The Detroit Justice Center (DJC), an innovative community law practice, seeks a part-time temporary Contract Accountant. DJC is founded on the belief that we cannot build cities that work for everyone without remedying the impacts of mass incarceration and transforming our justice system. This position is a unique opportunity to support DJC in its mission to deliver community lawyering services, create economic opportunities, and promote just cities. We have established a set of values to guide our work, and we seek an Accountant who will deeply align with them.
Position Overview:
The Part-time temporary Accountant role is a new position created to ensure business continuity for finance, accounting, and operations functions while full-time accounting and finance staff are out on various leaves. This position will support the Director of Finance and Operations in managing the organization's day-to-day financial activities, ensuring that financial records are maintained efficiently and effectively in accordance with US GAAP. This position will work closely with the Director of Finance & Operations to execute financial projects, managing the financial structure across the entire organization.
Key Responsibilities:
Accounting/Recordkeeping (60%)
Record all revenue transactions by class as required (includes accounts receivable).
Record all vendor invoices by class as required.
Match bank deposits to receipts via QuickBooks.
Facilitate vendor payments electronically and match to related vendor invoice by class.
Record Payroll entries into QuickBooks as required.
Record periodic accruals as required.
Support preparation of monthly Budget vs Forecast, Budget vs Actual, Forecast vs Actual analysis.
Complete monthly reconciliation of all bank and credit card Accounts.
Complete month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes to verify all entries have been created and posted, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and reporting integrity.
Complete variance analyses to identify material deviations from budget.
Complete bi-weekly payroll processing, new employee adds, and reimbursements.
Support processing of annual bonuses, merit increases, and all things related to employee compensation.
Support development of processes and procedures to ensure security of organizational financial assets, prevent fraud.
Provide financial information and reporting required for grant proposals and reporting.
Support Director of Finance and Operations with ad hoc projects as needed.
Financial Reporting (20%)
Compile monthly financial reporting package.
Manage organization-wide accounting schedules:
Fixed Assets and Depreciation
Restricted Equity
Grants & Accounts Receivable
Accounts Payable
Runway report
Cash Flow schedules
Review Payroll schedules provided by the Payroll administrator for accuracy.
Review and maintain the computer asset schedule provided by our technology vendor.
Assist in the development of grant reports as required.
Prepare department budget-to-actuals and review with department leads on a quarterly basis.
Prepare financial package summary on a quarterly basis for board report
Create ad hoc analyses as needed.
Operations (20%)
Support Operations team functions (Finance, Logistics, Technology, Administration, and Facilities Management), managing projects by creating and communicating work plans, and setting strategy.
Help develop and implement operational processes and procedures for DJC, specifically related to finance.
Assist with ensuring DJC is in compliance with local, state and federal regulations, including but not limited to insurance renewals, state business registration and charitable solicitation licensing.
Required Skills/Abilities:
Values alignment: The successful candidate for this position will have a deep passion for and alignment with DJC’s mission and values.
Manages a high volume of work with efficiency: Has, or can create, a system for keeping tasks from slipping through the cracks. Able to juggle competing demands and prioritize without sacrificing quality. Plans backward to meet deadlines. Asks for help when needed.
Attention to detail: Notices and fixes errors that others might overlook. Acknowledges mistakes and turns them into learning opportunities. Has a track record of leaving things better than they found them.
Strong sense of ownership and resilience: Plans ahead and finds alternative paths, when needed, to get to the finish line. Bounces back from setbacks and rejections. Holds a high bar even when things are hectic.
Attentive, empathetic leadership: Enthusiasm for meeting and engaging with people. Empathizes with the communities we serve. Able to put people at ease, especially when there are lines of difference. Listens closely to understand needs or concerns and takes steps based on that input. Responds to people in a timely manner. Takes pride in providing clear, helpful information.
Trustworthiness and realness: Comes across as genuine. Says what they mean. Builds authentic relationships across lines of difference, such as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, ability, gender identity, citizenship status, or other identities. Follows through on commitments.
Education and Experience:
Bachelor of Science degree in accounting or finance required.
5-7 years’ experience.
Experience with Quickbooks online accounting
Experience working with and/for Not-For-Profit organizations
The target compensation for this role is $50 per hour. This position is expected to work 10 to 25 hours per week, based on workload and organizational needs. DJC is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. People of color, women, LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, and individuals with past involvement in the justice system or who have loved ones currently or formerly in the justice system are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application Instructions:
To apply for this role, please submit your application materials through our careers website here. Make sure to refresh your webpage to view the posting. Please be sure to include a resume, cover letter, and references in one .pdf or .doc (Word) file. Applications will be reviewed as received, and all are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, but no later than Sunday, August 17th.
Notes from our Operations team:
We are a chill group who love our community and are focused on getting things done, supporting our co-workers and the DJC organization at large. We are integral and serious about our work, and our vibe is “Let’s get er done!” while still operating humanely, efficiently, and with an eye on fairness and equality. We view our team as the backbone of the organization, tasked with ensuring we have a solid foundation and systems in place so that our co-workers can do their jobs with as few disruptions as possible, while maintaining clear rules, boundaries, and transparency.
The optimal person for this role has a significant amount of accounting experience, extensive knowledge of quickbooks, microsoft excel and the needs of a growing social justice not-for-profit organization. This person is organized and serious about their work but also don’t take themselves too seriously, life is still meant to be lived!
