Accounting Manager

Join Friends of the Mississippi River's finance team to help us maintain the organization's financial health and sustain our work to protect the Mississippi River. The Accounting Manager position is 40 hours/week, with benefits.

About FMR

The Mississippi River is one of the world's great rivers, a natural resource of global significance. Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) is a leading nonprofit that protects, restores and enhances the Mississippi River and its watershed primarily in the Twin Cities region. The organization has become a national model for conservation and watershed protection. Our goals are to: improve water quality; conserve important lands; engage people in learning about and taking action to protect and enhance the river; inspire widespread commitment to this natural wonder flowing through our community; and protect our river's unique scenic, natural, cultural and recreational qualities.
 
The organization has an annual budget of $4.7 million and employs a dedicated, professional staff of 27 who work to improve the health of the river through policy advocacy, education and engagement, land conservation and restoration and other disciplines. Over 30 years, FMR has established deep relationships and credibility with thousands of local residents, landowners, neighborhood organizations, volunteers, government agencies and elected officials.
 
With a well-known and respected brand, a seasoned and effective staff, a strong Board of Directors, and an ever-growing base of support, FMR is poised for continued growth and success. The workplace culture at FMR is collaborative and fun, and staff share a common love of the river and a dedication to the organization's mission.

Our office is located in St. Paul's West Side community, in a historic building across the street from Harriet Island and the river. We enjoy a pet-friendly workplace, and a hybrid working arrangement (Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the office; Monday, Thursday and Friday anywhere you choose). 
 
FMR believes that the Mississippi River connects us all, and that social and environmental issues are woven together. As we work toward restoring habitat and the river's waters, we will also work toward a riverway that is safe, healing and accessible for everyone. We strive to be culturally competent, welcoming and inclusive of all people and are committed to using our resources and influence to redress structural inequality where it intersects with the health and vitality of the Mississippi River. We encourage interested applicants from all backgrounds to apply. Learn more about equity at FMR.

Accounting Manager position description

The Accounting Manager reports to the Finance Director and collaborates with them to manage FMR's finances, including monitoring all transactions in QuickBooks Online. The Accounting Manager attends Finance Committee meetings, works with external auditors, performs many HR duties, including payroll & benefits, and provides support for grant reporting/invoicing. They oversee (but do not supervise) the bookkeeper's work and provide feedback as needed. 

Responsibilities

• Meet regularly with the Finance Director to coordinate finance/accounting functions
  • Assist in HR tasks – such as managing the benefits enrollment process (new hires, changes, renewals) and the impact on payroll
  • Assist, as needed, in evaluating projections, the budgeting process, and managing class codes and general ledger accounts
  • Provide support, as needed, with insurance renewals, workers-comp audits, certificate of insurance requests, lobbyist reports, sales tax reports, and Charities Review Council reporting
• Ensure the accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting
  • Reconcile all asset & liability accounts bi-monthly and save documentation
  • Provide bi-monthly financial statements with comments to the finance committee, board of directors, and staff directors
  • Review bi-monthly actuals to year-end projections before each finance committee meeting
• Work with the external auditors to ensure a clean audit and GAAP financial statements
  • Review and/or complete year-end workpapers, per the auditors' list and/or others as needed
  • Provide other information as needed and address any adjustments needed
  • Compare the audited financial report and 990 to QuickBooks Online (QBO) statements to ensure all numbers can be traced to actual accounts within QBO.
• Attend all finance committee meetings
  • Present bi-monthly financial statements
• Provide financial grant management for all government, corporate and foundation grants
  • Determine the nature of the grant (restricted/unrestricted; reimbursable, etc.)
  • Assist with state and federal grant invoicing, including regular pulls of all expenses related to grant and project budgets 
  • Work closely with staff to ensure proper documentation of the financial information needed for grant tracking, reporting and invoicing, including: 
    • Time tracking in Paychex Flex
    • Year-to-date and grant-to-date expenditures to properly invoice and follow up on payment of accounts receivable
• Manage/review the completion of accounting tasks/entries by the bookkeeper, including:
  • Payroll (bi-weekly processing, journal entries, time-off tracking, Paychex administration of codes, various HR functions, new hires, etc.)
  • Vendor bills and employee reimbursements (QBO entries & payments via ACH/checks)
  • Receipts and credit card entries in QBO
  • Cash receipts (QBO entries as "sales" &/or payments on A/R)
    • Reconciliation of QBO receipts with the database and development team
    • Bank reconciliation
• Support the finance team to improve accounting/record-keeping functions, internal controls, segregation of duties and proper documentation of all financial entries
  • Periodically review accounting policies
  • Create/update standard operating procedures, as needed 
• Complete special projects and analyses as requested by the Finance Director or other staff members

Qualifications

• Accounting degree or equivalent, with CPA and/or MBA preferred
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a similar accounting position, preferably in a nonprofit
• Experience in government grant invoicing strongly preferred
• Proficiency in QuickBooks & MS-Excel
• Experience with Bonterra/Every Action and Paychex is preferred but not required
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, and the ability to present complex financial information clearly
• Ability to follow through to achieve results, both independently and as part of a team
• Excellent time management, organizational skills, and attention to detail
• Self-motivated with initiative and a positive, proactive attitude
• Strong personal commitment to the organization's mission and values

Salary and benefits

This is a full-time position. The salary range is $74,000-$78,000 commensurate with experience (benchmarked against the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Salary & Benefits Survey). Benefits include health, dental and short-term disability insurance; a retirement plan with employer match; and generous paid vacation, sick, personal, holiday and sabbatical leave.