Finance & Compliance Specialist

• Compensation: $38.00 - $45.00 / hour

• Position Type: Full-time, Non-exempt (Year-round)
• Location: Richmond, CA

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.

What you'll be doing...

Payroll & Benefits Administration

• End-to-End Payroll: Prepare and process bi-weekly payroll for 150+ employees, meticulously reviewing and verifying timesheet accuracy.
• Specialized Adjustments: Flawlessly calculate and track garnishments, teacher summer hold-back payments, stipends, and longevity bonuses.
• Compliance Offboarding: Calculate final paychecks and PTO payouts for separating employees in strict compliance with California labor timelines.

General Accounting Support

• Ledger Maintenance: Perform month-end and year-end closing tasks, posting journal entries and processing accruals for restricted/unrestricted funds.
• System Posting: Prepare and post bi-weekly payroll journals directly to Sage Intacct.
• Reconciliations & Cash: Clear payroll-related balance sheet accounts (FSA, life insurance) and assist the team by monitoring daily cash positions for flow projections.

Fiscal Oversight & CDE Compliance

• SACS Framework: Monitor restricted revenue and expenditures using the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) to ensure flawless coding across Resource, Goal, and Function lines.
• Audit Readiness: Collect, verify, and maintain federal "Time and Effort" documentation (PARs or Semi-Annual Certifications) for all staff funded through restricted grants.
• State & Federal Portals: Apply approved indirect cost rates and submit accurate fund reports via the CDE’s GMART and ConApp online portals.

What we're looking for...

You'll need to have:

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

Even better if you have:

• 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity Is Our Policy