Accounting Project and Implementation Specialist

Burkland's core purpose is to Accelerate Dreams. So often, turning dreams into reality helps change the world. We thrive at the forefront of this transformation. Startups desire our professionals as they are the best in the business. Startups seek our content because we are an industry thought leader. Startups trust our expertise, so founders can focus on their companies, products, and value-add. Because of our demonstrated value, our clients have raised more than $17.8B!

At Burkland, we lead with our Core Purpose. We do this for both our clients and our employees. We believe that leaning on our Core Values (Fresh Perspectives, Exponential Value, Empathy, Trusted Partner) will lead to happy clients and happy employees.

We are a remote-first company with over 185 team members, more than 800 clients, and a culture built on doing meaningful work with people who genuinely care about helping our clients grow. Come build something with us!

The Accounting Project and Implementation Specialist executes BKA's project-based accounting work and provides support for group-wide process and system implementations. Operating outside recurring monthly production, this role directly manages finite engagements like historical cleanups, new-client onboardings, and other client project requests. Additionally, it assists the broader team in testing, adopting, and refining new software and workflows designed to improve efficiency

Assigning a dedicated owner to client projects ensures clear accountability from kickoff through handoff. This structure protects production team members from ad hoc project demands, allowing them to remain fully focused on their recurring client portfolios.

Success in this role means engagements delivered accurately, on scope, and within budget; clean, well-documented handoffs to the production team; championing new initiatives under the guidance of the Director, and helping implement new tools that improve efficiency and quality across the division's client work.

This job description outlines the core of the role, but it isn't meant to cover everything you'll do. As Burkland grows, your responsibilities may shift and new projects, tasks, or priorities may be added along the way. We hope you'll see that as a chance to stretch, learn, and broaden your skills.

Client Project Delivery & Scope Management

• Project manage and execute historical cleanup and new-client onboarding/implementation engagements to the agreed scope and timeline

• Reconstruct and reconcile historical records, correct prior-period errors, and bring client books to a reliable, close-ready state

• Set up new client accounting environments, including chart of accounts, opening balances, and connections to supporting systems, in line with BKA standards

• Flag scope changes and discoveries during an engagement that affect pricing, and raise them promptly so they are resolved before work continues

• Track hours against the quote in real time throughout each engagement, not just at the end, to catch overruns early

• Maintain transparent communication with the ongoing production team throughout each engagement

• At the conclusion of each engagement, provide a documented final deliverable that transitions operational accounting responsibilities seamlessly, covering account status, open items, and client-specific processes

Process Improvement and AI

• Use AI tools and firm systems to accelerate cleanup, reconciliation, and review work, with appropriate human review and protection of client data

• Document repeatable approaches for cleanup and implementation work so engagements become more consistent over time

• Share actual hours and lessons learned from completed engagements to improve how future cleanup and implementation work is scoped and quoted

• Test and support implementation of new tools, systems and processes

• Technical accounting judgment — Knows what accurate, close-ready books look like and can quickly spot what is off in unfamiliar or messy records.

• Attention to detail — Reviews work thoroughly and consistently, catching errors others miss without losing sight of materiality.

• Project management — Plans and runs multiple engagements/projects at once, setting timelines and milestones, prioritizing competing deadlines, and keeping clients, production team, and Director informed of status at every stage.

• AI fluency — Hands-on comfort using AI tools in accounting and operational work, with sound judgment about where AI adds value, where human review is required, and how to protect client data.

• Communication - Serves as the client's main point of contact during cleanup and implementation, setting expectations, requesting missing information, and explaining findings and scope changes in plain terms. Keeps the production team updated on progress, open issues, and client-specific details throughout the engagement so nothing is a surprise at handoff.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work history

• 5+ years of hands-on accounting work, including month-end close, account reconciliations, and accrual-basis financial statement preparation under U.S. GAAP

• Experience creating new processes and being a change champion for new tools and processes that improve efficiency

• Demonstrated ability to complete historical cleanup and catch-up engagements, including reconstructing records from incomplete or inconsistent source data

• Background in new-client implementation, such as chart of accounts design, opening balance setup, and connecting supporting systems

• Comfort working within fixed-fee or budgeted scopes and tracking time against them

• Ability to manage several concurrent engagements independently in a remote environment

• Strong organizational skills and project management skills

• CPA license, or active progress toward one

• Prior work in an outsourced or fractional accounting firm serving startups or venture-backed companies

• History of building quality control checklists, review standards, or process documentation

• Hands-on use of AI tools in accounting workflows

This is a remote position. Work is primarily performed at a computer for extended periods, requiring the ability to use a keyboard, view a screen, and communicate via video and phone. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Burkland Associates is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Burkland Associates is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or another legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit our careers page https://burklandassociates.com/careers/. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

The base pay range target for the role described in this job description is 115,000-130,000. Final offer amounts depend on multiple factors such as candidate experience and expertise, geographic location, total compensation, and market data. In addition, full-time regular positions are eligible for, 401(k), health benefits, and other benefits; some of these benefits may be available for part-time.