Hiring: Bookkeeper and Accounts Manager
Karen Parolek
Job Description: Bookkeeper and Accounts Manager
Opticos Design, Inc. is an award-winning urban design and architecture firm in Berkeley, CA. We are a founding B Corporation, committed to a triple-bottom line of social, environmental and financial responsibility. That commitment informs every project we select and each choice we make—both professional and personal. We don’t just ask others to go car-free; we bike, walk, or take public transit to our office located in a mixed-use urban center. We’re the first to admit that we’re far from perfect, but we are trying to make a difference. We shop locally, live small, and work responsibly. These decisions inform our work at every level, and as a result, we are delighted to help create communities that thrive and buildings that withstand the test of time. They also inform our own internal working culture. We all work hard to have a big impact and have fun while doing it. We’re creative, entrepreneurial, team-oriented and fun.
We’re looking for a bookkeeper and accounts manager to help us keep our financial house in order. The job entails responsibility for all things bookkeeping – accounts payable, accounts receivable, budget management and the embedded customer and vendor relationships. It also involves working with the design and management team to understand project financial requirements and provide account management support for those projects. We’re looking for someone who delights in tracking of all of the disparate pieces and players—from providing gentle reminders to staff to submit their expense receipts to monitoring subconsultants’ budgets—and thrives on bringing them all together. The ideal candidate will be a dedicated team player and great communicator who loves to engage in order to improve any process. This is role is a great opportunity for someone with both a head for numbers and a way with people.
Areas of Responsibility
· Manage all bookkeeping, including accounts payable and accounts receivable. Develop and implement systems for gathering and filing bills and receipts. Execute month-end closing procedure and year-end close.
· Maintain and track project accounts for both Opticos and subconsultants.
· Effectively manage relationships with vendors, professional services providers and clients. Examples of this include: preserving and enhancing good relationships with clients while effectively managing collections; promoting good relationships with subconsultants by ensuring they are paid within two weeks of our receiving payment from our client and responding within 1-2 days to their requests for payment status updates; and reviewing bills to ensure they are correct, maintaining positive relationships with vendors while working out any necessary corrections, and then paying them by their due date.
· Identify opportunities to improve internal systems and processes to support the financial health of the business. Each month, spend at least four hours documenting step-by-step improvements that the company can make to improve its financial system. Present those findings at the monthly partners meeting, and implement any changes within two weeks of approval.
Qualifications
· Four-year degree and minimum of two years experience in bookkeeping and/or accounting. Degree in Finance or Accounting strongly preferred.
· Experience in MYOB preferred, although expertise in other financial management software will be considered.
· Intermediate Excel skills.
· Experience working with ArchiOffice for tracking projects, generating invoices, etc. or demonstrable evidence of special competencies or capacity to quickly learn new accounting software systems.
· Highly organized, detail oriented and accurate with ability to multi-task and prioritize business needs.
· Proven ability to work in a team environment and excellent interpersonal skills.
· Self-motivated and service-oriented.
· Articulate and professional in corresponding with clients and vendors.
· Stellar work ethic and a demonstrated penchant for ownership and getting the job done.
· Familiarity with architecture or other professional consulting firms preferred.
Compensation
As with many other things at Opticos, our compensation methods may be a little different. All staff, from the Principals to the office manager, start with modest but reasonable salaries. This keeps our baseline reasonable, which helps us weather storms as a team, including the recent recession in which we did not have any layoffs due to the recession. Then in good times, we all share in the bounty, with a portion of our profits distributed to the team as bonuses. We also offer benefits, including health insurance, long-term disability insurance, a Simple IRA retirement plan, paid time off, and paid holidays with an extra paid week off in December.
Our baseline compensation for this position is $26 – $33/hr, plus benefits as mentioned above.
Opticos Design, Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer.
Process to Apply
See attached pdf for instructions on applying.