Accounts Receivable and Royalties Accounting Manager

PLEASE NOTE: We will consider permanent remote employment from these states in the USA only: CA, OR, WA, or NC. Please do not apply if you reside in any other location. The position is preferred to work 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Pacific time, but hours can be discussed during the interview process.

Please include a two-page cover letter with your resume that describes all of the following: why you are interested in this position, how it fits your experience and qualifications, what are your practices and skills that help you to be effective and productive in your work, and what attracts you to Berrett-Koehler Publishers.  This cover letter is mandatory; do not bother applying without it.

We are seeking an Accounts Receivable and Royalties Accounting Manager who will have responsibility for administering the company’s accounts receivable and collections, author royalties accounting, royalty statement preparation and payment, subsidiary rights accounting, and selected other accounting functions. See the job description for more details.

This role is for you if:

●      You are a go-getter who is motivated to get stuff done

●      You are all about the details: able to handle complex projects with multiple deliverables

●      You enjoy accounting and working with accounting tools, databases, and spreadsheets

●      You are an excellent communicator who can collaborate effectively both within a team and across multiple outside teams as well as with authors, customers, and others

●      You are a self-starter who learns how to be efficient and effective in your work

●      You want to work for a mission-driven company that takes a collaborative approach

Job Responsibilities

Author Royalties

·      Ensure royalty records are set up in our Acumen Book accounting system in accordance with author contracts.

·      Manage all royalty accounting functions to ensure accuracy and efficiencies.

·      Review and ensure proper calculations and accruals for royalties.

·      Prepare royalty statements and data for review by editors, make needed changes in royalty records and statements, and manage the royalty payment process.

·      Create and email annual and semi-annual royalty statements in a timely way.

·      Create, print, post, and mail royalty payments in a timely way.

·      Administer bill.com account for use in royalty payments.

·      Update royalty reserves percentages annually.

·      Update royalty advance amounts and make sure they are correct in royalty records.

·      Maintain relationships with authors and answer their questions in a timely manner.

·      Maintain author contact data in Acumen accounting software.

·      Collect completed W-9 forms from all authors who have not submitted these forms.

·      Create reports and analysis on royalties as needed.

·      Other royalty-related duties as assigned.

Accounts Receivable and Collections Management

·      Make sure that the daily, monthly, and annual operation of accounts receivable is functioning properly at the company and all needed actions are being taken.

·      Identify cash receipts received in company bank accounts and enter receipts into Acumen accounting software daily.

·      Apply cash receipts to invoices and research unidentified payments.

·      Deposit physical checks at the bank, enter checks received into Acumen, scan backup documentation, and update associated tracking documents.

·      Run, update, circulate, and analyze detailed accounts receivable reports as needed.

·      Identify and track outstanding debts, identify overdue payments, and gather data.

·      Oversee and administer company collections process and solicit help from other company staff as needed.

·      Reach out to debtors via phone, text, email, or other methods to collect payment.

·      Resolve billing and credit issues and negotiate payment plans as needed.

·      Report on collection efforts and involve other company staff as needed.

·      Keep accurate collection records, analyze issues, and follow legal guidelines.

Subsidiary Rights Accounting and Collections

·       Identify subsidiary rights income received daily in bank accounts and follow up with subsidiary rights manager for receipts not identified.

·       Update FileMaker with subsidiary rights cash receipts.

·       Enter subsidiary rights cash receipts into Acumen.

·       Reconcile unapplied subsidiary rights cash account with subsidiary rights invoices.

·       Reconcile income received with royalty earnings in our FileMaker Publishing application.

·       Enter royalty earnings in FileMaker when subsidiary rights statements received.

·       Create, apply, and mail tax-related certificates to foreign publishers.

·       Work with authors to ensure they are properly notified of subsidiary rights sales and understand the contracts, royalty rates, advances, and other metrics.

·       In collaboration with subsidiary rights director, work with foreign publishers to facilitate their ability to pay and to provide timely documentation of payments.

·       Assist subsidiary rights director in reaching out to foreign publishers as needed to collect royalty statements and payments.

·       Other subsidiary rights-related duties as assigned.

Other Accounting and Finance Department Responsibilities

·      Create and submit IRS tax forms (1099s) for payments made in previous year, mail forms to authors and vendors, revise forms as needed and respond to questions.

·      Documentation of files and work as needed for reviews by outside accounting firms.

·      Prepare reports and perform other tasks as assigned by CFO.

·      Research tasks related to month close, year-end close, accounts receivable, etc.

General Company Citizenship

·      Participate in company staff meetings, accounting team meetings, finance and operations team meetings, and other meetings as needed.

·      Participate in company publication boards, author presentations, etc., as desired.

·      Participate in company projects, task forces, discussions, etc., as needed.

Requirements

●      Three+ years of accounting or bookkeeping experience in a company or organization

●      Formal college training in accounting or equivalent formal accounting training

●      Understanding of accrual accounting principles and accounting terminology

●      Expertise in using accounting software, databases, spreadsheets, and common productivity software including spreadsheets

●      Detail-oriented and can organize and manage many different responsibilities

●      Aptitude for tracking accounts receivable and collecting on monies owed

●      Aptitude for entering information in databases and creating reports from databases

●      Track record of performing responsibilities with accuracy, completeness, timeliness, and efficiency through paid and/or volunteer work

●      Track record of being accountable for meeting deadlines through paid or volunteer work

●      Undergraduate college degree or equivalent experience

●      Experience in book publishing is not required but would be beneficial

Closing Notes:

Berrett-Koehler’s mission is “connecting people and ideas to create a world that works for all.” We publish books and digital products to drive positive change in individuals, organizations, and society. We are a California Benefit Corporation, which means we take things like creating an equitable and inclusive workforce and delivering on sustainability goals seriously.

We will consider permanent remote employment from these states in the USA only: CA, OR, WA, or NC. The position is preferred to work 9:00 am to 5:30 pm Pacific time, but hours can be discussed during the interview process.

This position requires a background check from a third-party company. Candidates will be required to provide permission to commence background checks after a formal offer letter from the company has been accepted.

Not sure you meet 100% of the qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet, women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to book publishing, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in this position, your qualifications, your salary requirements, how you have been successful in similar jobs or volunteer work, and your personal qualities that account for your success.

Benefits

●      Salary: $67,626 (Berrett-Koehler has a published salary schedule for all positions. The salary for this position corresponds to a Manager Level 3A and is non-negotiable.)

●      Health, Dental, Disability, and Life Insurance

●      Flexible Spending Account plan, 401K Plan, and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

●      Paid Vacation, Sick Days, and Holidays