Lead/Senior Accountant

Company Overview

Join Niagara Hospitality's growing management company with properties you can be proud to represent. Niagara Hospitality focuses on large, family-style accommodations and offers our guests space in a more luxurious setting than the available hotels in the area, along with the service and guidance on activities that make the Niagara Falls region special. Our priority is to create superior stay experiences that exceed every expectation and to provide a high level of service to both guests and homeowners. Every team member is a big part of accomplishing our goals and continuing to lead as the premier and single largest provider of vacation rental homes in Niagara Falls, NY. You'll fit right in here if you're curious, tech-savvy, entrepreneurial, and thrive in a rapid-growth environment.

Position Overview

The Lead Accountant performs the full range of accounting functions for the Business Office and serves as the senior finance professional supporting the General Manager and Ownership. The role owns day-to-day accounting operations across a growing short-term rental portfolio: accounts payable and receivable, journal entries, general ledger and bank reconciliations, cash entries, owner statements, payroll, tax filings, and all financial reporting. This is a hands-on leadership role — equal parts technical accountant and trusted right-hand to leadership — and a great fit for someone who is comfortable in the details while also setting up controls, documenting processes, and using technology to automate the routine.

Key Responsibilities

Core Accounting Operations

• Oversee insurance, accounts receivable, accounts payable, collections, payroll, cash management, and all related accounting procedures.
• Maintain the rent roll and accounts receivable as it pertains to tenant rent, rent changes, rent collected, and security deposits.
• Record journal entries; perform monthly general ledger account reconciliations and bank reconciliations; manage cash entries and the cash position.
• Manage the administration of company credit card and loan accounts and insurance policies.

Short-Term Rental, Owner & Channel Accounting

• Maintain segregated trust / operating bank accounts in line with ownership agreements and applicable state requirements; ensure guest funds, owner funds, and operating funds are not commingled.
• Prepare and issue accurate, on-time monthly owner statements detailing rental revenue, channel fees, management fees, pass-through expenses (housekeeping, maintenance, supplies, utilities), and net owner distributions; process owner disbursements and respond to owner inquiries with clarity and professionalism.
• Reconcile bookings, payouts, refunds, chargebacks, and adjustments across distribution channels (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, direct website) to the property management system and the general ledger; investigate and resolve variances with channel partners and merchant processors.
• Recognize rental revenue in line with stay dates and company policy, properly handling cancellations, partial refunds, damage waivers, and channel-collected taxes.

Financial Reporting & Analysis

• Provide accurate, on-time income statements.
• Provide accurate, on-time metrics analysis and reports in an easy-to-understand format (occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, gross booking value, NOI per unit, channel mix, cash position).
• Maintain detailed financial reports to support short- and long-term strategic planning, including property-level P&Ls, consolidated company financials, budgets, and rolling forecasts.
• Lead a disciplined month-end close calendar; prepare accruals, prepaid amortization, fixed asset additions, depreciation, and balance sheet reconciliations in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Payroll, Tax & Compliance

• Manage payroll, cash allocations, and disbursements; execute all pertinent filing requirements including Workers' Compensation reporting.
• Compile and maintain federal, state, and local filing requirements; enforce adherence to those requirements, file reports, and advise management on needed actions.
• File and remit New York State sales tax, Niagara County hotel/occupancy taxes, and any applicable City of Niagara Falls bed tax on the required cadence; reconcile channel-collected-and-remitted taxes so the company neither double-pays nor under-reports.
• Work with the outside tax firm to ensure the timely filing of taxes and K-1s, and support year-end financials, 1099 issuance, and audit requests.

Systems, Controls & Process Improvement

• Own the accounting tech stack: general ledger, PMS integrations, bank feeds, merchant processing, AP automation, and expense management tools.
• Document accounting policies, close checklists, and standard operating procedures; identify and implement automation and process-improvement opportunities.
• Design and enforce internal controls over cash, owner funds, vendor setup, and journal entry approval; safeguard against fraud and error.
• Serve as the primary liaison with banks, payment processors, the external CPA, and software vendors.

Desired Skills and Experience

• Able to maintain confidence and serve as the trusted right-hand to the General Manager and Owners.
• Yardi experience or similar expert with 3+ years of bookkeeping experience required.
• Must have experience with payroll.
• Experience in the Real Estate space and Short-Term Rentals a plus.
• Strong communication skills; able to present complex information to leaders clearly.
• Strong writing skills; oversees invoicing of accounts.
• Highly organized and process-driven with exceptional follow-through abilities.
• Highly motivated, flexible, and a great attitude on life.
• Familiarity with short-term rental PMS platforms (Guesty, Hostaway, Hostfully, Streamline, Track, OwnerRez, Lodgify, iGMS) a plus.Familiarity with trust accounting and preparing owner statements at scale a plus.
• Must not be afraid to use technology to automate tasks.

Education and Experience

Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, **OR**
Associate's Degree in Accounting with 6 years of related experience.

Work Location

Combination of on-site and remote (hybrid), or fully remote for the right candidate.

What Success Looks Like in the First Year

• First 30 days: master the current close, owner-statement, and tax-filing cadence; identify the top three control or process gaps and present a remediation plan.
• 60 Days: consistent close by business day 10-15; owner statements issued on schedule with zero material restatements; clean monthly bank and trust reconciliations.
• Six months: documented SOPs across all major accounting cycles; tax filings filed timely with no penalties; a monthly reporting package the GM and Ownership rely on for decisions; and a clear roadmap for the next stage of the finance function as the portfolio grows.

How to Apply

Submit your resume and a cover letter, and complete the short Indeed assessments (3–5 minutes). Applications without a cover letter or completed assessments may not be reviewed.

*Niagara Hospitality is an equal-opportunity employer.*

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $65,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule
• Work from home

Application Question(s):

• Do you have experience with accounting in regards to short-term rentals?
• Do you have experience with Yardi? Y/N
• What accounting software platforms and tools do you have experience with? Please list experience level for each on a scale of 1-10, One meaning familiar, but never used and 10 being expert.

Education:

• Bachelor's (Required)

Experience:

• Accounting: 6 years (Required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Niagara Falls, NY 14303