Senior Accountant

Job Description

Job Description

About the California Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1853, the California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned, AZA-accredited non-profit scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, rainforest, research institute, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our living collection reflects Earth's vast biodiversity, consisting of nearly 60,000 animals representing over 800 species. Our research collections are the largest west of the Mississippi, spanning nearly 46 million plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. Our diverse team includes leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who are passionate about advancing knowledge and catalyzing action through science and storytelling.

Whether you're conducting research behind the scenes or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

POSITION SUMMARY:  
Reporting to the Manager - Operational Accounting, the Senior Accountant - Operational Accounting will oversee the daily operations of the Accounts Payable (AP) , Accounts Receivable (AR) and Corporate Credit Card Administration teams. This role involves supervising a team, ensuring accurate and timely processing of all transactions, maintaining compliance with Academy policies and accounting standards, and contributing to the overall efficiency of the Accounting department. The Senior Accountant will be a key contributor in month-end close processes and process improvement initiatives.

POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:  The responsibilities may consist of one or more of the following areas:

Financial Accounting & Reporting Responsibilities

• Supervise, train, and mentor the AP and AR team, including performance management and workload distribution.
• Ensure accurate and timely processing of all accounts payable, including vendor invoices, expense reports, and payments.
• Oversee the accounts receivable function, including invoicing, cash applications, collections, and revenue recognition.
• Participate in the period-end close procedures, providing necessary AP and AR reports, analysis, and supporting documentation that is audit ready. 
• Develop, implement, and maintain internal controls and accounting procedures to ensure compliance with GAAP and company policies.
• Collaborate with internal departments (e.g., procurement, sales, grant managers, cost center managers) and external vendors/customers to resolve payment and collection issues.
• Manage the execution of special projects and process improvements within the AP/AR function.
• Prepare and review various financial reports related to AP/AR performance and aging.
• Manage the execution of the year-end 1099 preparation and issuance process.
• Review journal entries, account reconciliations, and ad hoc analyses/projects prepared by junior members of the team.
• Review period-end financial results and variance analysis as compared to budget, prior year, year-end, and prior quarter.
• Prepare account reconciliations and identify/resolve reconciling items in a timely manner.
• Prepare schedules and reports in support of the annual and interim audit; all schedules prepared must be adequately documented.
• Develop accounting procedures for new processes and prepare procedures/guidelines for other departments to ensure compliance with company policies and US GAAP. Once the process is finalized, responsible for communicating to appropriate users and business partners.
• Identify and implement process improvements and strive to follow best practices to enhance the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of individual and team work products.

QUALIFICATIONS: A successful candidate will have the following:

EXPERIENCE and/or EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business, or Finance-related field.
• Minimum of 3+ years of relevant accounting experience in accounts payable or accounts receivable.
• CPA/CMA license (preferred) or working towards passing the CPA/CMA exam.

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Moderate understanding of complex accounting concepts, including a good working knowledge of US GAAP to include revenue recognition, contingencies, balance sheet classifications, etc.
• Intermediate knowledge of Excel, required.
• Ability to work as part of a team or collaborate well with team members and external collaborators (if applicable) to accomplish mutual goals.
• Ability to work efficiently and communicate with staff, cross-functional teams, and external customers from different identities and experiences.
• Ability to bring new ideas, create inventive solutions, and find efficiencies to transform manual or detailed processes.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities who meet the job's essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, use a computer, and communicate on the phone, in person, and online meetings/calls. Must be able to perform repetitive motions 90% of the time.

Although this position is exempt from overtime pay, there are periods when additional hours and/or weekend work will be expected to fulfill business needs.

Organizational Culture

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation, and celebrates its accomplishments together. Staff share a commitment to executing a new strategic plan that will strengthen the organization's financial foundations, cultivate a vibrant internal culture, and foster smart growth to secure the Academy's future.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are motivated to contribute to our mission. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below.

Key Responsibilities

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

Physical Environment: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. 

Compensation and Benefits: The salary range for this position is $100,000-$110,000. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule : Full-Time, 40 hours per week

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).