Accounting Associate – Skills for Chicagoland’s Future – Chicago, IL

Accounting Associate

OUR MISSION
Create demand-driven solutions for employers to get the unemployed and underemployed back to work.

OUR VISION
Continuously meet employers’ talent needs to create economic opportunity for the unemployed and underemployed

OUR VALUES
Lead with Integrity
Serve Our Diverse Stakeholder Community
Demonstrate Professional Excellence
Embrace Change

ORGANIZATION PROFILE
Join Skills for Chicagoland’s Future (“Skills”) and become an integral part of a vibrant, entrepreneurial team focused on improving the lives and economic mobility of the unemployed and under-employed in the Chicagoland area. Skills is an extraordinary public-private partnership providing demand-driven solutions which match businesses with unmet hiring needs to qualified, unemployed and under-employed job seekers. Our innovative demand driven model reflects a paradigm shift from the common approach of preparing the unemployed to be “job-ready”. In contrast, Skills first builds relationships with businesses, identifying their talent demands and obtaining commitments to hire. Skills then connects them with talented, under and unemployed jobseekers to fill roles across an array of industries and occupations. This demand-driven approach provides the missing link between job-ready candidates and the positions employers need to fill.
Launched in September 2012, Skills has placed over 5,700 unemployed and underemployed job seekers in positions with over 70 of our employer partners, including United Airlines, ULTA Beauty, Walgreens, Bank of America, Blue Cross & Blue Shield, GAP, Exelon, CDW, Rush University Medical Center, and The University of Chicago. While Skills is an organization deeply focused on delivering the highest quality service to our clients, our staff continually communicate that they believe the most important reason they work at Skills is because of our mission. Working at Skills, one has the opportunity to utilize their professional talents to contribute to the organization, learn from a top tier staff, and experience the impact of their dedicated service every day. If you have a desire to not simply go to work, but rather to be inspired by your work and change lives, Skills is the ideal organization. For more information, please visit www.skillsforchicagolandsfuture.com.

POSITION
The ideal candidate will have a strong customer service orientation in all dealings with internal and external customers and demonstrate a willingness to be innovative in their approach to tasks. An openness to learning how to execute at a tactical level, but show a willingness to see the bigger impact to the organization. The Accounting Associate will take direction and guidance from and report to the Compliance Officer. We are looking for a collaborative professional who embraces ownership for their work and can thrive in a fast pace, dynamic organizational environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Coordinate and prepare reporting and vouchers for government grants, including reconciliation and analysis of supporting data and documentation. Work with internal and external parties in order to obtain support needed for expenditures and enforce compliance, where applicable.
• Maintain and update all pertinent financial records and transactions into the accounting system.
• Manage payroll database for organization and process on a scheduled basis. Prepare reports for leadership review.
• Support the team with overall maintenance, creation, and adherence to internal control systems.
• Serve as lead on all accounts payable and accounts receivable related activity. Proactively identify areas or opportunities for improving departmental processes and procedures.
• Work in collaboration with the Compliance Officer to oversee grant‐related data‐tracking and organization of documents via hard files and soft to ensure clean filing. Assist team with compliance audits ranging from voucher audits to external audit and tax preparation.
• Support Compliance Officer in month‐end close procedures, budget preparations.
• Assume responsibility for ad‐hoc projects assigned by the Compliance Officer and/or VP of Finance & Administration related to the implementation of strategic initiatives and growth of the organization.
• Embody the organization’s mission and values and have a passion for its success.
• Ad-hoc projects as requested.

ATTRIBUTES

• Possess strong verbal and written communications skills
• Enjoy problem solving and research
• Deliver quality work on a tight deadline in a fast-paced environment
• Possess a professional, highly motivated and enthusiastic attitude
• Strong project coordination skills
• Highly organized with the ability to multi-task and prioritize projects based on deadlines and requirements
• Experience using business software such as accounting, financial modeling, forecasting
• Strong attention to detail
• Constantly striving for personal and professional growth and development
• Knowledge of GAAP and internal controls
• Can adapt quickly to unexpected opportunities

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, concentration in Accounting or Finance
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), or ability to prove less than 6 months from completion, strongly desired
• 2-5 years of professional experience and growth
• Prior experience in auditing, professional services, or nonprofit/government, desired, but not required
• Ability to secure transportation to attend business meetings is required