Accounting Manager

Walnut Hill School for the Arts seeks an experienced Accounting Manager to join the Business Office. The Accounting Manager oversees the daily operations of the School's Business Office, ensuring the integrity of financial data, maintaining robust internal controls, and producing accurate financial reporting. This role manages general ledger functions, net asset accounting, tuition billing, accounts payable, and payroll reconciliation. The ideal candidate balances technical expertise as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with a community-minded approach, collaborating closely with School leadership, faculty, and families to support the School’s educational mission.

This is a 12-month position reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). All Walnut Hill faculty/staff are active and engaged members of the school community who are committed to collaborating and growing in their field, participating in school events and supporting students in their arts, supporting other faculty/staff members, and who have the ability to self-reflect on their own practice.

Responsibilities Include:

Financial Operations & General Ledger

• Upgrade and financial reporting. This will include implementing two different types of software. Fundriver for tracking endowment and restricted gifts, and a yet to be selected software that bridges Veracross to succinct financial reports;
• Manage daily accounting operations, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, payroll, and general ledger maintenance;
• In partnership with the Controller, execute the month-end and year-end closing processes, ensuring accurate and timely reconciliation of all bank, investment, and balance sheet accounts;
• Maintain non-profit net asset accounting systems, tracking restricted, temporarily restricted, and unrestricted net assets (including endowment funds); providing monthly updates to budget managers who benefit from temporarily restricted gifts to execute their programs; and
• In partnership with the Director of Strategic Operations, oversee fixed asset accounting, tracking depreciation and capital improvement projects.

Reporting, Compliance & Audit

• Prepare accurate monthly financial statements and variance reports for the CFO, Head of School and Board of Trustees;
• Lead the annual external audit preparation, serving as the primary point of contact for auditors and compiling all required schedules and workpapers;
• Assist in the preparation of Form 990 and other regulatory, state, and federal tax filings; and
• Ensure compliance with GAAP standards, non-profit accounting regulations, and internal school policies.

Tuition Management, Accounts Receivable, & Accounts Payable

• Supervise the student billing process, including tuition, fees, auxiliary programs (after-school, summer camps), and financial aid adjustments;
• Serve as the approval support for the Accounting Specialist and for families regarding billing inquiries, payment plans, and collections with a high level of empathy and professionalism; 
• Oversee reconciliation student billing sub-ledgers to the general ledger on a monthly basis; and
• Accounts Payable: supervise the accounts payable process, including modernization of how vendors are paid.

Budgeting & Support

• Collaborate with department heads to track budget utilization and analyze variances;
• Assist the CFO in the development of the annual operating budget and long-range financial modeling; and
• Additional duties as needed.

Supervision & Leadership

• Supervise the Controller, Accounting Specialist, and School Store Manager; and
• Supervise direct reports, provide regular, clear, and supportive written and verbal feedback, offer resources where needed, and conduct annual evaluations and reviews per the School’s performance evaluation process; provide expertise, guidance, coaching, and leadership to support team growth and development.

Community Involvement & Engagement

• Actively participate in the student community by supporting the Student Life program by chaperoning School events, providing weekend duty (3x per year), or other opportunities for community involvement that arise throughout the school year; 
• Speak authentically about the imperative for community and belonging in schools; be committed to learning about and contributing to Walnut Hill’s culture of belonging;
• Attend student performances, art openings, and art events throughout the year; support and engage richly in arts productions, shows, exhibitions, and performances; and
• Attend Family Weekend, Open House, Class Night, Boar’s Head, Candlelight, Awards Ceremony, and Graduation if assigned; attend other events as required.

Collaboration, Professional Development, and Training

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across all departments to foster a positive working and educational environment for students and employees to support the School’s mission, vision, and core values;
• Attend and participate in required faculty and staff meetings and department meetings; participate and engage fully in individual reviews and evaluations; be open to feedback and work with supervisor to set goals and expectations for the future; 
• Pursue professional development opportunities in and out of school; display willingness and ability to grow, learn, explore new approaches, and practice self-reflection; and
• Perform other administrative or educational duties as assigned.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Certification: Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license is required;
• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Accounting;
• Experience: A minimum of 5-7 years of progressive accounting experience, with a minimum of 2 years in public accounting or auditing. Experience in auditing an independent school, higher education, or non-profit organization using net asset accounting is highly preferred. Demonstrated successful experience in supervising and leading a team;
• Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in GAAP, with non profit accounting experience strongly preferred. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, financial modeling) and Google Suite; experience with school/non-profit management software (e.g., Veracross, Blackbaud Financial Edge/Tuition Management, Sage, Senior Systems, or QuickBooks) preferred.

Key Competencies & Attributes

• Analytical Thinking: Exceptional attention to detail, strong problem-solving skills, and a high degree of accuracy;
• Mission Alignment: Enthusiasm for working in a vibrant, collaborative educational environment and contributing positively to the School community by attending assemblies and participating in weekend teams. Cultural competence and commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive community; share an educational and artistic vision that aligns with the core principles of Walnut Hill;
• Communication Skills: Ability to translate complex financial concepts to non-financial staff, faculty, and parents. Ability to positively engage with all members of the community warmly and transparently. Skilled in fostering a collaborative, positive work environment that encourages open communication. Ability to receive and provide supportive and consistent feedback to department members;
• Discretion & Integrity: Absolute commitment to maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive financial, payroll, and family data.

About us:

Walnut Hill School for the Arts, located in Natick, Massachusetts and 20 minutes from Boston, is an independent boarding and day high school offering a transformational educational experience designed for student artists in grades 9–post graduate. 

Commitment to the School’s Core Values, of Community, Growth, Excellence, Creativity, and Respect are imperative to the success of all Walnut Hill faculty, staff, and administration members. All Walnut Hill faculty/staff are active and engaged members of the school community who are committed to collaborating and growing in their field, participating in school events, supporting students in their arts, supporting other faculty/staff members, and who have the ability to self-reflect on their own practice.  

Physical Demands

Physical demands include dexterity for office machine and supply operation including but not limited to writing, using electronic devices, computer, phone, calculator, copy machine, fax machine, and printers. Stooping, bending, lifting, traveling to/from locations on campus or other locations, ascending/descending stairs, reaching, and sitting or standing for extended periods of time are common. 

To Apply: Submit resume and cover letter through the Walnut Hill School for the Arts online Career Center.  

Note: All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of state and federal background checks. Walnut Hill does not provide visa sponsorship.