About this role
Key Responsibilities
Manual Accounts Payable & Expenses
- Invoice Processing: Manually intake, verify, and track all vendor invoices in a master spreadsheet.
- Reimbursements: Process researcher travel and expense reports, ensuring all "out-of-pocket" spends are documented and repaid via payroll.
- Vendor Setup: Maintain a "Vendor Master File" with W-9s and banking instructions to ensure we pay the right people.
Budgeting & Financial Reporting
- Variance Analysis: Maintain and update monthly financial spreadsheets comparing Planned Spend vs. Actual Spend to flag variances.
- Runway Forecasting: Calculate and provide a vital monthly Cash Runway Report to ensure leadership has clear visibility into cash flow.
- Data Integrity: Serve as the primary focal point for all financial data entry, ensuring clean, audit-ready records.
Accounts Payable (AP) & Expense Management
- Manual Invoice Processing: Manually intake, verify, and track all incoming vendor invoices within a master spreadsheet to ensure accuracy before payment.
- Vendor Setup & Compliance: Maintain a comprehensive "Vendor Master File," collecting and organizing W-9s and banking/wire instructions.
- Reimbursements & Travel: Process researcher travel and out-of-pocket expense reports, ensuring full documentation and compliance before coordinating repayment via payroll.
Banking & Treasury Setup (Ground Zero)
- Account Establishment: Research business banking options (e.g., Mercury, Brex, or traditional banks) and coordinate the paperwork (EIN, Articles of Incorporation) to open accounts.
- Card Administration: Issue and monitor lab credit cards, setting manual spending limits and chasing down receipts for every transaction.
- Cash Control: Actively reconcile petty cash and ensure rigorous oversight of all physical and digital funds.
Contract & Document Management
- Contract Repository: Build and maintain an organized digital repository of all vendor contracts, agreements, and financial commitments.
Academic Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor's degree in accounting, Finance, or a related field (or equivalent hands-on experience).
- Experience: 2–4 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping, or finance operations (experience in a startup or research lab environment is a major plus).
- Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in MS Excel / Google Sheets. Familiarity with modern banking platforms (Brex, Mercury) and payroll/accounting software is preferred.
- Attributes: Extreme attention to detail, a high degree of integrity when handling confidential financial data, and the ability to thrive in an environment requiring manual process setup.
Professional Experience
- Minimum of 2- 3 years of experience in an office and administrative role.
- Proven experience with basic accounting tasks, invoicing, and expense management.