Accounting Associate

About this position

Accounting Associate

ACCOUNTING ASSOCIATE

JOB DETAILS Industry: Community Foundation

Employment Type:

Full‑time Employment Status:
Exempt

Job Functions:

Finance & Administration Direct Reports: 0 Position

Reports to:

Controller Career Pathway: A200 Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Bemidji MN

Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) is one of the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs) established by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to assist Minnesota's rural regions during the farm crisis in the 1980s. As the region's MIF and the only community foundation in the region, NMF has been serving the vast nonprofit community in northwest Minnesota for more than 30 years. NMF provides grants and loans to organizations and small businesses and scholarships to individuals within the 12‑county region and the two tribal nations.

Since its founding, NMF has invested millions to help make the region a better place to live and work.

The Accounting Associate position is accountable for recording accounting, grants, donor and lending transactions. Duties will also include accounts payable and some payroll functions. This role supports and reports directly to the Controller with transactional accounting activities. Key responsibilities include assisting with month‑end close, performing bank reconciliations, and supporting year‑end processes, including the annual audit, Form 990, and other reporting requirements.

The Accounting Associate also provides support for administrative functions, including routine IT‑related tasks and other admin duties. This position plays a key role in ensuring accurate financial records, responsive internal service, and smooth office operations.

• Work closely with the Controller and other members of the finance team on accounting, grants, donor and lending transaction management in addition to bank and other account reconciliations as needed to support the audit and other financial reporting needs.
• Reconcile all deposits to what has been received in the bank. Assist in processing monthly journal entries such as prepaids, fixed assets, bank transactions, overhead, departmental allocations, vacation, sick and other benefit accruals, as well as other accrued liabilities.
• Process all bills according to the proper coding and prepare the monthly bill report to present to the Board of Directors.
• Assist with the month‑end close process, including monthly bank account reconciliations. At year‑end, assist with tasks supporting the annual audit and preparation of the Form 990 information return. Perform additional reporting reviews and compliance‑related reporting as needed.
• Responsible for accounts payable, including processing vendor invoices, ensuring proper coding and documentation, maintaining vendor records, and supporting timely payment processing.
• Assist the Staff Accountant and Controller with recurring financial reports, reconciliations, audits, and other accounting projects as assigned.
• Assist with payroll‑related tasks, including tracking and reporting earned and used benefit hours, and verifying expense reports against supporting documentation and appropriate account and fund coding.
• Process ACH transactions and loan receipts, matching receipts to the proper loan and fund within our lending software. Maintain lender bank account information for ease of processing ACH pulls and assist with reconciling loans receivable.
• Support the Director of Technology with light IT tasks, such as onboarding and offboarding tasks, equipment coordination, invoice processing, etc.
• Provide some administrative support for the Finance and HR departments.
• Maintain shared files, documentation, and accounting‑related systems to support accurate recordkeeping and internal controls.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

• Have a general understanding of cash and accounting transactions and reconciliations. Support the Controller in monitoring cash needs and cash availability, assisting with tracking and reporting, and maintain accurate records to support cash flow awareness.
• Serve as a role model for strict adherence to internal controls and all…