Accounting Manager

ACCOUNTING MANAGER

Land Acknowledgement

Waterfront Park is situated on the land of the Coast Salish peoples, who have resided here since time immemorial and continue to thrive. With respect and humility, we acknowledge the history of the waterfront, the dispossession of land from the Coast Salish people, and, most importantly, the strength and resilience of Native people and their culture through this history and to the present.

Equity Commitment

Friends recognizes and acknowledges historic and existing systemic racism embedded in our city. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization by prioritizing racial equity within the organization and in the public spaces we operate.

About Friends of Waterfront Seattle

Friends of Waterfront Seattle (“Friends”) is a non-profit partner to the City of Seattle, established in 2012 to help fund, steward, and activate a new 20-acre park along the downtown shoreline from Pioneer Square to Belltown. Construction of Waterfront Park will be fully complete in summer 2025. This new public space will serve as:

An invitation to reconnect to the water, to the mountains, to our city, and to one another.
A new cultural hub created in partnership with local nonprofits to deliver a full suite of free arts, recreation, and education programs at Pier 62. Partnerships will expand as Overlook Walk and Pier 58 are completed.
A place to share the stories that illuminate the multiple histories and cultures that define Seattle and must shape its future.
A safe and welcoming public space created through active programming, 24/7/365 on-site safety staff to support positive activity and discourage crime, and by compassionately connecting people in need to social services and resources.
A green waterfront that will add 700 new trees and 150,000 shrubs and native plants to support the nearshore habitat and serve as a massive filtration system to remove pollutants from stormwater before it enters the sound. A massive new seawall supports healthy marine life and the migration of juvenile salmon.
An economic accelerator – in addition to a one-time overall economic impact of $1.1B from construction, the Waterfront Seattle is expected to generate $317M in new visitor spending annually.

The new waterfront is taking shape—and continues to evolve—in collaboration among the thousands of Seattleites who contribute their voices through public comments, public sector institutions, Tribal leadership, businesses, nonprofit partners, community leaders, artists, and the thousands of individuals already showing up on site for educational programs, recreational opportunities, cultural events, and to simply take in the views. Pier 62 was the first part of Waterfront Park to open to the public in 2020. This past summer—in partnership with 41 community organizations—Friends hosted 75,000 visitors at 120 different events and programs, with 80% BIPOC representation.

The Role

Reporting directly to the COO and working closely with the contracted CFO, the Accounting Manager will manage all day-to-day accounting responsibilities for the organization. Main job functions include accounts payable, journal entries, donation processing, bank reconciliations, managing expense reports, and budgeting. The position will serve as the main point of contact for internal and external finance-related inquiries. In collaboration with leadership and the CFO, the Accounting Manager will also support higher-level budgeting and forecasting across departments. Candidates with knowledge of GAAP and experience in nonprofits are preferred. This is a full-time, exempt employee with no direct reports.

Responsibilities

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Center and embed the Friends’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) values and goals into every aspect of the role
Contribute to an inclusive workplace culture; adhere to and help evolve Friends’ Community Agreements
Propel a culture of inclusion while collaborating cross departmentally within Friends
Engage in regular conversations about anti-racism and equity through all-staff meetings, lunch-and-learns, and trainings
Bring an anti-racist lens into finance-related policies and procedures
Work cross-departmentally to help create organizational system of equitable procurement to prioritize Women and Minority Owned vendors and small businesses
Find vendors that are aligned with Friends’ values and share them across the organization

