Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable Coordinator in New York, New York at Ethical Culture Fieldston School

Who we are?

Ethical Culture Fieldston School is a progressive PreK-12 independent school that has been serving students from throughout New York City and the surrounding suburbs since 1878. ECFS offers a rich curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities. A co-ed, nonsectarian school, it serves an inclusive community of about 1,700 students on two campuses -- one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and the other in Manhattan.

What is essential about working at our school?

The Ethical Culture Fieldston School has a long history of inclusion and belonging deeply rooted in our mission and the educational philosophy of our founder, Felix Adler. We embrace all aspects of an individual, including their ancestry, family, identity, culture, and beliefs. We affirm both our differences and commonalities and strive to balance individuality and community. In keeping with our progressive tradition, we are dedicated to increasing our students’ cultural literacy to help them understand multiple perspectives and see the world beyond the self.

We expect members of our community to engage in open dialogue about living and learning in an inclusive environment inside and outside the classroom. We see this work, with its creative tensions, as a catalyst for individual and collective growth. On a daily basis, we are committed to making this vision of a democratic, pluralistic, and progressive school a reality.

Position Summary

The Accounts Receivable/Accounts Payable Coordinator will play an integral part supporting both student accounts and vendor payment functions in the Finance Office. The Coordinator will be someone who is detail oriented, highly organized and is able to provide outstanding customer service to ECFS families, staff, students and vendors. This role will dedicate approximately 70% of the time to accounts receivable and 30% to accounts payable.

The hiring range for this role is $75,000-$90,000. When determining the salary for a position, ECFS considers factors including, but not limited to: the scope and responsibilities of the position, internal peer equity, key skills required for the role, the candidate’s work experience, education and training, as well as market and organizational considerations.

Please note that this is an onsite role and not performed remotely. Ethical Culture Fieldston School retains its right to modify job duties in accordance with changing operational needs.

Responsibilities
Specific responsibilities of the Coordinator will include:

Accounts Receivable / Student Accounts

• Supporting the enrollment process by maintaining detailed schedules of pending families, following up as needed, and ensuring deposit payments are coded correctly;

• Assisting with generating student billing in Blackbaud Billing Management, including setting up payment plans on student accounts as needed;

• Managing tuition collection by monitoring past due accounts, maintaining detailed aging schedules, and communicating with families by phone and email regarding balances, payment plans, and account questions; escalating at-risk accounts to the Assistant Director of Student Accounts;

• Entering payments from various sources, including Lockbox, in-house payments, electronic payments, and employee payroll deductions;

• Posting ancillary billing and related financial aid, such as late fees, tuition adjustments, tutor billing, transportation, supplies, laptops, and textbooks;

• Managing billing for after-school programs, summer camps, and other programs; applying financial aid discounts as needed; and coordinating with Auxiliary Programs and other departments to ensure billing policies are followed;

• Processing family refunds and account credits in coordination with accounts payable;

• Performing regular reconciliations of student account data across Blackbaud Billing Management (student accounts), Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT (G/L), bank accounts, and third-party systems used to manage auxiliary programs; preparing journal entries in accordance with the monthly closing schedule;

• Communicate and coordinate with Blackbaud Support to troubleshoot and resolve system issues as they arise;

• Assisting with the preparation of tuition insurance claims;

• Liaising with the Admissions department and other school divisions as needed;

Accounts Payable

• Reviewing vendor invoices for accuracy, proper approvals, and correct G/L coding, and entering them into the AP Workflow system (PaperSave) in a timely manner;

• Matching invoices to purchase orders and receiving documentation where applicable, and resolving discrepancies with vendors and departments;

• Reviewing employee expense reimbursements for receipts, coding, and policy compliance;

• Assisting with the review and reconciliation, as needed, of transactions processed in the School’s other procurement systems (e.g. Amazon, Concur, etc.);

• Collecting vendor W-9 forms, verifying vendor and banking information, and supporting internal controls to prevent duplicate or fraudulent payments;

• Responding to vendor and internal department inquiries regarding payment status and resolving account issues;

• Supporting year-end 1099 preparation and filing, and providing tax-exempt documentation to vendors as needed;

• Maintaining organized, audit-ready accounts payable records in accordance with the School’s record retention practices;

General Finance Office

• Assisting with preparation of annual audit schedules, including:

  • Outstanding AR and subsequent cash collections

  • Tuition and financial aid billing

  • Subsequent disbursements and unrecorded liabilities

  • Accrued expenses and vendor-related schedules

• Providing administrative support to the Finance department with a variety of tasks and projects, including but not limited to organizing and maintaining the department’s Google Drive, mail delivery, and scanning paperwork;

• Fostering positive relationships with team members and various stakeholders;

• Motivating and inspiring the team and coworkers to achieve goals; and

• Performing other related projects and duties as needed and assigned.

Position Requirements

The successful incumbent will possess:

• A Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related area;

• Strong understanding of accounting principles and of accounts receivable and accounts payable processes, including internal controls over cash receipts and disbursements;

• Two or more years of experience in accounts receivable, accounts payable, or student accounts, preferably in an independent school or nonprofit setting;

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate with families about sensitive financial matters with the utmost professionalism;

• Experience using Blackbaud Billing Management and/or Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT (including the accounts payable module) strongly preferred;

• Intermediate Excel skills (e.g. Pivot tables, VLOOKUP/IF function formulas) required; Advanced skills (e.g. Macros, advanced lookup formulas) preferred;

• A high degree of organization, resourcefulness, and attention to detail;

• The ability to collaborate and build strong relationships with faculty, administrators, and the overall community;

• A strong ability to multitask and shift priorities without compromising on the quality of work;

• The ability to identify issues quickly and problem solve accordingly, and to remain calm in stressful situations that may arise;

• The ability to handle confidential materials with discretion while maintaining a high level of integrity;

• A willingness to learn and embrace new ideas and procedures and a consistent initiative to help streamline processes and improve efficiencies;

• A positive attitude and the ability to listen effectively and be receptive to feedback;

• The ability to work collaboratively in group settings, as well as independently, to meet project goals and team needs;

• Proficiency in utilizing and learning new technologies (i.e., Google Workspace tools);

• Reliability, punctuality, and consistent attendance; and

• The ability to cultivate a welcoming culture in which all members of our community feel valued and appreciated.

To apply
All candidates should visit our employment page at www.ecfs.org to apply. Please send a letter of interest, a resume, and contact information for three references.

EEO
ECFS is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to be a welcoming community of professionals that broadly reflects the people of the metropolitan New York City area, our students, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion or religious practices, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, citizenship status, national origin, age, ability status, military status, unemployment status or any other category protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. We are committed to hiring practices that ensure all candidates are given fair consideration in alignment with our institutional mission and goals.