Accountant

About the Sawdust Art Festival
Located in the heart of Laguna Beach, the Sawdust Art Festival is a premier non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and sustaining our vibrant local artist community. Operating on a beautiful multi-acre property featuring eucalyptus groves, waterfalls, and beloved handcrafted structures, we host over 200,000 visitors annually across our iconic Summer Festival and Winter Fantasy events. We are a dynamic, hands-on environment where creativity meets complex logistics—supporting over 180 exhibiting artists, booking over 100 musical acts, and managing high-volume hospitality operations. We thrive on teamwork and excellence, offering a unique workplace where your hard work directly builds the magic of the festival experience every single day.

Position Summary
The Sawdust Art Festival is seeking a highly meticulous and reliable Part-Time Accounting Manager. This is a hands-on, in-office role (2-3 days per week) requiring 15-20 hours weekly during our off-season, with a likely increase in available hours during our busy summer festival preparations and operations. We are looking for a dedicated professional who genuinely enjoys the day-to-day routine of general bookkeeping, data entry, and timely financial reporting for a heavy transactional $3.5 million operating budget, but who can identify opportunities for optimization and execute any SOP changes.

Location: Laguna Beach, CA
Type: Part-time
Reports to: General Manager
Hours: 15-20 hours per week, with flexibility. Seasonal needs may shift the work week/schedule, along with the opportunity for additional hours during our festival periods.
Status: Non-Exempt
Hiring Range: $44.00 to $55.00 per hour

Key Responsibilities

• Execute precise day-to-day bookkeeping, including data entry, accurate check writing, invoice creation, reimbursement requests, and reviewing the weekly AP and AR aging summaries.
• Prepare timely, error-free monthly P&L statements and reconcile the Balance Sheet, in accordance to GAAP, prior to monthly Board presentations.
• Coordinate directly with the Development Director to accurately identify restricted gifts, track restricted grant spending, and release funds appropriately.
• Monitor daily cash balances heavily during off-seasons to ensure liquidity for payroll coverage prior to ticket revenue intake.
• Serve as the lead contact for the annual independent financial audit and the IRS Form 990 tax filing, and preparing required information for such.
• Manage all CDTFA reporting and payments.
• Maintain and update the "Schedule of Fixed Assets" and annual capital depreciation logs.
• Maintains strong internal controls to safeguard financial data and assets. 
• Support budgeting and forecasting activities by providing accurate and timely financial data.

•  

  Qualifications & Requirements

• Proven experience as a Full-Charge Bookkeeper, Senior Accountant, or similar role.
• Nonprofit accounting experience a plus.
• Demonstrates the ability to anticipate and solve practical problems or resolve issues.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously with an extremely high attention to detail.
• Proficiency in QuickBooks/QBO and MS Excel
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work on-site at our Laguna Beach office 2-3 days a week.
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to present financial information to diverse audiences.
• The ability to maintain confidentiality is critical.
   

Benefits
As a part-time position, standard benefits do not apply, unless required by CA Labor Law. However, the potential for health benefits may be negotiated, if desired. 

Salary : $44 - $55