Summary:
The Staff Accountant is responsible for providing support and assistance to the Accounting and Finance department for a variety of essential functions including but not limited to compiling revenue and expense entries, month-end close, and analyzing account information. The Staff Accountant will partner with the Development department and the Accounting and Finance department to maintain and balance subsidiary accounts by verifying, reconciling transactions, and resolving discrepancies.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned. 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.

• Demonstrate commitment to Shedd’s vision, mission, and values
• Month and year end close duties
  • Prepare journal entries for admissions, contributions, deferred revenue, cash receipts and accruals
  • Prepare bank and cash receipts reconciliation
  • Reconcile and track partner sales and commissions
  • Reconcile general ledger accounts and update schedules
  • Research transactions and resolve discrepancies
  • Initiate ACH/Wire payments
• Partner with Development team in maintaining subsidiary accounts by verifying and reconciling transactions
  • Understand sources of variance between Fundraising and Accounting reports and help translate these differences to team members
  • Develop understanding of General Ledger and CRM (Tessitura) functionality for monitoring transaction and contributed revenue details
• Cross-trained in purchasing, accounts payable and reporting
• Assist with preparation of audit and Form 990 schedules
• Provide backup assistance to other accounting functions, as needed

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:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or related fields is required

Experience:

• A minimum of 1 year of experience working in Accounting
• Experience in a non-profit accounting is highly preferred, but not required
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel (v-lookup, mid function, etc.) is required
• Experience with Sage Intacct and Tessitura is highly preferred.

Characteristics:

• Excellent interpersonal skills with high initiative, flexibility, and team approach; must be comfortable working with staff as all levels across the organization
• Detailed oriented and thorough
• Strong analytical, organizational, and time management skills

We strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ community, veterans and active duty military, parents, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from all cultural backgrounds to apply. Shedd Aquarium is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team.

If you need a reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to select which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs).

About Shedd Aquarium

The animals are the focus at Shedd, but the staff is the aquarium’s most vital resource. At Shedd, You Can:Make a difference every day—for animals, for conservation and for our guests.Join a team-based culture, where partnership, collaboration and innovation are the standard.Be part of worldwide leader in the museum and aquarium profession.Discover your favorite animals or exhibits and share your passion.

Connections working at Shedd Aquarium