Finance and Accounting Specialist

Description

Finance and Accounting Specialist

Department: Finance

Supervisor: Sr. Accountant & Finance Manager

Supervises: N/A

FLSA Salary Classification: Non-Exempt

Revision Date: March 2026

Availability: 18 to 25 hours per week with a primary schedule of standard business hours with occasional evening and weekend availability required to support the department and organizational needs.

The Huntsville Botanical Garden is a 501c3 non-profit organization that exists to connect people to plants to support a healthier quality of life for the region. Whether caring for plant collections, welcoming a guest, developing a program, maintaining our grounds, or ensuring a transaction is accurately recorded, each member of the Garden team contributes to that purpose.

The Finance team helps make this work possible by safeguarding resources, providing reliable information, supporting thoughtful decision-making, and building the strong operational foundation the Garden needs to grow. The Finance and Accounting Specialist is an important part of that shared effort.

Position Summary:

The Finance and Accounting Specialist provides operational and administrative support to the Finance team by assisting with accounts payable and accounts receivable processing, maintaining accurate financial records, and supporting departmental workflows. This role works closely with the Accounts Payable Coordinator and the Revenue & Grants Accountant to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of financial transactions and supporting documentation.

The Finance and Accounting Specialist helps manage high-volume transaction processing during peak periods, supports reconciliation efforts, maintains vendor and customer records, and assists with financial reporting preparation. In addition, this role contributes to continuous improvement efforts by identifying process bottlenecks, analyzing discrepancies, and helping implement workflow improvements that strengthen financial controls and operational efficiency across the organization.

Essential Functions:

Accounts Receivable Support

• Assist with the intake, validation, and processing of deposit requests and revenue receipts in the accounting system in accordance with established procedures.
• Review source documentation for accuracy and completeness, confirming proper coding and routing discrepancies to the appropriate accountant for review.
• Reconcile accounts receivable sub-ledger activity with general ledger and bank transactions.
• Follow up with departments to obtain required documentation supporting deposits and revenue transactions.
• Investigate discrepancies in receipts or transaction matching and recommend corrective actions when needed.

Accounts Payable Support

• Monitor and manage the accounts payable intake queue, including invoice submissions, payment requests, and supporting documentation.
• Review incoming invoices for completeness, accuracy, and appropriate account coding prior to entry into the accounting system.
• Enter invoices and payment requests into the general ledger pursuant to established internal processes.
• Maintain vendor master records, including verification of W-9 forms, ACH information, contracts, certificate of insurance and other supporting documentation.
• Monitor the finance department inbox for vendor inquiries and coordinate responses related to payment status or invoice processing.

Financial Operations Support

• Assist with bank, credit card, and general ledger reconciliation activities by gathering supporting documentation and validating transaction activity.
• Support the preparation of financial summaries and operational reports including budget-to-actual and forecast reporting.
• Assist the Finance team in monitoring budget and forecast cycles by maintaining supporting schedules and tracking departmental submissions.
• Maintain accurate customer and vendor master records to ensure reliable financial reporting and transaction processing in accordance with organizational policies.
• Assist the Finance team with documentation requests related to internal and external audits.
• Maintain awareness of relevant financial policies, procedures, and compliance standards.

Process Improvement and Workflow Support

• Identify recurring discrepancies, processing delays, or operational bottlenecks within finance workflows and recommend process improvements.
• Assist with documenting finance procedures and maintaining workflow documentation to ensure consistency and scalabilit