School Finance & Compliance Specialist

Making Waves Academy • Richmond, CA

1d • $38 - $45 • Onsite

About The Position

When you join Making Waves Academy, you are joining a mission-driven team dedicated to providing high-quality education and opportunity to a diverse community of students. As our School Finance & Compliance Specialist, you will be the engine that keeps our daily business office running smoothly. Your number-one priority is ensuring our 150+ employees are paid accurately and on time every two weeks. Beyond payroll, you will handle our daily bookkeeping. Because public schools have strict legal rules about how money is tracked and spent, you will ensure every dollar is labeled correctly, balances perfectly, and aligns with state education laws. This is a non-management, highly execution-focused role where you will work closely with both our school leadership and our HR team to connect the dots between our staff's needs, their paychecks, and the school's budget.

Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on experience running end-to-end payroll for 150+ employees under tight deadlines.
• A strong understanding of multi-fund accounting and double-entry bookkeeping (debits, credits, and journal entries).
• Advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables) and a proven track record of picking up enterprise systems quickly.

Nice To Haves

• A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field (significant direct experience in a California school district or CMO may substitute).
• Direct experience with the California Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) and CalSTRS reporting.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and process bi-weekly payroll for 150+ employees, meticulously reviewing and verifying timesheet accuracy.
• Calculate and track garnishments, teacher summer hold-back payments, stipends, and longevity bonuses.
• Calculate final paychecks and PTO payouts for separating employees in strict compliance with California labor timelines.
• Perform month-end and year-end closing tasks, posting journal entries and processing accruals for restricted/unrestricted funds.
• Prepare and post bi-weekly payroll journals directly to Sage Intacct.
• Clear payroll-related balance sheet accounts (FSA, life insurance) and assist the team by monitoring daily cash positions for flow projections.
• Monitor restricted revenue and expenditures using the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) to ensure flawless coding across Resource, Goal, and Function lines.
• Collect, verify, and maintain federal "Time and Effort" documentation (PARs or Semi-Annual Certifications) for all staff funded through restricted grants.
• Apply approved indirect cost rates and submit accurate fund reports via the CDE’s GMART and ConApp online portals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree