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Finance & Administration Coordinator Job Description
Release date: November 22, 2020
The Mission
The Committee on Sustainability Assessment, COSA, mission is to accelerate sustainability by advancing smart performance metrics and innovative technologies, enabling users to take better decisions that make a tangible difference for people and planet. Our clients are corporations, including some Fortune 500 brands and retailers, and public sector institutions. Our tools and services help our clients understand vital issues in their supply chains or sustainability programs (e.g., child labor, food security, deforestation) and understand where their efforts to improve conditions are having the desired impact. Due to the large reach of our clients’ supply chains and scale of investments, the knowledge generated by COSA for its clients can have outsized impacts on sustainability and poverty.
Current Need
Our Finance and Administration team is growing. We are looking for a key staff person to provide effective support to our day-to-day finance and administrative functions in a small, dynamic NGO. The ideal hire is very competent with financial records and bookkeeping functions, experienced with complex grant reporting requirements for international and US funders, and a team player who will contribute to our finance and general administration procedures, all conducted in a virtual (fully remote) environment.
What we’re looking for
As a member of a small organization with a global reach and a challenging ambition, this role requires a high degree of flexibility. The right individual should have the ability to independently solve non-routine, sometimes complex issues under minimal supervision, balanced with a willingness to request clarification or assistance when uncertainties arise.
Characteristics of the ideal candidate include:
Work style and mindset that are highly detail-oriented, and driven to taking the initiative to continuously improve processes and efficiencies
Aptitude for working in collaborative and service-oriented team environments with maturity and proactive communication skills
Ability to establish work flow priorities to deal with many, sometimes competing or concurrent, tasks
A strong desire to contribute to efforts that advance solutions for some of the world's most pressing sustainability challenges
Responsibilities
1. Finance and accounting. The Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that financial data is managed with accuracy, ensuring proper and robust financial records are kept, providing financial reporting and analysis in support of US-based and EU-based funders, and preparing financial statements.
a. Ensure accurate and timely recording of all transactions into QuickBooks
b. Manage accounts payable and receivable
c. Maintain digital accounting and finance files and archives, according to retention policy
d. Monthly reconciliation of bank accounts, credit card accounts, general ledger accounts and journal processing; reconcile expenses to project budgets
e. Assist in the preparation of monthly management accounts and investigating variances with budget holders, tracking financial benchmarks and dashboards.
f. Support annual preparation of IRS forms, and preparation of required schedules for annual audit.
2. Grants management. The Coordinator is able to comprehend and manage the specific grant requirements established by COSA’s funders and will,
a. Set up budgets in accounting software and monitor budget activity for grants
b. Prepare monthly budget-versus-actual status reports for use by management and to serve as basis for reporting to funders.
c. Identify issues, concerns and problems and communicate with management.
d. Monitor sub-recipient compliance with established administrative and financial policies, procedures, and sound business practices.
3. Administration. The Coordinator supports the smooth operation of COSA’s overall administrative processes, under an ethos of continuous improvement. Responsibilities include:
a. Provide both routine & non-routine administrative support to management: general office duties such as addressing general email correspondence, digital file management, scheduling, and other general admin requests
b. Executive support for COSA’s President (calendaring, emailing on his behalf, etc.) and for team-wide meetings.
c. Prepare reports and statistics based on information compiled from various sources on a regular basis.
d. Manage databases for volunteers and contacts
e. Coordinate, schedule and manage travel, meetings, seminars series, speaking engagements and conferences
Skills and experience needed
1. Intermediate to advanced knowledge of QuickBooks and Excel for data management and reporting, and shared collaborative tools such as Google Workspace and project management software.
2. Demonstrable nonprofit experience in complex grant reporting requirements to funding agencies. (e.g., USAID, USDA, European governmental agencies, and large Foundations.)
Baseline Requirements & Qualifications
1. B.A. (or equivalent degree), preferably Finance or Accounting, Business Administration, or closely-related field, and minimum 2–5 years of relevant work experience
2. A second language (Spanish, Portuguese, French, German) is helpful
About this position
This role will be configured as a part-time role to start (ca. 24-32 hours), likely evolving to a full-time position. The position is remote, from home. Individual(s) must be based in a time zone in the Americas, in order to facilitate collaboration with the Finance and Administration team.
Salary
Commensurate with experience.
Interested applicants
Please send cover letter and resume/CV. Applicants of interest will be contacted to complete an online application form.
Thank you.
