Classification: This is a Full-time, 12-month position; workdays are Monday through Friday 7:40 – 4:00 and sometimes requires evening work.
Objective: To manage the Accounting Department; oversee the full cycle of Payroll processing; administer the student billing process; assist with the student financial aid process; manage the School’s annual financial audit; and other duties as assigned by the Business Manager and Head of School.
Summary Responsibilities:
Manage the accounting function of the school, ensuring accurate and timely data entries to the accounting system and coherent financial reporting;
Accurately and efficiently enter into the accounting system data related to payables and receivables;
Ensure all vendor invoices are paid in a timely manner;
Process all incoming cash receipts and deposits, maintaining daily cash balances and reviewing bank reports daily;
Review bank statements and investment account statements monthly and reconcile to the general ledger;
Review all other GL accounts, reconcile monthly, and prepare monthly financial reports;
Prepare financial reports for quarterly Finance Committee and Board of Trustees meetings
Coordinate with the advancement office to prepare monthly/quarterly reconciliation reports;
Assist in the preparation and monitoring of departmental budgets and forecasts;
Oversee student billing and all family communications related to financial obligations and collections efforts;
Manage the school’s annual audit, including preparation of schedules, and review the Form 990;
Establish and maintain appropriate procedures and controls for all financial systems in accordance with AICPA and FASB standards and oversee all functions of the accounting office;
Communicate accounting policies and procedures to employees as needed and ensure compliance with policies;
Oversee business and operations records retention;
Participate in external surveys and reports (ex: DASL) as requested by the Business Manager and HOS;
Maintain cordial relationships with all school vendors, including the school’s auditors;
Participate in professional development to ensure understanding of current GAAP and accounting regulations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
Administer the collections process to ensure timely follow-up on payment of outstanding balances including:
Serving as the school’s primary collection representative regarding all past due charges, and initiating direct communication early in the collection cycle to reduce the risk of substantial past due balances;
Identifying emerging collection issues for appropriate action in a timely manner through regular reviews of billing reports, such as AR aging or past due accounts;
Communicating with families who have past due accounts in a timely fashion and documenting collection activities;
Communicating with the Business Manager and HOS of all collections issues and communications with families regarding resolution.
Oversee the full cycle of payroll processing in a timely, efficient, and accurate manner in accordance with federal and state wage and hour laws and best practices including:
Handling complex and confidential payroll information;
Ensuring payroll deadlines are met;
Processing monthly payroll, which includes the following:
Collect and process all substitute teacher hours, GRASP staff hours and PTO hours;
Compute, verify, and input all payroll data for employees including stipends, deductions, compensation adjustments, and garnishments;
Post monthly payroll to the general ledger.
Providing payroll reports as needed and requested;
Resolving any payroll issues in an urgent manner;
Coordinating with payroll vendor to update pay-dates, hours/earnings, and deduction codes;
Identifying and recommending updates to payroll processes and procedures;
Staying current on federal and state payroll regulations;
Reconciling employee benefits to the general ledger, posting employee benefits to outside third party vendor (TIAA-CREF and Optum Bank Health Savings Account), and initiating ACH transaction to transfer employee benefit dollars to third party vendor.
Maintain and administer all aspects of student account billing to ensure all account information and financial activities are reflected accurately and promptly in the student billing system including:
Generating charges and credits according to the appropriate payment plan as outlined in enrollment contract;
Preparing and mailing student tuition bills;
Maintaining billing codes in the student billing system, preparing billing statements, and sending timely notifications regarding billing statements;
Recording payments and/or credits to student accounts and depositing any checks or cash received to the School’s outside bank account;
Following up directly with families regarding returned/declined payment activity (NSF checks, ACH returns, credit card disputes, etc.);
Communicating directly with banking and/or merchant processor staff to resolve any payment or processing issues;
Working with families to provide guidance with online payment systems;
Applying monthly charges for NSF transactions and past due accounts.
Manage the School’s annual financial audit including:
Scheduling with the School’s auditing firm the fiscal year-end financial audit;
Taking the lead position on preparation of schedules and work papers for the annual audit;
Taking the lead position on Form 990 preparation;
Maintaining permanent office files for all audit schedules prepared by the School.
Assist in the admission process by providing timely and appropriate assistance to applicants for admission, including guidance with the financial aid process, preparing and communicating estimated charges or clarification of payment plans, and any other financial-related requests.;
Assist in the financial aid process, maintain related spreadsheets and the applicant filing system, and ensure that all required notifications are sent in a timely manner;
Maintain an accurate enrollment list, ensure that enrollment counts in student billing and admissions office agree, and work with admission staff to resolve any variances or irregularities;
Process enrollment contracts and enrollment deposits, tracking returned contracts in coordination with the admissions office;
Generate and maintain reports related to student enrollment (projected income, withdrawals/additions, etc.), financial aid, budget planning, and enrollment contracts;
Reconciling with admissions office any discrepancies between the billing system, general reporting, and general ledger;
Collaborate with the director of auxiliary programs to maintain billing rosters for auxiliary program enrollees, generate charges, and oversee bank drafts and deposits for auxiliary program enrollees;
Assist the director of advancement as it relates to the annual fundraising gala: recording payments; tracking sales; reconciling the silent auction, live auction and fund a need events; sending invoices; following up on past due payments, and accurate financial reporting of the gala event;
Take an active role in professional activities and attend relevant professional meetings and conferences;
Update annually the School’s agreement with Maryland Department of Labor for self-funding unemployment insurance.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field required; CPA preferred;
Experience working in non-profit accounting required; experience in a school environment strongly preferred;
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to cultivate effective, professional relationships with students and families, faculty and staff;
Strong problem-solving skills;
Highly organized and detail-oriented;
Ability to carry out duties and responsibilities confidentially and in an accurate and timely manner with a high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ownership, and minimal direction;
Professional presentation and excellent written communication skills;
High ethical standards and strong professional boundaries;
Proficiency with QuickBooks Accounting, Microsoft Excel and Word, Paychex Flex Payroll System, FACTS Tuition Management, SSS Financial Aid, and Diamond Mind/Campus Pay Software.
The Primary Day School is dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all personnel and applicants for employment without regard to race; color; religion; sex; national origin; handicap or disability; sexual orientation; or status as a veteran, Vietnam era, or special disabled veteran.
Founded in 1944, The Primary Day School in Bethesda, Maryland, is a school for boys and girls from Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade. We are the only school in the area that focuses exclusively on children in this unique age group, and we do so for a very important reason. These are the most crucial learning years in children’s lives, a time when they are bursting with potential, ready for quantum leaps of development. At Primary Day, everything we do focuses on helping young children flourish—as learners and as people—during this vitally important time of life. The Primary Day School was founded as a demonstration school for the Phonovisual Method, a unique, phonics-based approach to teaching reading and language arts that remains vital to each student’s educational journey today. To learn more about our school and its community, curriculum and traditions please visit www.theprimarydayschool.org.