Lead Accounting Specialist

Lead Accounting Specialist

Location: Kalispell, MT (Hybrid Eligible)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Reports To: Accounting Manager

We're Building a Different Kind of Accounting Firm.

At Elevated Advisory & Accounting, we believe bookkeeping should do more than keep businesses compliant—it should empower business owners to make confident decisions.

Our team doesn't stop at delivering accurate financials. We translate numbers into meaningful conversations, helping entrepreneurs understand where they are today, where they're headed, and what decisions will move them closer to their goals.

We're looking for a Lead Accounting Specialist who is ready to do the same.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives on ownership, enjoys solving complex problems, and naturally steps into leadership. You'll continue managing your own client portfolio while serving as a technical resource, mentor, and quality leader for the accounting team. You'll also play a key role in launching and delivering our Waypoint advisory experience, helping bridge the gap between bookkeeping and strategic financial guidance.

Your Purpose

As our Lead Accounting Specialist, your purpose is to ensure our clients receive exceptional financial information that leads to exceptional business decisions.

You'll lead by example through technical excellence, proactive communication, continuous improvement, and a genuine desire to help both clients and teammates succeed. Beyond producing accurate financial statements, you'll help transform financial data into meaningful conversations that create clarity and confidence for business owners.

Your success isn't measured simply by completing work—it's measured by the confidence you create for clients, the quality you elevate across the team, and the leadership you demonstrate every day.

What You'll Own

Lead Client Financial Success

You will manage a portfolio of more complex bookkeeping and payroll clients while serving as a trusted financial resource.

Success looks like:

• Delivering timely, accurate monthly financial reporting.
• Identifying trends, concerns, and opportunities before clients ask.
• Maintaining exceptional quality across bookkeeping and payroll engagements.
• Building trusted client relationships through proactive communication.
• Helping clients understand the "why" behind their financial information.
• Creating confidence through consistency, responsiveness, and attention to detail.

Launch & Lead Waypoint

Waypoint is Elevated's bridge between bookkeeping and advisory. As a Lead Accounting Specialist, you'll help launch, refine, and champion this service across the firm.

You'll:

• Complete Waypoint Certification during onboarding as a foundational expectation.
• Deliver monthly Waypoint scorecards and financial reviews for your client portfolio.
• Translate financial statements into clear, practical business insights.
• Identify opportunities that should be escalated for deeper advisory conversations.
• Help refine templates, workflows, and best practices as Waypoint continues to evolve.
• Serve as a resource and mentor for Accounting Specialists as they develop their own Waypoint proficiency.

This is a core responsibility of the role and serves as the foundation for future Ridge Certification and continued growth into advisory leadership.

Lead the Accounting Team

Leadership isn't about title—it's about influence.

You'll help create consistency across the department by coaching teammates, reviewing work, sharing knowledge, and helping solve complex accounting challenges.

This includes:

• Reviewing work for quality, completeness, and consistency.
• Providing timely, constructive coaching and feedback.
• Mentoring Accounting Specialists and supporting their development.
• Serving as a technical escalation point.
• Leading by example through professionalism, accountability, and ownership.
• Supporting onboarding and training of new team members.
• Helping elevate technical standards across the firm.

Drive Operational Excellence

You'll continuously look for ways to improve how we work.

This includes:

• Identifying process improvements.
• Contributing to SOP development and refinement.
• Supporting technology adoption and workflow improvements.
• Helping improve efficiency without sacrificing quality.
• Sharing ideas that strengthen both the client experience and the employee experience.

Who Thrives Here

Our best Lead Accounting Specialists are people who:

• Take initiative without waiting to be told.
• Are comfortable making decisions while knowing when to seek guidance.
• Enjoy mentoring and helping others grow.
• Stay calm under pressure and navigate ambiguity with confidence.
• Naturally look for ways to improve systems and processes.
• Care deeply about both accuracy and client relationships.
• Love learning and continuously developing professionally.
• Want to play an active role in shaping the future of the firm.

Required Skills & Experience

• 4+ years of bookkeeping and/or accounting experience.
• Strong QuickBooks Online expertise.
• Payroll processing and payroll tax experience.
• Advanced reconciliation and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to independently manage complex client engagements.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience reviewing work and mentoring others preferred.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• High attention to detail with the ability to prioritize effectively.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means:

• Clients receive consistently accurate, timely financial information they trust.
• Business owners leave meetings with greater confidence and clarity.
• Waypoint becomes a valuable and consistent experience for every assigned client.
• Accounting Specialists feel supported, coached, and challenged to grow.
• Technical quality continues to improve across the department.
• Problems are identified early and solved proactively.
• Processes become more efficient over time.
• You take ownership not only of your own work, but of the success of the team and the client experience.

Growth Path

This role is designed as the bridge between Accounting Specialist and Business Advisor.

Waypoint Certification is the foundational expectation for all Lead Accounting Specialists. Continued growth includes Ridge Certification, Launch Budget methodology, leading quarterly business reviews, mentoring teammates, and expanding your ability to translate financial information into strategic business guidance.

Growth is based on demonstrated capability, consistency, leadership, and sustained performance—not tenure.