Senior Accountant

About the role

Sarasota Paradise is a professional soccer club competing in USL League One and is committed to building a championship organization both on and off the field. As a growing organization, we value collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. We are seeking a hands-on accounting professional who is excited to contribute to a dynamic environment and help build scalable financial processes that support the Club's continued growth.

Essential Responsibilities

• Financial Reporting & Month-End Close

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and year-end close processes.
• Prepare accurate and timely monthly financial statements, supporting schedules, and management reports.
• Prepare monthly income statement commentary, including explanations of budget-to-actual and month-over-month variances.
• Record and post journal entries, including accruals, amortization, prepaid expenses, payroll, and other recurring and non-recurring transactions.
• Prepare and reconcile balance sheet accounts, investigating and resolving discrepancies.
• Perform bank reconciliations and cash reconciliations.
• Research accounting issues and recommend appropriate accounting treatment in accordance with GAAP.
• Maintain supporting documentation for all accounting transactions.

• Accounts Payable

• Manage the accounts payable process from invoice receipt through payment.
• Review invoices for appropriate coding, approvals, and supporting documentation.
• Maintain vendor records and respond to vendor inquiries.
• Resolve invoice discrepancies and payment issues in a timely manner.
• Ensure timely payment of vendor obligations while managing Sarasota Paradise's cash flow priorities.

• Accounts Receivable

• Prepare and distribute customer invoices, including seasonal sponsorship billings.
• Monitor accounts receivable aging and proactively manage collections.
• Apply customer payments and reconcile customer accounts.
• Communicate with sponsors and customers regarding billing inquiries and outstanding balances.

• Payroll Administration

• Process payroll accurately and timely using Sarasota Paradise's payroll system.
• Maintain employee payroll records, deductions, benefits, PTO balances, and payroll changes.
• Reconcile payroll to the general ledger and prepare payroll journal entries.
• Cook up payroll tax filings and year-end reporting with payroll providers as needed.
• Respond to employee payroll-related inquiries.

• Corporate Credit Card Administration

• Review Ramp credit card transactions for proper accounting classification, supporting documentation, and compliance with Sarasota Paradise policies.
• Follow up with cardholders regarding missing receipts, coding corrections, and policy exceptions.
• Reconcile monthly corporate credit card activity.

• Tax Compliance

• Prepare and file sales tax returns in applicable jurisdictions.
• Maintain supporting documentation for tax filings.
• Aid in annual tax preparation and respond to requests from external tax advisors.
• Research tax questions and monitor changes affecting compliance.

• General Accounting & Process Improvement

• Maintain the integrity of Sarasota Paradise's general ledger and accounting records.
• Assist with annual financial audits and provide requested supporting documentation.
• Recommend and implement improvements to accounting processes, internal controls, and financial reporting.
• Develop and maintain accounting policies and procedures.
• Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and other financial analysis projects as assigned.
• Support special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• Minimum of 5 years of progressive accounting experience.
• Experience independently managing month-end close and preparing financial statements.
• Experience with accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and sales tax compliance.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP and financial reporting principles.
• Experience with accounting software such as QuickBooks, NetSuite, Sage, or similar ERP systems.
• Experience with payroll systems (Gusto, ADP, Paychex, or similar).
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong understanding of general ledger accounting and financial reporting.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while managing multiple priorities.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• High attention to detail and commitment to accuracy.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to research accounting issues and recommend practical solutions.
• Ability to build effective working relationships with employees, vendors, customers, sponsors, and external business partners.
• Demonstrated ability to improve processes and identify operational efficiencies.
• High level of integrity and ability to maintain confidential financial information.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA designation or progress toward CPA certification is a plus.
• Experience in sports, entertainment, hospitality, or event-based businesses is preferred.
• Experience with Ramp, Stripe, Square, and cloud-based accounting platforms is preferred.
• Experience working in a small or entrepreneurial organization where flexibility, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration are essential.