Staff Accountant

Full-Time Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: Base Salary Bonus
• Vacation: 15 days of paid vacation per year, in addition to standard company holidays.
• 401(k): You will be eligible for a 3% 401k contribution match after 1 year of employment.
• Health Benefits: You will be eligible to enroll in the Company’s medical, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Life Insurance: The Company provides a fully employer-paid life insurance policy.

Position Purpose: The Staff Accountant is a high-impact role within Advocate Financial (“AF”), designed for a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment where scalability, accuracy, and continuous improvement are critical. This position owns key financial processes including payroll, commissions, and transaction management, ensuring the integrity of financial data while partnering with Katz, Sapper & Miller (KSM) and internal teams. The role requires a proactive mindset, with a strong focus on identifying inefficiencies, improving systems, and supporting data-driven decision-making. This is an opportunity for a motivated professional to play a meaningful role in building and scaling financial infrastructure within a rapidly growing organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Transaction Processing: Record, manage, and reconcile daily financial transactions, including commission payments, overrides, sales, receipts, and other revenue streams relevant to AF operations, ensuring accuracy and adherence to accounting standards. Ensure all transactions are accurate, timely, and compliant with GAAP and internal controls.
• Payroll Processing: Review and assist in bi-weekly payroll for all employees, ensuring that payments are accurate, on time, and compliant with payroll regulations. Work closely with HR to confirm payroll data aligns with company records.
• 401(k) Allocation Processing: Accurately process and allocate employee 401(k) contributions and employer matching funds each payroll period, ensuring that allocations are timely, compliant with plan rules, and accurately reflected in payroll records.
• Commission/Override Tracking and Accuracy: Accurately enter and verify commission/override data (or equivalent system), ensuring that agent and agency builder overrides are calculated and paid out timely and accurately, with direct-to-agent commissions processed and distributed on schedule. Collaborate with internal teams to resolve discrepancies and provide detailed commission reports for management review.
• Ready to Sell (RTS) Status Management: Upload and track the "Ready to Sell" (RTS) status for agents within Sunfire, AF’s quoting and enrollment platform. Maintain accurate records of each agent’s RTS status and provide regular reports on RTS status figures to management.
• Reconciliation: Reconcile accounts such as bank statements, vendor and customer accounts, payroll, and commission/override payouts in collaboration with KSM and internal teams to maintain accurate financial records.
• Data Entry & Filing: Accurately input and maintain organized records of financial transactions, payroll, commissions/overrides, RTS status, and payment history relevant to employees, agents, and agency partners.
• Accounts/Notes Payable and Receivable Support: Manage AP/AR functions, ensure timely processing of payments and receipts, and assist in resolving any billing or payment discrepancies.
• Expense Tracking: Support accurate tracking and categorization of organizational expenses, especially those tied to marketing activities, agent support, and event-related expenditures.
• Month-End and Year-End Close: Support in month-end and year-end close activities, preparing accurate preliminary financial statements and reports.
• Financial Analysis & Process Improvement: Analyze financial data to identify trends and support leadership decision-making. Continuously evaluate and improve accounting processes, identifying opportunities for automation and increased efficiency across payroll, commission tracking, and reporting systems.
• Other Duties as Assigned: Perform additional responsibilities as needed to support the accounting and financial operations of the organization.

Key Competencies:

• Attention to Detail: Ensures accuracy in financial entries, transaction processing, and record-keeping.
• Time Management: Effectively manages tasks to meet deadlines for payroll, commission/override, and RTS reporting.
• Analytical Skills: Reviews financial data and resolves discrepancies by understanding underlying processes and data flows.
• Communication Skills: Clearly communicates status updates, reports, and discrepancies to management and external partners.
• Confidentiality: Maintains strict confidentiality of financial, payroll, and personal information.
• Adaptability: Demonstrates flexibility in handling various tasks and adapting to changes in processes and systems.
• Proactivity: Takes initiative in identifying and resolving issues, particularly around commission/override accuracy, license renewals, and policy management.
• Technological Proficiency: Demonstrates proficiency in accounting software, CRM systems, and data entry platforms.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or equivalent in Accounting or related field preferred.
• Basic understanding of accounting principles and familiarity with payroll, policy management, RTS tracking, and commission structures.
• Proficiency in MS Excel and familiarity with accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks and Ramp), payroll systems, CRM/commission software (e.g., Salesforce), and quoting/enrollment platforms like Sunfire.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple tasks within a fast-paced environment.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to FMO-specific financial operations, payroll processes, RTS tracking, and commission tracking.

Physical Demands

• Frequent sedentary work that primarily involves sitting.
• Occasional standing and walking.
• Frequent repetitive motions that include the hands and/or fingers.
• Constant operation of a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, phone, and printer.
• Occasional lifting of up to 25 pounds.
• Constant written, verbal and telephonic communication with others to exchange information.
• Constant state of awake and alertness.
• Frequent need to speak to groups of people.
• Constant ability to report in-person regularly and consistently at job site.
• Constant ability to distinguish colors and clearly view close up written materials.
• Constant exposure to moderate background noise (keyboards, telephones, printers, talking, etc.).
• Occasional exposure to outdoor weather for short periods of time during travel.

Equal Opportunity:

Advocate Financial provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment 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. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.