Day-to-Day Accounting

In collaboration with Friends’ contracted CFO, handle day-to-day accounting including payables, receivables, reconciliations, audits, and taxes.
Process payables in the AP automation system and direct invoices to the appropriate approving manager.
Process donations and pledges as receivable and report to the Philanthropy team in a timely manner. Periodically use Salesforce reports.
Manage income and expenditure accounts
Perform monthly reconciliations
Process credit card statements and use Beanworks AP to track expense reports.
Train employees on Beanworks and manage that account
Support the CFO with taxes including 990 preparations, 1099s, financial statements, and the annual audit.
Maintain files for FWS contracts and financials
File and remit quarterly and annual financial closings and all organizational taxes
Work with the Philanthropy team to generate reports for monthly reconciliations and donor recognition
Support grant reporting
Work in collaboration with the People & Culture Manager to prepare and submit semi-monthly payroll in BambooHR and QuickBooks. Serve as a secondary point of contact and manager of semi-monthly payroll
Manage the general ledger, including preparing recurring accounting entries such as bank fees, depreciation, etc. Update and refine balance sheet reconciliations.
Follow GAAP and other regulatory requirements
Review of partner contract agreements as needed
Work alongside leadership team to maintain and record up-to-date policies and procedures.
Communicate with colleagues, partners, vendors, and contractors regarding bills and other accounting inquiries.

Budgeting and Forecasting

Establish and update ongoing organizational budgets in an overview form as well as b department
Assist with any ad-hoc financial reporting as needed for the CFO or CEO
Meet regularly with department leaders to keep a pulse on budgeting and pull reports as needed
Track the budget forecast and update actuals into Excel
Support higher level financial decisions that support the organization’s strategic goals.
Support the annual budgeting process to ensure sufficient operational funding

Minimum Qualifications

At least 4 years of experience with finance and/or accounting
Strong alignment with Friends’ commitment to being an antiracist organization
Experience with QuickBooks Desktop or other accounting software
Familiarity with GAAP and general bookkeeping methods
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and online meeting tools, such as Zoom and Teams
Strong communication skills and commitment to collaboration across departments
Ability to track and manage ongoing deadlines
Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
Ability to handle sensitive information in a confidential manner
Creative and resourceful
Ability to pass a background check

Desired Qualifications

A degree in Accounting or Nonprofit Management or equivalent experience
Experience with Beanworks AP or another Accounts Payable automation software (Concur SAP, Stampli, Netsuite)
Experience creating and improving accounting systems
Lived experience and cultural competency with underrepresented communities, including Black, Indigenous, Latine, disabled, and/or LGBTQ+ communities, and the ability to bring this lens to conversations about anti-racism, anti-oppression and embedding equity in all aspects of work
Experience with accounting in nonprofits
Experience with BambooHR

Working Conditions

This position is a flexible, hybrid role with at least 20% of the work being in Friends’ office in Pioneer Square. While typical office hours are Monday-Friday, 9-5, Friends is an event-based, seasonal organization. During event season (roughly May-September), many employees work a higher percentage of their time in-person. Friends has a dedicated onsite and during the event season, office employees are invited to assist onsite employees for events at the Waterfront.
Exempt employees are asked to work a flexible schedule as determined by volume of work; however, the organization works hard to ensure proper work-life balance and to prevent burnout.
All employees must have full COVID-19 vaccination status. Friends follows King County Public Health guidelines.
The physical requirements of this role listed below are representative of those that may need to be met by an employee in this role:

Operating a computer and other office equipment.
Ability to work in an open office format with a fluctuating noise level – Friends' office is an open floor plan and teams often meet in person to collaborate. Noise levels can be low to moderate.
Occasionally lifting up to 10 pounds; however, assistance with lifting or moving items can be provided
The office in Pioneer Square has approximately 10 stair steps to the main building. Our office is on the first floor.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary for this role will be between $80,000-95,000. Benefits include employer paid medical, dental, life, and vision insurance, paid time off, WA PFML and additional supplement, ORCA card, and a 3% retirement account match.

How to Apply

Please upload a cover letter that answers the following: How would you describe your journey to understand anti-racism and anti-oppression? And what does it currently mean for you to embed equity into your accounting-related work?

Friends is committed to improving hiring practices to be more inclusive and anti-ableist. We have reviewed the job requirements and only include physical abilities when completely necessary. During the interview process, we email the panel questions ahead of time. We are also able to provide captioning and/or interpretation (e.g., ASL) if requested. If you need specific assistance and/or accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please let us know by emailing our People & Culture team at dei@waterfrontparkseattle.org.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.