Accounting Administrator

DEPARTMENT: Finance

HOURS OF WORK: This position is a full-time permanent position (35 hours per week). Some weekends and evenings may be required a few times during the year as it relates to year-end activities, audit season, grants adjudication, or Board meetings.

REPORTS TO: Controller

LOCATION: Our office is in downtown Vancouver and we provide the option to work remotely from anywhere in BC. However, this role will be required to go into the office roughly twice per month or as needed to perform required tasks.

ACCESSIBILITY: Our office is located on the 15th floor of a building with elevator access and accessible, gender-neutral washrooms and additional accessibility considerations.  

SALARY: $77,569 to $99,116 annual salary based on experience (we expect someone new to the Foundation to start at the lower end of this range)

POSTING DATE: September 10, 2024

POSTING CLOSING DATE: Until filled

ABOUT THE LAW FOUNDATION OF BC

The Law Foundation of British Columbia (the Foundation) invests in work that empowers people and strengthens communities, aimed at creating a future where systems of law and justice support all people to live and thrive in dignity.

The Foundation makes grants using funds arising from the interest paid on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts and other sources.

Through its funding, the Foundation supports many programs and services that seek to promote justice for people at both an individual and systemic level. This includes funding targeted at racial justice initiatives, supporting a network of advocacy and legal aid services, providing educational opportunities, and supporting access to legal information, to name a few.

A significant focus of the Foundation’s work is to provide funding support for Indigenous peoples’ work on justice initiatives, as prioritized by Indigenous communities, whether involving Canadian law or Indigenous legal orders.

Working at the Foundation means joining a team of passionate, hard-working professionals. We are committed to building and supporting an inclusive and respectful working environment, where all employees are valued for their contributions to our mission. 

We offer a comprehensive benefits program, which includes:

• generous health and dental coverage for employees, their spouses, and dependents


• 3 weeks’ annual vacation as a base, and late December office closure


• additional paid time off for Indigenous Leave for Ceremonial, Cultural, and Spiritual events and practices


• family friendly workplace policies, parental leave top-ups, life insurance plan, and a workplace culture with an overarching emphasis on wellness and work life balance


• RRSP contribution of 6% of salary without matching requirement


• annual wellness spending account for each employee


• generous care days (sick leave) entitlement


• flexible work arrangements


• relevant professional fees and memberships covered


• training and professional development opportunities

In its hiring practices, the Foundation strongly encourages applications from members of communities that are marginalized or that experience structural discrimination including those identifying as Indigenous, people of colour, members of non-dominant ethnic, religious, linguistic, and/or cultural groups, women, (im)migrants/newcomers, people with (dis)abilities, and LGBTQ2S+ people. The Foundation believes that a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve strengthens our ability to achieve our mission.

To learn more about what we do, please visit www.lawfoundationbc.org. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Accounting Administrator is a member of a dynamic Law Foundation team that is working to create, amplify and support innovative solutions to difficult access to justice challenges and systemic inequities that affect the well-being of diverse communities in British Columbia.

Reporting to the Controller, the Accounting Administrator plays a critical role within the Foundation, processing transactions and supporting financial operations, maintaining financial records, and supporting month-end close responsibilities. The ideal candidate for this role is passionate about the Foundation’s values, detail-oriented and thorough, and is committed to efficiency, accuracy, and clarity.

The Foundation is at an exciting juncture in its history, with opportunities in all areas of its work to breathe life into the new strategic plan. It is also in a period of transition following leadership renewal and pursuing structural and operational change to respond to the new challenges it faces. While the implementation of the five strategic priorities is an all-of- Foundation endeavour, it is intended that this position advances the Foundation’s mission through the key focus area of Building a Thriving Foundation, which aims to provide the Foundation with strong infrastructure and resources to serve its mandate.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Administration and Treasury: Support the accounting team with finance administrative tasks such as opening confidential mail for the Finance team, performing cheque deposits and bank transfers, and maintaining clear and organized records and scans of all transactions, and managing files in the office.


