United States onlyThe Organization: Merit America
The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.
Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs, driving an average wage gain of $24k three months or more after completing the program. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners.
Role Overview
The primary mission of the Accounting Manager is to support the financial integrity and operational excellence of Merit America's accounting function. In particular, this role will: manage day-to-day accounting activities, ensure the accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting, maintain a strong system of internal controls and compliance practices and support strategic financial initiatives.
The Accounting Manager is an exempt role, reporting directly to our Financial Controller and working with all functional teams across Merit America.
Responsibilities
The responsibilities of the Accounting Manager will include, but are not limited to, the following:
Financial Reporting Compliance:
- Manage and support month-end and year-end close and reporting processes to ensure timely and accurate financial results.
- Partner with the Financial Controller to prepare for the annual audit and ensure financial statements are accurate, timely, and in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and organizational policies.
- Oversee the coordination of the annual external audit, ensuring the preparation and accuracy of all required schedules and documentation.
- Manage all tax and compliance filings, including preparation of the annual Form 990 and 1099s, to ensure accuracy and timely submission.
- Prepare and review financial reports to monitor grant and restricted fund expenditures, ensuring compliance with all funder and regulatory requirements.
Accounting Operations:
- Manage and oversee daily accounting operations, including banking and cash management, general ledger, accounts payable, corporate credit cards, accounts receivable, and payroll.
- Prepare, review, and approve journal entries, reconciliations, and financial schedules to ensure accuracy and completeness.
- Manage the establishment, documentation, and enforcement of accounting policies and procedures to ensure operational excellence and consistency.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance accounting workflows, efficiency, and accuracy, providing financial insight to support proper expense coding, reporting, and decision-making.
Financial Systems Controls:
- Design, implement, and maintain a strong internal controls framework to safeguard the organization's financial assets.
- Oversee the development and execution of risk mitigation strategies and financial policies to ensure compliance, transparency, and accountability.
- Lead the implementation and optimization of accounting systems to improve automation, controls, and reporting, ensuring strong data governance standards and quality assurance across all accounting data.
Skills and Competencies
We recognize that some individuals from underrepresented backgrounds may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet 100% of the listed qualifications. Please don’t let that discourage you from applying! We value the unique skills, experiences, and perspectives that each applicant brings, and we encourage you to apply if you believe your background demonstrates the required skills and competencies:
Must Haves for all roles at Merit America:
- Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers
- Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture
- Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win Lose Together
- Committed to continuous learning and growth in advancing inclusive excellence and closing gaps across lines of difference
- Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity
Must haves for the role:
Technical Accounting Reporting
- Significant professional experience across the full-set of accounting activities, including month-end close, financial statement preparation, and audit management.
- Demonstrated expertise in non-profit accounting principles (GAAP), including fund accounting and revenue recognition.
Systems Process Excellence
- Experience in a high-growth/startup environment where systems and processes require hands-on building and fixing.
- Hands-on experience with modern ERP and accounting operations systems is essential; direct experience with NetSuite is strongly preferred.
- Active experience implementing AI practices in accounting operations
Stakeholder Management
- Strategic communication skills to translate complex accounting topics into clear, actionable information for non-financial stakeholders.
- Proven experience collaborating with an organization’s critical external relationships (e.g., auditors, bankers, advisors).
Nice to Have:
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license.
- Experience managing intercompany, multi-entity accounting
- Experience partnering closely with an FPA function to provide accurate data for budgets and forecasts.
Other Logistics
- This position is full-time: 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
- Location:Remote
- Salary: $122,000
We take care of our employees by providing the following perks and benefits (please note that some of the benefits do not apply to temporary employees):
- 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
- Medical, Dental and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
- Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
- Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
- Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit
- Education personal development reimbursement
- Catalog of courses for professional learning and development
- Short and long-term disability
- Unlimited vacation (after a 90-day introductory period)
- Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after 1 year of employment)
- 11 federally recognized holidays
- 1 week office closure in July (week of July 4th)
- 2 week holiday office closure in December/January
- 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit contribution
- Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
- Discount perks at work program
- Phone/technology stipend
- Home office setup stipend
- Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups
*Eligibility for some benefits may vary based on employment status, full-time or part-time. Eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process.
Remote Work Sponsorship
Candidates must reside within the 50 states or District of Columbia and have full authorization to work in the 50 U.S. states the District of Columbia (international work abroad, including the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other islands are excluded). In addition, Merit America doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship.
Equal Opportunity Statement
Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.
We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.
Still excited about our work? You can learn more about our work inthis video we made with our founding partner, Google.
Fair Chance Ordinance
Applicants who have arrest or conviction records and are in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be considered in accordance with the state’s fair chance ordinance law. Employment under the ordinance includes part-time work, seasonal work, contract work, contingent work, work on commission, and work through the services of a temporary or employment agency.
E-Verify Statement
This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 Form.
