Finance Operations Analyst
The Role
We are hiring a Finance Operations Analyst to own the recurring data pipelines that feed QuickBooks Online. Every workstream we run follows the same pattern: pull a file from somewhere, clean and shape it in Excel and Power Query, push it into QBO through a bulk import tool, and then reconcile the result back to source. The list of workstreams is long and growing - payment files, vendor invoices, government fees, lender activity, DMS exports, and more. You will be the person who makes sure the data lands cleanly, the related balance sheet accounts trend to where they should, and anything that doesn't tie out gets investigated and resolved before it becomes a close-day fire.
This role sits at the intersection of accounting operations and light data work. You don't need to be an engineer, but you do need to be comfortable living in Excel and Power Query, reading source files of all shapes and formats, and thinking like an accountant when two numbers don't match.
You will report to the Controller and partner closely with AP, the close team, and the operations groups that own each upstream system.
What You'll Do
Run the recurring data pipelines
- Pull recurring data files from banks, vendor portals, government agencies, lender systems, the DMS, and other source systems on the cadence each workstream requires (daily, weekly, or monthly).
- Apply standard Power Query transformations to convert raw source files into clean, QBO-ready import templates - bills, bill payments, journal entries, deposits, credit memos, and so on.
- Validate each batch before upload: vendor mappings, account coding, reference numbers, totals, and date logic.
- Upload prepared files to QBO using bulk import tools such as SaasAnt Transactions or Transaction Pro Importer (TPI), review the preview, and confirm successful posting.
- Maintain a daily run log so the team always knows which files have been processed and which are still pending.
Clean and prepare data
- Identify and correct data quality issues in source files: missing or malformed identifiers, mismapped vendor names, duplicate entries, amount discrepancies, encoding problems, and inconsistent date formats.
- Maintain and extend the Power Query workbooks that drive each pipeline, including vendor and account mapping tables, reference number conventions, and validation rules.
- When you fix something once, fix it at the source so it stays fixed - turn one-off corrections into permanent rules in the query or mapping table.
Reconcile and investigate
- Reconcile the balance sheet accounts associated with each pipeline (clearing accounts, suspense accounts, prepaid accounts, accrual accounts, AP control accounts) and confirm they sit where they should.
- Investigate residuals and reconciling items - trace each one back to a missing entry, an unmatched bank feed item, an unapplied credit, a timing difference, or a prior period carryforward.
- Reconcile bank feed activity to expected source-system activity; categorize uncleared items and drive them to resolution.
- Resolve unapplied vendor payments, duplicate bills, miscoded transactions, and amount mismatches by partnering with the AP team and the upstream operations owners.
- Document each material reconciling item with a clear narrative the Controller and external auditors can follow.
Support month-end close
- Confirm the accounts you own are clean (or that any month-end balance is a legitimate, documented timing item).
- Prepare account roll-forwards and reconciliation workpapers for the close binder.
- Resolve any remaining unapplied payments, duplicate entries, or miscoded items before books close.
- Partner with the Controller on manual journal entries needed to clear residuals.
Build new pipelines and improve existing ones
- Onboard new recurring data feeds onto the standard pattern: source → Power Query → import template → QBO upload → reconciliation.
- Look for repeatable manual work that can be turned into a Power Query step, a reference table update, or a script.
- Suggest improvements to bank feed rules, vendor mappings, account coding, and import templates as the business changes.
- Partner with finance leadership on automation projects that move pipelines from manual to fully scheduled.
What We're Looking For
Must Have Requirements
- 2+ years in an accounting operations, AP, staff accountant, or finance ops role.
- Strong working knowledge of QuickBooks Online - bills, bill payments, journal entries, bank feeds, clearing accounts, and the chart of accounts.
- Advanced Excel, including Power Query - M language basics, query refresh, parameter tables, merges and appends, and the patience to wrangle messy real-world source files.
- Hands-on experience with at least one bulk import tool for QBO - SaasAnt Transactions, Transaction Pro Importer (TPI), or equivalent.
- Demonstrated reconciliation experience: bank recs, GL-to-subledger ties, clearing account cleanup. You know how to chase a number and you don't stop until it ties.
- High attention to detail, comfort with repetitive daily work, and the discipline to follow a checklist exactly the same way every day.
- Clear written communication - you can explain a reconciling item in a paragraph the Controller can understand and the auditors can sign off on.
- A bias toward fixing problems at the source rather than re-fixing them every day.
Preferred
- Experience in automotive, dealership, or other high-volume transactional accounting environments.
- Familiarity with dealership management systems (e.g., CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealertrack) or similar high-volume source systems.
- Light scripting ability (Python, VBA, or similar) - enough to read a script someone else wrote and tweak it.
- Experience supporting an external audit or SOX-style controls testing.
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- Experience in high-volume transactional accounting environments.
- Familiarity with dealership management systems (e.g., CDK, Reynolds & Reynolds, Dealertrack) or similar high-volume source systems.
- Light scripting ability (Python, VBA, or similar) - enough to read a script someone else wrote and tweak it.
- Experience supporting an external audit or SOX-style controls testing.
What Success Looks Like
- Every recurring data pipeline runs on its scheduled cadence without slipping.
- The balance sheet accounts associated with each pipeline sit where they should - and when they don't, you can explain why in one sentence.
- Source files are processed and posted to QBO on the cadence the workstream calls for.
- Bank feed items are cleared within one business day of settlement.
- Month-end close is never delayed by an open reconciling item from one of these pipelines.
- Recurring data quality issues get fixed at the source instead of being re-fixed every day.
- New workstreams get onboarded onto the standard pattern without requiring a full re-design every time.
Benefits
- Benefits and wellness plan offered after 3 months
Schedule
- 10-20 hours a week to start
- Monday-Friday (PST time zone)
Wage
