Position: Bookkeeper
Location: Athens, GA
Office Setting: In Office

About the Opportunity

Our client is seeking an experienced Bookkeeper to join our team in an on-site role based in Athens, GA. The Bookkeeper is responsible for managing all day-to-day bookkeeping functions across the business, including full-cycle accounts payable and receivable, invoicing, payment processing, and financial record maintenance.

Opportunity to join a casual office environment with a strong culture of accountability and long employee tenure.

This role is well-suited for a self-directed professional who can independently manage financial operations, ensure accuracy across multiple transaction types, and serve as the central point of coordination for all invoicing and payment activity within the company.

What You’ll Do:

• Manage full-cycle bookkeeping activities for the company
• Enter and allocate payments accurately to the appropriate accounts
• Generate and manage invoicing, including all invoices for the maintenance division
• Process and reconcile bank statements
• Handle accounts payable, including processing utility bills (power, water, etc.)
• Collect and record tenant payments
• Maintain accurate financial records using QuickBooks and real estate software systems
• Ensure all financial transactions are properly documented and compliant with internal processes
• Collaborate with the Owner on financial reporting and operational needs

What We’re Looking for

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, but not required
• Proven bookkeeping experience
• Minimum of 4 years of hands-on experience with QuickBooks
• At least 3 years of relevant real estate industry experience or similar experience in industries such as HVAC, electrical, or other service-based businesses involving allocation of labor, materials, and invoicing will be considered
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to work independently and manage responsibilities without supervision

Company: Skywater Realty
Role: Bookeeper

Key Terms:

• Bookkeeper
• Accountant

Key Info:

• Replacement role. Person retiring in about 18 months (or sooner). Would be great to hire a person that could work alongside the Bookkeeper during this time.   Will work with her the next 6-12 months.
• On-site role in Athens, GA 8am-5pm. No travel
• Prefers someone with Real Estate and QuickBooks experience.
• Do not recruit: Athens Real Estate Group or College Town Properties
• No candidates in process, hired someone, but quickly saw they were not experienced enough. A person needs to be prepared to pass a bookkeeping assessment/evaluation.

Skywater Realty

• https://www.skywater-realty.com/
• Skywater Realty is a regional, mid-sized property management company specializing in residential rentals in Northeast Georgia, offering management services for landlords and housing options for tenants.
• Core services are: leasing and tenant placement, property maintenance and management, and rent collection. They manage about 700 residential units.
• Privately held. Been in business 16 years and they have 11 employees currently. 3 are maintenance employees who handle the maintenance side.
• Casual office environment, but all employees are hard workers and get their responsibilities completed. Good tenrure amongst the group. Bookeeper has been there over 10 years.

Job Responsibilities:

• Bookeeper reports to the Owner. Individual contributor role, no direct reports.  Will handle all bookkeeping responsibilities.
• Entering payments and allocating payments to the correct account, invoicing for the maintenance company, completing bank statements, processing power and water bills, collecting tenant payments, and invoicing (all invoices flow through this person).
• They use Buildium as their property management software

Ideal Candidate

• Bachelor’s not required, but preferred.
• Must have Bookkeeping experience. This is not a role for an entry level or new person.
• At least 4 years of QuickBooks experience
• At least 3 years of experience within the real estate industry, but they can be flexible. If the person has done payroll and bookkeeping for an hvac or electrical company where you have to allocate parts, labor, etc, they can be flexible on the industry requirement, but at least 3 years with relevant experience.
• Interpersonal skills: Attention to detail, casual, can work independently

Interview Details:

• 1^st Interview:  Onsite interview with Owner, Les McCrary https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesmccrary & Bookkeeper, Dennise Martin https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennise-martin-b132b0181
• 2^nd Interview: QuickBooks Evaluation, if they like the person
• They are available to interview next week

Compensation Details:

• $40k-$50k. Will increase the salary once the person is in the role solely. (up to $60k, depending on the person is initially offered).
• Bonus: Small bonuses like Christmas bonuses or turn bonuses (when they successfully turn college move-outs in a two-week time period)
• Benefits: None since a small company. Big benefit is the office camaraderie, no micromanagement, lax environment. Work hard, but relaxed environment. Some flexibility if an emergency comes up.