Senior Staff Accountant

Full job description
Job Title: Senior Staff Accountant

About us:

From innovative menus and striking design to impeccable service and critical attention to detail, at Great Performances, we weave our mission into all we do. This woman-owned business serving New York City for over four decades has evolved from a waitress staffing agency to the leading catering, events, and hospitality companies in the greater New York area. We provide food services in an array of celebrated New York City cultural institutions including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Wave Hill, and The Apollo Theater. We are known for full-service catering and events, corporate workplace dining and amenity programs, and large-scale event and festival production. Great Performances is the nation’s first caterer to own and operate an organic farm, Katchkie Farm located in Kinderhook, NY. Progressive from the start, we consistently set the pace for industry best practices.

We are seeking highly motivated and talented individuals to join our team and to support our vision, mission, and values through everything they do. If you share our passion and want to make a meaningful impact, we invite you to apply.

Our Vision: Building Community to Better Our World

Our Mission: Unleash Joy through Genuine Hospitality

Our Core Values:

Craftsmanship: developing new menus, designs, and moments to deliver engaging experiences to our clients and guests.

People: creating fair access, opportunity, and advancement for everyone. Our employees are our greatest asset.

Sustainability: upholding and elevating standards for sustainable behaviors that support our planet.

Collaboration: aligning with our clients’, colleagues’, and community’s visions to execute a successful experience.

Doing Good through Food: engaging in action around food access, health and wellness, education, and philanthropy.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Senior Staff Accountant with 4+ years of accounting experience, preferably within the hospitality or food services industry. Reporting directly to the Controller, this role will be instrumental in supporting the organization’s core accounting operations. The ideal candidate is disciplined, consistent, and thrives in a hands-on, manual environment where strong problem-solving skills and independent ownership are key. Responsibilities include preparing journal entries, performing account reconciliations, supporting payroll processes, and managing cost allocations contributing to both the daily accounting functions and the monthly close process.

Key Responsibilities

General Accounting & Month-End Close

Prepare and post journal entries, including payroll, accruals, inventory, and department/event allocations.
Assist with the month-end close and preparation of internal financial statements.
Perform weekly bank reconciliations and monthly balance sheet reconciliations.
Maintain detailed general ledger records and supporting documentation.
Ensure accuracy and timeliness of all financial reporting in accordance with GAAP.
Accounts Receivable & Collections

Support Accounts Receivable, including monitoring outstanding balances and assisting with collections follow-up.
Coordinate with Sales and Events teams to ensure proper billing and revenue recognition.
Cross-Functional Support

Support the Controller in ongoing financial initiatives, audits, and special projects.
Be cross-trained in payroll processing and Accounts Payable functions to provide backup coverage when needed.
Collaborate with the culinary, operations, and events teams to allocate job costs and track profitability by event.
Participate in inventory management and reconciliation processes alongside warehouse and kitchen teams.
Compliance & Process Improvement

Assist in preparing schedules and documentation for internal and external audits.
Help maintain internal controls, ensuring compliance with company policies and GAAP.
Proactively identify opportunities for process improvement and system enhancements in a still-manual but evolving environment.
Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field. CPA or CPA-track preferred.
4+ years of accounting experience, with a preference for hospitality, catering, food service, or related industries.
Strong working knowledge of GAAP and experience with journal entries, reconciliations, and allocations.
Proficient in Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs) and familiar with accounting platforms such as Acumatica, QuickBooks, Ottimate, Concur, or similar systems.