Senior Project Accountant

Lutheran Social Services (LSS) is a private, non‑profit, human service agency providing a variety of services throughout Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Over the years, LSS has grown to become one of the largest human service agencies in the two state area serving more than 125,000 clients annually. We are looking for passionate, mission‑driven individuals to help provide services including outpatient behavioral health management, international, domestic and special needs adoptions, older adult services, support services for children, youth and families, community corrections programs and support services for adults with disabilities and/or mental health concerns.

Motivated by the compassion of Christ, we help people improve the quality of their lives. Are you motivated to serve by sharing your talents? If you would like to help us achieve our mission, please consider this opportunity.

Under the direction of the Manager of Project Accounting, the Senior Project Accountant will support a specialized area of accounting focused on the financial management of rental properties, including recording income, expenses, rent collection, preparing financial reports, leading project audits and other projects and duties as assigned. The position works in concert with General Accounting and Financial Services team members.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all‑inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary.

• Meticulously record all rental income for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Low‑Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) properties, as well as expenses related to property maintenance, utilities, repairs, taxes, and other operational costs.
• Record construction draws for new project development, if applicable.
• Collaborate with operations team/property managers to resolve issues in tenant subledgers.
• Communicate/collaborate with investors and other external parties regarding project goals or concerns.
• Prepare and record monthly intercompany billing for project payroll expense and other reimbursements and fees.
• Lead HUD and LIHTC audits for assigned properties; complete real estate assessment center (REAC) annual reporting for HUD projects if needed.
• Review entity legal documents such as Operating/Management Agreements to ensure proper adherence to agreements and to set up accounting practices for newly established projects, with consulting support.
• Work in a collaborative team environment, working towards common strategic goals.
• Maintain high ethical standards in financial accounting and reporting.
• Obtain and maintain a thorough understanding of the accounting software, financial reporting and general ledger structure, including consolidated and non‑consolidated entities which will involve intercompany and elimination accounting and proper mapping to financial reports and statements.
• Record monthly accruals as needed for each project, as well as proper recording of prepaid expenses.
• Manage the balance sheet including proper adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) accounting and oversight of cash.
• Generate financial reports, such as income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements, to provide property owners and stakeholders with a clear picture of the property's financial performance. Prepare income statement fluctuation analysis monthly for each project.
• Complete and/or review monthly account reconciliations for all balance sheet accounts.
• Manage banking transactions, including positive pay and transfers between restricted and unrestricted cash accounts.
• Maintain proper record of approvals and tracking over allowance for doubtful accounts for tenant past due balances.
• Create and maintain audit trail of all activities involving the general ledger.
• Design, recommend and coordinate implementation of internal control procedures to ensure proper transaction recording.
• Assist in the creation of standardized policies and procedures to support accounting practice within the general ledger that is shared across projects and initiate employee training for…