Staff Accountant

ABOUT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for jazz through performance, education, and advocacy.

We believe jazz is a metaphor for Democracy. Because jazz is improvisational, it celebrates personal freedom and encourages individual expression. Because jazz is swinging, it dedicates that freedom to finding and maintaining common ground with others. Because jazz is rooted in the blues, it inspires us to face adversity with persistent optimism.

Jazz is one of America’s most profound and enduring cultural contributions, inseparable from the story of this country, its history, its struggles, its democratic ideals, and its continuing evolution. We are stewards of that legacy. The three pillars of our work—performance, education, and advocacy—are one mission expressed three ways, each reinforcing and requiring the other two. You cannot perform without honoring the history that gives the music meaning. You cannot educate without the conviction that what you are teaching deserves to outlast you. You cannot advocate without the lived experience of the art itself. We look for people who feel that wholeness in full, across all three pillars.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Staff Accountant is responsible for the financial processing and reporting of various monthly accounting transactions, ensuring accurate, timely posting to the ledger in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. They will maintain balance sheet accounts; reconcile asset accounts including cash and other contributed income.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Revenue and Income Management

• Manage the tracking, depositing, reporting, and reconciling of all contributed income. 
• Review and recognize deferred ticket revenue from ticket sales. Track promotional expenditures charged back from 3rd party distributor.

Monthly Close and Account Reconciliation

• Prepare bank reconciliations. Calculate cost of goods sold and keep track of inventory.
• Analyze and reconcile balance sheet and income accounts monthly.
• Prepare adjusting journal entries as needed.
• Maintain the fixed asset schedule and prepare monthly depreciation expense entry.
• Review monthly results and adjust as required with input from operations personnel.

aUDIT, bUDGET, and pOLICY Support

• Assist in the preparation of schedules and work papers for the annual audit.
• In conjunction with the CFO, Controller, and Director of Accounting, develop, implement, and maintain accounting policies and procedures.
• Assist in the preparation of schedules and materials for the annual operating budget cycle.
• Handle other duties and/or projects as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of six years of professional accounting experience.
• Superior system skills including the ability to handle, merge and convert large data files between systems.
• Exemplary attention to detail, strong, organizational, reporting and general math skills.
• Demonstrated ability to multitask and manage various priorities and projects in a deadline-oriented environment.
• Ability to handle financial information with discretion.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships within the Finance department and with other departments.
• Strong computer skills (Excel, Word, Accounting Software)

PREFERRED

• Prior experience in non-profit accounting.
• Prior experience with Oracle NetSuite, Tessitura, and Adyen systems.
• Knowledge of or interest in and appreciation of jazz and jazz culture.

WORKING AT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

The music is present here, literally and philosophically, and the people who thrive are the ones who feel that and lean into it. They are Fans, Advocates, Musicians, and Educators who know that you cannot shape what comes next without first honoring what came before — who ask why something is the way it is before they presume to know what it should become. They find their own work more meaningful because of its proximity to something larger, and they understand that excellence in any role, regardless of function, is connected to what happens on stage and in classrooms and communities around the world. The passion that runs through this organization can be felt on your first day, and it is the thing people miss most when they leave.

We are a live-events organization, and our schedule reflects that energy: we expect full presence when the work and the art call for it. Within that, we strive to create real flexibility for our people. Flex Mondays give staff the freedom to work from wherever suits them best, and Tuesday through Friday our teams come together in person, with the understanding that the work and the art will sometimes ask for more. We trust our people to know the difference, and we build around that trust. 

Benefits reflect the same investment in our people: comprehensive health, retirement, and a seat inside the life of this organization. Staff have access to the breadth of JALC programming—from live performances to access at Dizzy's Club to world-class jazz education through Swing University and beyond—because we believe the people who do this work deserve to experience it, not just support it.

HOW TO APPLY

Click the button above to apply. Please include a cover letter and salary requirements with your application.

Jazz at Lincoln Center is an equal opportunity employer that affords equal opportunities to all applicants, employees, contractors, and other covered persons, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Jazz at Lincoln Center is committed to creating an inclusive, open, and respectful culture that reflects and embraces diversity.