

Responsible for general accounting duties, including cash receipts, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and balance sheet account reconciliations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Accounts Payable

• Ensure proper processing of supplier invoices using digital A/P software.
• Process vendor credits, ensuring timely application to outstanding payments
• Coordinate with approvers throughout the organization to ensure timely approval of invoices.
• Verify payments before Director of Finance signature/approval, ensuring that vendor, payment amount and coding are accurate and that proper approvals have been documented in accordance with organization policy.
• Research vendor statements, ensuring that past due invoices are paid promptly and accounts remain current.

Cash Receipts

• Reconcile daily sales between the point of sale system and other sources (bank deposit, credit card receipts, etc.)
• Perform monthly in-store cash counts to verify end-of-month point of sale balances.
• Research and resolve discrepancies as needed.

Accounts Receivable

• Generate and distribute customer invoices for newsletter ads, merchant accounts, and other amounts receivable from others.
• Monitor receivables aging and follow up with customers and other outside parties to pursue timely collection.

Accounting

• Reconcile assigned balance sheet accounts, ensuring completion by deadline
• Enter journal entries into accounting software, as assigned.

Other

• Serve as backup to Accounting Clerks to receive, sort and distribute storewide mail daily
• Update point of sale system for ownership activity
• Coordinate filing of financial records, including vendor invoices, owner/member records, dividends and discount vouchers
• Maintain strict confidentiality with regard to employees', customers' and vendors' private information
• Adhere to BriarPatch policies, including the Cash and Purchasing Policy and make all efforts to safeguard cash and other co-op assets
• Other duties as assigned

Responsibilities to Safety :

• Protect the safety of self, co-workers, and BriarPatch Co-op patrons at all times
• Report any potentially harmful equipment or situations to the immediate supervisor without delay
• Report safety-related accidents and incidents at once to supervisor
• Follow all company and safety policies and procedures
• Operate equipment in a safe manner that will not lead to injury of self or others

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Minimum two (2) years bookkeeping or accounting experience required (or equivalent combination of experience and college-level education.) Must have strong organizational skills, possess a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, and be ability to complete work independently while also providing high level of customer service to internal and external customers.
• Requires experience in one or more accounting software applications, ability to use basic formulas in Excel to organize and analyze numerical information.

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 with customers or employees.

Mathematical Skills:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio and percent.

Reasoning Ability:

• Ability to organize and compare numerical information and to find discrepancies.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or electronic form.
• Computer Skills:
• Demonstrated Excel spreadsheet skills, including use of formulas to analyze data
• Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook and internet browser software
• Proficient using at least one accounting software application

Physical Demands : The physical demands 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 regularly required to:

• Stand
• Walk
• Sit
• Use hands and fingers
• Handle or feel
• Reach with hands and arms
• Stoop
• Kneel
• Crouch or crawl
• Talk or hear
• Taste or smell
• Be regularly exposed to natural oils, chemicals and odors/fragrances, including perfumes, colognes and scented lotions
• The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds safely.

Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing 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 regularly exposed to a moderate level of noise and occasional changes in temperature. This position requires long periods of sitting with computer use.

Responsibilities to Sustainability :

• Contribute to sustainability efforts at BriarPatch that support a sustainable community through:
• Minimizing waste by reducing and reusing materials and resources when possible.
• Proper recycling and composting.
• Water & energy conservation.
• Seeking methods to make departmental functions more sustainable and taking an active role to implement them.

Responsibilities to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion :

• Value and support a work environment that includes people of different identities from diverse backgrounds