Associate Director, Senior Accountant

About Us:  
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) was founded in 2000 with one clear objective: accelerating meaningful therapeutic advances and, ultimately, a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Foundation applies extraordinary scientific, business and media assets to this singular focus—thus creating a unique and dynamic organization. Since inception, MJFF has quickly grown into the largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson’s disease research, having funded over $1.5 billion in research projects in both academic and industry labs worldwide.

Core to our philosophy is how we think of our capital and its risk profile relative to other stakeholders in the drug development pipeline. We work aggressively to de-risk various therapeutic strategies and tools in the hopes of building a robust pipeline of new treatments for patients. In order to achieve our mission of finding a cure for PD it is critical that we engage with, and bring together, members of the PD community including researchers, physicians, health professionals and most important, people with Parkinson's and their families. 

We believe that to find a cure for PD as quickly as possible, our capital needs to push research forward today—we therefore deliberately hold no endowment or excessive reserves. We instead seek to deploy funds raised as quickly and wisely as possible. MJFF raises over $100 million annually. Today, the Foundation has approximately 200 full-time employees. We offer a collegial and collaborative environment where optimistic problem-solvers and entrepreneurial, resourceful individuals can thrive and make a tangible difference for millions of people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Position Summary:
The Foundation is seeking a Senior Accountant, someone with a nonprofit accounting background, capable of working independently, and who works well cross- functionally with other teams to consult on accounting and financial reporting. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Preparing monthly journal entries within the Netsuite accounting system including intercompany, depreciation, deferred rent/rental income, interest/dividends/gain and loss, etc.
• Ensures a timely and accurate month end close.
• Support the Accounting team with revenue importing of transactions and bank reconciliations, as needed.
• Support the Assistant Controller in implementing best practices and procedures around the internal control framework and accounting workflow.
• Assist with preparation of schedules needed for audit preparation, 990 tax filings and other compliance reporting requirements.
• Ensure adherence to and upholding MJFF policies and procedures.
• Supports the Foundation’s partnership culture by providing strong and effective internal communications with staff across the Foundation.

Account Reconciliation Functions

• Preparing monthly account reconciliations for Investments, Accounts Payable, Prepaid Expenses, Accrued Expenses, Fixed Assets and Annuities.
• Preparing monthly estimates of allocated expenses.
• Preparing ongoing reconciliations of Pledges and Revenue to Development reporting and Grants Payable to Research reporting.
• Supporting the monthly close process and the year-end close and audit activities.
• Work cross-functionally with Fundraising and Research teams to maintain accurate estimates for Net Assets Restrictions and Release from Restrictions

Qualifications and Skills:

• Bachelor’s or higher degree required.
• Minimum of 3 - 5 years of relevant non-profit accounting experience. Additional training will be provided by Controllership group and mentoring.
• Experience with NetSuite strongly desired.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written), work ethic and professionalism in engagement with superiors, peers and subordinate staff.
• Must be a professional who is pro-active, self-motivated, organized, learns quickly and has a desire to learn new skills and software.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines and strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent organization skills, ability to successfully manage a large volume of work, meet multiple and often competing deadlines and respond with flexibility to unanticipated requests, with an emphasis of accuracy and timeliness.

Vaccination Statement:
At The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), the health and safety of our team and our community is a priority. MJFF has made the decision to require all staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment. Successful applicants for this position must be fully vaccinated by date of hire and proof of vaccine is required. Full vaccination is defined as two weeks after both doses of two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine has been administered. Anyone unable to be vaccinated, because of medical or religious reasons, can request a reasonable accommodation for consideration.

How to Apply:
Interested candidates should submit a resume and thoughtful cover letter describing their specific qualifications and interest in the position. Applicants who best match the position's needs will be contacted.

MJFF is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who will contribute to our efforts to build and support a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce. Diversity may refer to characteristics including, but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic circumstance, geographic background, ability and disability, political ideology and age.