Bookkeeper / Staff Accountant — US CPA Firm (QBO)

We are a small, established CPA firm in Springfield, Missouri (USA) looking for ONE dedicated, experienced bookkeeper to handle bookkeeping for our small business clients. This is a direct-hire role — you work for me, not a staffing agency. One client, one boss, full accountability.

All work is reviewed by a CPA before delivery to the client. You will have support and feedback, not pressure to be the final word.

This is NOT a bank-feed matching role. We need someone who actually understands accounting and can think.

The Role
You will handle day-to-day bookkeeping for multiple small business clients (restaurants, construction, professional services, water districts). Specifically:

Enter and pay bills in QuickBooks Online (and occasionally QuickBooks Desktop — 90/10 split favoring Online)
Reconcile bank accounts monthly
Review the General Ledger for client mispostings and propose corrective reclassifications
Identify when something coded as an expense should be a fixed asset (and vice versa)
Maintain Fixed Asset listings — add new assets, retire old ones, record depreciation expense
Properly split loan payments between interest and principal
Print and review Balance Sheet and P&L for obvious errors before submitting for CPA review
Use Excel and Word for supporting workpapers; willingness to use AI tools to improve efficiency

Required (Non-Negotiable)
Strong, current, hands-on QuickBooks Online experience (heavy daily use, not just exposure)
Working knowledge of QuickBooks Desktop
Real accounting education — Bachelor's in Accountancy or equivalent
Solid understanding of debits/credits and US GAAP fundamentals
Ability to look at a GL and spot what's wrong — not just record what the bank tells you
Strong written and spoken English
Reliable internet and a quiet, dedicated workspace

This is NOT a training position. We will train you on our clients and our procedures. We will NOT teach you accounting. You need to already understand the difference between an asset and an expense, between interest and principal, between a reclassification and a new transaction.
Nice to Have

Prior experience working with a US-based CPA or accounting firm
Philippine CPA designation
Excel proficiency beyond basics (pivot tables, lookups, formulas)
Experience using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) in an accounting workflow

Schedule
40 hours per week dedicated to me only — not split across other clients
Minimum 4-hour daily overlap with US Central Time (flexible on which 4)
Long-term role — I want someone who stays 3+ years

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary depends on experience (see wage field)
Paid via Wise or PayPal
13th month bonus (paid December)
Annual raise of $150–$200/month after each year of service
Paid Filipino holidays
$50/month internet/electricity stipend
Paid time off after 90 days
Long-term stability with a firm that values its team and reviews your work

To Apply
Send: (1) your resume, (2) a brief note on your QBO experience — types of clients, years, what you handled day-to-day, and (3) your answer to this scenario:
"A client coded a $12,000 payment to 'Office Equipment Expense' for a new copier purchased for their office. The copier will be used for 5 years. Is this posting correct? If not, what would you do?"
Applications that skip question #3 will not be reviewed. AI-generated cover letters will be obvious and ignored.