Accounting Associate

About Purple Strategies

Purple Strategies is a corporate reputation and strategy firm that combines the creativity and discipline of brand communications with the speed and strategy of political campaigns to help leverage or reduce pressure on a business, brand or issue. We help build and defend reputation and brand value and serve Fortune 500 companies, associations, nonprofits and some of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Purple helps the world’s most important organizations address their toughest challenges. We operate in a highly collaborative environment and apply integrated, team-based approaches to help clients:

• ANTICIPATE reputation challenges and opportunities;

• COMPEL change through business actions and transformation; and

• NAVIGATE reputation issues, acute crises, key business choices and policy/regulatory changes to inform decision-making.

About the Role

The Accounting Associate is a member of the finance team who works under the direction of the finance team to keep day-to-day accounting operations running smoothly and accurately. The ideal candidate is an organized, critical thinker with strong Excel skills, a proactive mindset, and a process-oriented, analytical approach to improving accuracy and efficiency.

This is a full-time position. The Accounting Associate joins a current two-person team comprised of a Senior Director of Finance and Accounting and a Revenue Accountant.

Responsibilities 

• Support core accounting processes, including invoicing, journal entries, general ledger entries, and account reconciliations 

• Assist with the month-end close process (e.g., preparing schedules, reconciling accounts, and supporting reporting deliverables) 

• Perform day-to-day Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable tasks, including general issue resolution and timely follow-up 

• Assist with payroll processing and related recordkeeping

• Partner with internal teams to ensure accurate coding, documentation, and timely processing of invoices and payments 

• Assist with audit and compliance support, including preparing schedules and gathering documentation for auditor requests  

• Help maintain organized documentation for core accounting processes 

• Use Excel to organize and validate data sets (e.g., pivots, lookups, embedded formulas) and flag discrepancies; support efforts to automate and streamline recurring processes  

• Support ad-hoc projects and cross-functional requests as needed  

• Other duties as assigned 

Qualifications 

• A minimum of 1-2 years of relevant accounting experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field 

• Experience with QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, or another ERP system preferred; familiarity with Bill.com and Ramp a plus

• Working knowledge of AP/AR and broad accounting functions 

• Exposure to audit support or documentation requests is a plus  

• Solid Excel skills, including familiarity with Pivot Tables, VLOOKUP, and formulas, with an interest in using these skills to help streamline processes

• Demonstrated ability to use AI tools thoughtfully and responsibly to enhance work product while consistently applying critical thinking, judgment, protecting confidentiality, and maintaining accountability for work quality and accuracy.

• Detail-oriented, organized, deadline-driven, and able to multi-task in a fast-paced, collaborative environment  

• Strong oral and written communications skills 

• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with data 

• Public accounting or internship experience a plus

• Embodiment of Purple’s values: Adaptable, Collaborative, Curious, Innovative, Industrious, Respectful.   

Work Location    

This is a full-time position based in our Alexandria, VA headquarters.  Purple Strategies offers a hybrid model and seeks employees who are able to work in the office three days a week.   

Compensation

Purple Strategies offers a competitive total compensation package with salary, bonus and benefits. Base salary for this position starts at $58,000.

How To Apply

Please submit your resume and cover letter online at https://www.purplestrategies.com/join-our-team/

Purple is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally protected characteristics.