The Bronx Defenders (BxD) – an innovative, progressive, holistic indigent defense office in the South Bronx – seeks a payroll & finance professional with a commitment to social justice to join the Finance Team as a Payroll & Finance Analyst.
Founded in 1997, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that has developed a nationally recognized model of representation called holistic defense, which provides people with teams of lawyers, social workers, and advocates to defend them zealously in court as well as to address the underlying drivers and enmeshed penalties of legal system involvement.
Since opening our doors, we have grown into an organization of more than 400 staff members defending nearly 20,000 New Yorkers each year in criminal, family, civil, and immigration proceedings who face incarceration, family separation, eviction, and deportation, among other devastating consequences.
Today we are reimagining the role of public defense even further, using community organizing and engagement, legislative advocacy, and impact litigation to partner with the communities we represent to bring about long-lasting systemic change.
We also share our model and lessons learned with current and future public defenders. We run two legal clinics at NYC law schools and train public defenders from one end of the country to the next on how to move to a holistic model of representation.
Responsibilities
The Payroll & Finance Analyst is a new role created in response to the organization’s growth and evolution. This position is an integral part of The Bronx Defenders Finance Team. The candidate must take ownership of projects related to the Payroll, Administrative Accounting and Financial aspects of the company. The Payroll & Finance Analyst handles a range of tasks from financial and accounting data analysis and compilation to check processing.
- Process invoices via AP software Stampli (Coding & sending invoices out to MDs for approval)
- Compile and present weekly AP aging reports to the Controller and CFO for approval
- Process and mail payments to vendors
- Draft ACH payments, wires and enter positive pay and debit block ID information into bank portals
- Follow up with approvers to ensure timely invoice approval
- Communicate with vendors regarding purchases, invoices, missing documentation to ensure timely vendor payments
- Void and reissue uncashed checks over 90 days
- Review bank account for returned ACH payments
- Support payroll processing and payroll software implementation
- Support payroll manager with review and coding of employee reimbursements
- Prepare and maintain 1099 vendor records
- Assist with monthly credit card reconciliation
- Draft reclass entries related to AP expenditures
- Obtain the list of approved payables to be submitted for final review & check print
- File & keep records for reporting and audit purposes
- Conduct analyses and compile financial reports
- Generate and share vendor information with development team in a timely manner
- Perform general accounting and clerical functions to support the finance department and managers
- Liaise between finance, staff, vendors, and consultants
- Support finance team members on annual, agency and pension audits
- Analyze and process confidential financial company and employee information
- Perform other finance associated tasks/special projects assigned by the Controller or the CFO
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration preferred
- Minimum of 3 years of nonprofit finance experience, including experience with Accounts Payable, Payroll, General Accounting, and reporting
Candidates must demonstrate:
- Experience working in and with racial, ethnic, and socioeconomically marginalized communities
- Ability to effectively and respectfully communicate, collaborate, and connect with people with various backgrounds, identities, positions, and experiences
- Ability to work well independently as well as collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team of lawyers and non-lawyers
- Skilled in multitasking; demonstrating meticulous attention to detail to meet deadlines in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
- Ability to think critically and creatively
- Knowledge of financial operations, laws, and terminology
- Strong accounting and bookkeeping skills
- Strong computer skills
- Skilled in analyzing and preparing financial reports
- Ability to efectively monitor expenditures and maintain high quality data
- Familiarity with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) as applied in a non-profit context
- Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) & related financial reporting
- Intermediate level expertise in databases such as INTACCT and Salesforce
- Intermediate to expert-level proficiency with Microsoft Office
- Ability to receive constructive feedback, demonstrate introspection, and shift behavior accordingly
- Ability to exercise excellent judgment, discretion, and confidentiality with sensitive matters
Preferred but not required:
- Knowledge of federal and non-federal regulations and operational policies
This is a hybrid position requiring in-person work 2-3 days per week
- Salary is commensurate with experience. For candidates with 35 years of directly relevant
experience the salary range for this position is $75,000-$90,000 annually. Full-time employees are also eligible for a comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to medical, dental and vision coverage; a 403(b) plan with employer contribution; a generous vacation, sick leave, and parental leave policy.
Approximately 70% of The Bronx Defenders' staff, including attorneys and non-attorneys, are represented by UAW Local 2325 - Association of Legal Aid Attorneys (AFL-CIO). This position is not within the bargaining unit.
This position is non-exempt. By law, nonexempt employees are compensated hourly based on their annual rate and therefore are entitled to over-time, whereas exempt employees are not.
To apply, please click APPLY TO THIS JOB ONLINE and upload your resume and cover letter in one document. Your resume will be used to determine your salary based on the number of years of directly relevant professional experience and should include all relevant professional experience. Applications without a written cover letter will not be considered.
The Bronx Defenders is an equal opportunity employer and is cultivating a workplace that embraces staff with a diversity of backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We acknowledge the ways in which systemic oppression and injustice can undermine access to professional opportunities and are committed to conducting hiring and promotion processes that are equitable and accessible to those commonly excluded from the workforce. We do not discriminate against and encourage applicants from marginalized communities to apply, including those who identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, transgender, gender non-conforming, disabled, neurodivergent, and those directly impacted by criminal, civil, family, and immigration legal systems. We value lived as well as professional experience and particularly welcome applications from the Bronx community that we work with.
