Accounts Payable

The Working Centre is a dynamic community-based organization organized under four key hubs

• Work and Livelihood
• St. John’s Kitchen and Outreach
• Housing and Shelter, and
• Community Tools and Enterprise

Projects range from: employment supports and financial problem solving; an integrated response to homelessness and substance use including a community kitchen hub, medical and mental health supports, street and encampment outreach; a growing network of affordable and supportive housing and shelters; community enterprise projects including cafes, a bicycle recycling shop, a computer recycling shop, a housewares and furniture thrift store.

For the past 40+ years, we have been a gathering of people who are working together intentionally and thoughtfully, responding to the work of community building, thinking creatively, involving people in the work, and keeping our work as non-bureaucratic and responsive as we can. As a living systems organization, our practices and approaches have the openness to evolve, depend on cooperation, responsiveness and hospitality, and cultivate the kind of diversity that makes us hold together as a strong web.

JOB SUMMARY

The Accounts Payable role works as part of our accounting team with a focus on Accounts Payable. This position requires the discipline of small unending details, plus the alertness of the broad picture. The way we pay bills is part of our relationship with suppliers, partners, our team members, and the many people that form a part of our work. By understanding how Accounts Payable forms an integral part of our work, this role will also watch closely how the daily details impact each project, noticing changes, and helping to problem-solve when issues emerge.

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

• Hold focus on and hold responsibility for the Accounts Payable tasks of The Working Centre, understanding how our projects operate as independent projects within a web.
• Keep track of payables and payment processing; maintaining relationships with each vendor, distributing and posting transactions thoughtfully and accurately, processing online payments and cheque writing, ensuring amounts paid are normal and expected.
• Summarize details into accounting system in a way that represents each transaction accurately.
• Support problem-solving when issues arise, using a questing and questioning mind to ensure accuracy and context.
• Hold awareness of payments due dates, cross-checking statements to bills, ensuring the required back-up is available for each payable.
• Support grant and claim submissions by gathering and presenting summaries and backups.
• Participate in the work of our ALERT team – Accounting, Logistics, Emergent Projects, Response, and Tracking Team. Each member holds their own area of focus, while also joining in supporting the agility and responsiveness of The Working Centre.
• Join part of the checking and cross-checking within the ALERT team that ensures we are holding funds with integrity, frugality and accuracy.
• Receive people with kindness, responsiveness and thoughtfulness, within the culture of The Working Centre, while still holding the disciplines of our financial practices. This requires a creative mind – to be able to shift from the particulars of the day-to-day and then open to people’s ideas in a way that encourages active problem solving.

QUALITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Excellent time management skills, with the ability to perform multiple tasks and meet deadlines while maintaining quality.
• Strong organizational ability and ability to follow systems and tracking.
• Ability to summarize large amounts of details into simple statements.
• Able to hold precise details but not use this as control; understand how the work changes as projects emerge and shift on the ground.
• Hard worker who is willing to go the extra mile to meet people and project needs and stay calm under pressure; ability to problem-solve, maintain multiple priorities.
• Willingness to learn the systems and platforms that guide our work. We have a variety of complex systems that work together – we are looking for someone who will not try to simplify the complexity but who will see the way these systems have been developed to allow for our living systems model of work.
• Ability to work well independently as well as to function effectively as a member of a diverse team
• Welcomes other points of view and ideas, recognizing and embracing different and contrary perspectives with kindness, curiosity, and encouragement.
• Willingness to learn with us about how to hold our living systems model and to see the ways that finances can strengthen this model without controlling the results.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

We are looking for someone to join our team full time, working Mondays to Fridays from 9am-5pm.

The Working Centre has always held an equal salary policy across the organization, reducing comparisons and hierarchy. This position starts at $24-$26/hour. We offer a full benefits package that starts after 3 months of full time work.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The Working Centre is a dynamic and highly responsive organization. Co-workers come from all walks of life, a variety of cultural backgrounds, and an eclectic mix of age groups. We are constantly learning and are challenged in our work. Our work is flexible, anchored in key ethical principles, always balancing needs of funders as we work hard to serve growing numbers of people. The work environment is meaningful, respectful and we do good work together.

This work is more than a job – it is about committed community work in a collaborative environment. If you think that this role would make you excited to come to work every day, we’d like to hear from you.

Email your application to working@theworkingcentre.org and include:

• A cover letter explaining your interest in this position, our organization and how your experience and skill would be a good fit.
• Your resume

We thank everyone who applies for this position. We will only reach out to people who we will invite to an interview. We do not use AI in screening applications.