Junior Accountant

Roots of Empathy is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning children’s charity, founded in 1996 by Founder/President, Mary Gordon; social entrepreneur, educator, parenting expert, child advocate and best- selling author. The organization and its Founder have received prestigious international and national awards for innovation, including the Governor General’s Award for Innovation and The Order of Canada.

Roots of Empathy develops empathy in children today so they can build the world that they deserve. We’ve reached 1.2 million children globally with our elementary school-based programs and we have 2 decades of independent research to prove impact. Our flagship program, Roots of Empathy reduces violence, aggression, and bullying and increases pro-social behavior, while promoting resilience, well-being, and positive mental health in children. The organization also delivers a sister program to Roots of Empathy, called Seeds of Empathy, which is delivered to 3 to 5 year olds in child care centres in Canada, US, and UK.

Our mission is to build caring, peaceful, and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults. Our vision is to change the world, child by child. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, the organization delivers its programs in all ten Canadian provinces and on three continents in multiple languages.

Roots of Empathy is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our organization. We believe we are stronger when we not only celebrate our many differences, values, and voices, but also include them in practice. This means our organization will actively work to understand and remove barriers to equity and inclusion, be they systematic, physical, or otherwise for all employees including our Board of Directors.

Junior accountant role, 3 days per week

Position overview

The Junior Accountant supports the finance department by handling daily financial transactions, ensuring accurate record-keeping, and maintaining compliance with regulations. Core responsibilities include, but not limited to managing the general ledger, recording of donations and grants, processing accounts payable, and supporting the reconciling bank statements. This position also supports the monthly and year-end closing processes, prepares financial and donor reports for the board and management, and assists with the annual audit process.

Roots of Empathy is located steps from the St. Patrick subway station and AGO

Key Responsibilities

Bookkeeping and Accounts Payable/Receivable:

1. Process, code and record all financial records, on a timely basis, to ensure the general ledger is updated daily
2. Review all cash, cheques, and credit card deposits, on a timely basis, received by, and related to the provincial and regional offices deposits, and post the entries to the accounting system
3. Review and post the monthly credit card transactions to the accounting system
4. Verify the accuracy of credit card statements and expense reports on a monthly basis
5. Act as back up for accounts payable data entry for processing and enquiries
6. Match various bank entries to support reconciliation
7. Adhere and contribute to database policies, procedures, and systems to ensure the integrity of financial data. To be aware and compliant with financial policies and procedures, ensuring approvals and accounting general ledger coding is correct
8. Prepare and post journal entries as required and ensure data integrity in accounting system
9. Regularly update inventory records for monthly reporting in QBO
10. Regularly record donations into QBO and CRM

Financial Reporting Support:

1. Support month-end and year-end closing activities by collecting necessary documentation and preparing preliminary financial and donor reports

Payroll Support:

1. Support salaries and benefits approvals for input into ADP
2. Prepare and post payroll journal entries, expenses and expense re-imbursements

Administrative Tasks

1. Perform ad hoc and other duties as required by finance team

Required Professional Designation/Certificate and Required Experience:

1. Post-secondary education in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting and/or related fields
2. A minimum of one (1) to three (3) years experience in a finance role in the non-profit, public sectors
3. Extensive experience with full-cycle bookkeeping, A/P, A/R, payroll

Required Skills & Abilities:

1. Strong proficiency in MS Excel and experience with accounting software (Quickbooks Online Advanced)
2. Detail-oriented and works with a high degree of accuracy
3. Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
4. Ability to work independently and as part of a team
5. Highly organized and flexible with the ability to manage multiple priorities and tasks in a professional office environment
6. Strong verbal and written communication skills