Financial Support Analyst

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 120 people, plus over 150 associates and consultants, come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.

General:

The person in this position will be a member of the general accounting team. They will be responsible for assisting the Controllers (IISD and Experimental Lakes Area [ELA]) and Senior Accounting Manager in maintaining the financial accounting records of the Institute while also working closely in coordination and collaboration with the Program Financial Analysts.

Responsibilities:

Program Financial Analyst Backup Support: 50%

• Compute revenue by project on a monthly basis.
• Liaise with external auditors during corporate audits and project audits.
• Assist in the preparation of the annual forecast and budget.
• Assist program staff in preparing project budgets and in interpreting actual results compared to the budget.
• Prepare a project contribution margin analysis on a monthly basis and investigate variances.
• Respond to routine inquiries from funders and Program Directors or Project Managers.
• Keep track of and ensure external funder financial reporting deadlines are met; keep the Project Managers and Controller informed of the deadlines.
• Open project codes along with appropriate GL expense and revenue codes once the proper cost template is provided by Project Managers.
• Assemble invoices and reports for funders, including copies of supporting vouchers as required; follow up on outstanding invoices.
• Review funder contracts for financial reporting and other administrative compliance covenants and summarize them for future reference.
• Cooperate with the Controller in verifying project budget provisions.
• Liaise between Directors or Project Managers and funders on reports and flow of funds.
• Ensure project support electronic files and hard copy project files are maintained in accordance with IISD’s policies.
• Support programs with project proposals as requested.
• Perform training and onboarding of new program financial analysts.
• Other Program Financial Analyst duties.

Accounting Support: 40%

• Assist the accounts payable team during peak transaction periods in processing payments, which includes but is not limited to reviewing payment submissions, account coding, recording the payment in the general ledger, and making electronic payments via online banking or cheques.
• Assist with the accounts receivable function, which includes coding of payments received, account reconciliations, and invoice creation.
• Backup support to the following roles: Accounting Assistant, Accounting Manager.
• Assist in the review of outstanding deliverables awaiting processing by Accounting in the Contractor Payment System.
• Review Expense Claim submissions to ensure compliance with IISD policies.
• Assist in the management of the corporate credit card program, including monthly reconciliations and follow-up on employee statement submissions.
• Assist in mailroom functions, including postage and mailing of parcels.
• Assist with monthly reconciliation of GL bank accounts for both IISD and ELA.
• General ledger functions, such as entering reclassification transactions between codes and preparing monthly payment batches.
• Banking functions, such as maintaining a working relationship with banking personnel and preparing the daily e-deposit of cheques as required.
• Other general accounting and finance duties.

Contracting/Procurement Backup Support:10%

• Enter data into the online contractor deliverable system and file contractor profiles and agreements/letters in the project support office as required.
• Prepare amendment/termination letters for contractor agreements as required.
• Quarterly notification of outstanding contractor deliverables to project managers and accounting, including processing and follow-up as required.
• Yearly preparation of 1099-MISC forms for contractors with a USA tax obligation.
• Other contracting/procurement duties.

Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Two years of work experience, including the creation of financial reports for third-party review.
• University degree in business administration/commerce with a major in accounting.
• Experience being a member of an audit team or having work reviewed by an external audit team.
• Progress toward an accounting designation would be considered an asset.
• Strong English communication skills (written and verbal).
• Demonstrated initiative or willingness to understand project-based financial activities in order to assist project staff in managing project budgets.
• Demonstrated ability to improve processes.
• Demonstrated ability to work remotely, independently, and as a member of a team.
• Proficiency with accounting systems, Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook.

Location:  This position will be a hybrid home/office role based in Winnipeg (a minimum of 1–2 days a week in the office weekly will be required).

Salary: $55,000–$60,000 (salary commensurate with experience)

Closing date:  Feb 20, 2023, or until filled

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English. Accommodations for job applicants with disabilities are available on request.

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for Canada.

Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.

Please include the following:

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A cover letter (one page)
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional)

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for 1 year.

IISD has implemented a COVID-19 vaccination policy that requires employees who are required or choose to be at an office or participate in in-person team events or in-person meetings/events to be fully vaccinated. Anyone unable to be fully vaccinated, either because of a sincerely held religious belief or a medical condition or a disability that prevents them from being fully vaccinated, can request a reasonable accommodation.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants’ advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.