Sandbox - Senior Associate, Finance and Accounting

A little bit about us...

Sandbox is a boutique, associate-led, partner-backed consulting firm that helps venture-minded and values-aligned organizations navigate growth, transformation, and change across Finance, Recruiting, and Business Operations. We don't just advise. We build, run, and evolve the back-end functions companies depend on. We build, run, and evolve the back-end functions companies depend on.

Our employees, affectionately referred to as Sandboxers, are a mix of repeat entrepreneurs, recovering corporates, reformed consultants, and rogue college grads who believe in a creative approach to traditional consulting. What connects us is a willingness to get our hands dirty, work collaboratively, and do what it takes to help clients succeed. Did we mention, this mindset helped earn us recognition as one of the Best Places to Work in Virginia.

A little bit about the job…

As our client list grows, so does our need for talented, hard-working team members. We are a small, scrappy start-up looking for a numbers-obsessed self-starter who has the chops to help lead our Finance and Accounting practice. As a Senior Associate, we can assure you no workday will be the same, and we mean that literally. You'll carry a portfolio of 10-12 clients at any given time, including early-stage startups, established businesses, and mission-driven nonprofits, spanning different industries, business models, and stages of growth. You'll own those relationships, guide junior team members, and bring a sharper analytical lens to the work. On any given day, week, or month you will:

• Own day-to-day relationships for a portfolio of clients, serving as their primary point of contact, running weekly check-ins, proactively flagging issues, and building the kind of trust that makes you a real partner to their business, not just a vendor.
• Lead and review the work of Associates and junior team members on your client accounts, including month-end close packages, reconciliations, and financial statements, ensuring accuracy and coaching the team along the way.
• Take point on more complex financial modeling and forecasting work, including multi-scenario models, headcount plans, revenue projections, and 13-week cash flows that give clients the clarity they need to make big decisions.
• Review and sign off on monthly close packages and financial statements before they go to founders and partners, bringing a senior eye to accuracy and presentation.
• Support bookkeeping oversight across your client portfolio, including account reconciliations, chart of accounts setup, AP/AR management, and month-end close. 
• Drive capital raise support and investor relations for clients in fundraising mode, including building and updating models, preparing materials, and helping founders tell a compelling financial story under scrutiny.
• Build and maintain client-specific dashboards, KPI trackers, and reporting tools that give leadership teams real visibility into what's working and what needs attention.
• Draft financial reports and investor updates that translate complex data into clear, decision-ready language for non-financial audiences.
• Jump into ad hoc projects as they come up, which often means building a one-off analysis from scratch, setting up a new software tool, or migrating data when a client switches systems. You'll figure it out and document what you learn.
• Conduct research and valuation analyses on companies and competitors to support client strategy and fundraising conversations.
• Keep client documentation, templates, and systems organized and accessible, because good information architecture makes everything else run smoother.
• Collaborate with Sandbox partners, teammates, and strategic affiliates to support firm initiatives and community engagement.
• Stay curious and keep building. The tools, industries, and challenges you'll encounter are constantly evolving, and so should you.

We are excited about you because…

• You hold a bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Mathematics, or a related business field and bring 4-6 years of experience in public accounting, finance, consulting, or another analytical role.
• You have a strong command of financial statements and accounting fundamentals, and you don't just read the numbers, you interrogate them. 
• You can spot emerging cash flow issues early and communicate financial insights in a way that drives action.
• You've built trusted relationships with founders or business leaders and are comfortable serving as a primary point of contact for clients, acting as an advisor rather than simply executing tasks.
• You have experience building and reviewing complex financial models, including multi-scenario forecasts, headcount planning, revenue models, and 13-week cash flow projections.
• You know how to pressure-test your work before it reaches investors or a board.
• You understand the mechanics of bookkeeping and month-end close, including chart of accounts structure, reconciliations, and where financial processes tend to break down.
• You are fluent in QuickBooks Online, Excel or Google Sheets, and modern finance tools such as Ramp, Brex, Bill.com, Carta, and Pulley, and can jump in hands-on when needed.
• You communicate clearly with both financial and non-financial audiences, whether explaining a cash flow model to a first-time founder or summarizing performance insights for a leadership team or board.
• You are resourceful, self-directed, and curious, able to manage multiple priorities, ask thoughtful questions, and move work forward even when situations are ambiguous.
• Bonus points if you hold (or plan to pursue) your CPA and have a genuine interest in venture capital, startups, or early-stage company finance.

You will love playing in the Sandbox if our core values resonate with you:

• Curiosity | Be insatiably Curious. Sandboxers demonstrate a relentless appetite for the pursuit of understanding. We never settle for surface level knowledge, but strive to dive deeper, uncover insights, and explore new possibilities.
• Scrappy & Nimble | We understand the gritty business. Sandboxers are resourceful, creative, and resilient professionals who possess an entrepreneurial spirit, understand how to do more with less, and have a bias for action when it comes to solving startups' greatest challenges.
• Growth | Growth is universal. Sandboxers fail forward through experimentation, innovation, and calculated risk-taking to challenge ourselves, push the boundaries, and constantly evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of our team, our clients, and our communities. Growth is exciting. It's also messy. We exist for that part.
• Welcoming & Authentic | Come as you are, we choose you! Sandboxers celebrate and value our employees' and clients' authentic selves to build strong foundations of trust, foster diversity, and create vibrant and inclusive relationships.

Reasons it pays to work at Sandbox (in addition to the pay itself):

• Comprehensive health benefits with employer contribution. It pays to keep your employees healthy.
• Family-friendly, flexible work schedule with generous PTO and mental wellness days. Work-life integration is a thing and we are here to support.
• Employer-matched 401K. No time delays & no vesting schedules. Enroll and keep all money on day one.
• Ongoing professional development and networking opportunities.
• Monthly team events - we sure know how to host a happy hour and we are never too busy to break for a volunteer opportunity.
• Bragging rights that you are part of something BIG!
• Most importantly, you get to go to sleep each night knowing you are helping savvy, driven entrepreneurs achieve their goals - how awesome is that??

At Sandbox, we know you're more than just your resume. Research shows women and people of color are less likely to apply unless they meet every qualification and we think that's a problem. If this role excites you, but your experience doesn't perfectly match every requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Our hiring philosophy looks to weed candidates INTO our process, not weed them out! Who knows, you may be just the right candidate for a future role inside or outside of the Sandbox. Just go for it and submit your resume.

We're also committed to transparency and fairness in compensation. Salary ranges are shared intentionally and are based on factors like experience, market conditions, and geographic location. We believe open conversations around pay help build trust, support equity, and empower candidates to make informed decisions.

Sandbox uses CereHive, an AI-supported hiring platform, to help streamline communication and organize candidate information throughout the hiring experience.  We leverage technology to support our process, not replace our humans.  We're proud to say that every application is reviewed by real people, with the goal of creating a match that feels thoughtful, transparent, and human-led from start to finish.