Staff Accountant at South Shore Conservatory

About Us:

South Shore Conservatory (SSC) is a community school for the arts on Boston's South Shore, welcoming individuals of all ages and abilities. With campuses in Hingham and Duxbury, SSC’s arts-based educational programs provide a creative path for a lifetime of learning, from childhood through adulthood, through outstanding faculty and nationally-celebrated programming in music instruction, ensembles, dance, early childhood education, creative arts therapy, performance, and community and school partnerships.

About the Opportunity:

The Staff Accountant supports the financial operations of South Shore Conservatory (SSC) by ensuring accurate and timely processing, reconciliation, and reporting of financial data. Reporting to the Director of Operations and working closely with the Finance Team, this role plays a key part in maintaining the integrity of SSC’s accounting systems and supporting organizational financial health through daily processing, monthly reconciliations, and ongoing system improvements.

Responsibilities - Essential Functions and Skills

• Daily
  • Process all Accounts Payable transactions through BILL.com in accordance with SSC’s approval workflows and internal controls.
  • Communicate with vendors and internal staff to ensure timely and accurate payments.
  • Process deposits in Quickbooks Online
• Monthly
  • Perform Accounts Payable reconciliation with BILL.com to verify accuracy between the accounting system and payment platform.
  • Reconcile all balance sheet accounts monthly, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
  • Reconcile employer-paid benefit accounts, including health, dental, disability, and vision.
  • Reconcile employee-paid benefit accounts, including Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and 403(b) retirement contributions.
  • Prepare adjusting journal entries and supporting documentation as part of the month-end close.
• Quarterly
  • Reconcile petty cash accounts and ensure all documentation meets SSC’s internal accounting standards.
• Projects
  • Lead or assist in the cleanup of prior-year items in the RT operating account.
  • Review and remove erroneous general ledger (GL) accounts across platforms including Charity Engine and OPUS in coordination with Finance and Development staff.
  • Contribute to process improvement initiatives aimed at strengthening SSC’s financial accuracy and efficiency.

Education, Experience, and Required Qualifications

• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• 5+ years of accounting experience, ideally in a nonprofit or multi-department organization.
• Proficiency with QuickBooks or equivalent software (Peach Tree, Great Plains, etc), BILL.com, and Microsoft Excel; familiarity with CharityEngine and OPUS a plus.
• Strong understanding of reconciliations, journal entries, and GAAP principles.
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, and time management.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to collaborate effectively across departments.

Important Information

• The hourly wage for this role is $30-45 an hour
• This job operates in professional environments. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers and filing cabinets. The job may require going out in the field on the South Shore of Massachusetts for other teaching and/or performance opportunities.
• This position is mostly sedentary outside of travel. This would require the ability to sit at a desk, frequent walking, bending, or standing as necessary.
• Designated days and schedule will be flexible though will also be based on the needs of the operation and business, requiring some weekends, nights and early mornings.
• Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
• SSC is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.