• Trust Interest Remittances: Scan, save, and file trust interest remittance reports as they come in. Complete trust interest reconciliations between bank trust reports and interest received.


• Month-End Close: Prepare calculations, journal entries, reconciliations, and other tasks in the month-end close process.


• Credit Card Reconciliations: Reconcile and code the Foundation’s monthly credit card transactions against submitted receipts, performing any follow-up as needed.


• Filings and Returns: Assist with issuing and filing T4A and T4A-NR returns for applicable individuals and organizations in adherence to CRA guidelines and deadlines.


• Financial Operations: Provide back-up support for payroll and payables processing, including vendor payments, grant payments, micro-deposits, advisory fees, and expense reimbursements.


• Financial Administration of Grants: Maintain and update grant records to ensure financial information is accurate and up to date, including payment and reporting schedules, approvals, bank information, and other fields as necessary.


• Internal Controls: Execute various financial internal controls to ensure accuracy and integrity in financial reporting.


• Administrative Support: Provide general administrative support to the Finance team, including scheduling meetings and Team days, filing documents, and managing correspondences and shared Finance inboxes.


• Accounting and Finance Policies: Support the accounting team with development and maintenance of finance training and reference materials.


• Ad-hoc Projects: Provide support for finance projects on an as-needed


• Relationship Management: Collaborate with various internal and external contacts, including senior management, cross-functional teammates, and external parties such as auditors, tax advisors, and regulatory authorities. Build strong relationships and ensure effective communication.

Note: This job may require additional responsibilities and duties as assigned by the Law Foundation of British Columbia. This job may require infrequent travel within the province.

DESIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

The Accounting Administrator must have one or a combination (or equivalent) of the following:

• Completion of relevant coursework and/or relevant work experience in accounting, bookkeeping, business administration, or a related field.


• Experience with a variety of accounting software and ERP.


• Familiarity with accounting principles and concepts.


• Experience working in a nonprofit or foundation environment an asset.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & CORE COMPETENCIES

The Accounting Administrator would benefit from the following skills, abilities, and attributes:

• Adept at spotting discrepancies and variances, high attention to detail, ability to meticulously review and verify financial documents and transactions.


• Excellent written and oral communications skills.


• Ability to exercise tact, good judgement and discretion and work independently in a remote team environment.


• Familiarity with the non-profit sector.


• Enthusiasm to commit to the Law Foundation’s vision, mission, and values of reciprocity, equity, decolonization, sustainability and transformation.


• Thoughtful and reflexive approach to individual social location, power and privilege, with a strong understanding of personal strengths and areas for growth.


• Ability to co-create a culturally safe working environment that is inclusive of diverse intersecting identities.


• Fluency and comfort with software and programs used in our work, including Microsoft Office 365, Teams, Zoom and strong aptitude to master other relevant workplace software applications.

Please do not be discouraged from applying if you do not possess the precise combination of all of the skills, attributes, qualifications, and experience listed above. Furthermore, if your lived experience provides you with a foundation that is equivalent to the work experience listed, you are encouraged to describe that in your application.

Application Process:

Please submit the following through this application portal:

1. Resume (upload as PDF)


2. Cover letter (upload as PDF)


3. Three references who can speak to your skills and experience (whether paid or unpaid).  Please enter these directly into the provided fields in the portal. The Law Foundation may request that a candidate provide supplemental references if required.  We will not contact these references without providing you notice, and not until a later stage of the hiring process.

Interviews will be conducted by Foundation staff by video. The Foundation will make appropriate accommodations, if needed, for candidates that we interview.

By submitting your application, you certify that all information submitted is true, complete and correct. Any information provided in your application, any assessment documents or processes and/or an interview that is found to be false or misrepresented in any respect, may eliminate you from further consideration for employment or may result in dismissal.

We acknowledge that the Foundation’s main office is located in Vancouver on the shared lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and conducts its work throughout the homelands of Indigenous peoples across the place we now call British Columbia.  The Law Foundation of BC is committed to supporting a just and meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and others in these lands.

If you are interested in applying and have questions about the process, please contact Crystal Bootsma at crystal@eleveneleventalent.com.