Office Manager/Bookkeeping Assistant

Overview

About Mindful Schools

Mindful Schools is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that empowers educators to spark change from the inside out by cultivating awareness, resilience, and compassionate action. Since 2007, we have served more than 70,000 educators and their schools through professional development training, community resources and events, and most recently, national schoolwide mindfulness programs. Our K-12 partnerships support school leaders and teams to cultivate equitable, joyful learning environments with intention so that all members can thrive. 

Our programs are designed “by educators, for educators” with an equity-centered and trauma-sensitive approach that builds on the unique strengths of each school context. We provide accessible learning experiences to ground the adults in a school building with a personal mindfulness practice and consult with teams around a shared framework that serves as a foundational resource for whole school culture and systems change. 

Position Overview

The Office Manager is an experienced generalist in the areas of small business or non-profit bookkeeping, administrative assistance, human resources coordination, and office facilities management. This role will be responsible for these key areas of support.

To succeed in this role, the Office Manager will be a self-starter who thrives at multi-tasking and managing multiple streams of work independently as well as in collaboration with the team. More important than having all the experience or skills described for this role, is to be a quick learner who is tech savvy, process oriented, and highly organized and meticulous; someone who has integrity and understands the importance of confidentiality as it pertains to finance and HR. Attention to detail is key across all the work this role will be responsible for. The Office Manager will serve as the primary point of contact for maintaining integrity of data across our various databases, including Salesforce and Quickbooks Online. Experience in scrappy non-profits and start-ups where one wears many hats is helpful.

Our ideal candidate is someone who is socially and emotionally grounded, with excellent interpersonal skills that support easy and honest communication and collaboration; someone who is comfortable with the transition and change that comes with working in an organization that is continually evolving to serve our mission, which sometimes requires building the plane as we are flying it; someone who is willing and wanting to participate in the internal learning our organization provides as part our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and being an anti-racist organization. 

We are a small, passionate, collaborative, eclectic team with a culture that values work-life balance and provides employees with generous benefits.

This is a full-time position (1.0 FTE) based in our Emeryville, CA office.

Working on site 2 – 3 days per week is required. As such, COVID-19 vaccination is required.

Being fully remote is not possible for this position.

All candidates must be eligible to work in the United States and must reside within a commutable distance to our office.

There is no opportunity for relocation assistance.

This role reports to the Accountant in support of the Senior Director, People & Operations

This role has no supervisory responsibilities

This role is expected to start in October 2022

===We will begin reviewing applications and start interviewing the first week of September=====

Technology: This position utilizes Quickbooks Online, Salesforce, Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Smartsheet, Slack, and Zoom

Essential Functions

Bookkeeping Support (50%) These are the high-level bullets:

• Accounts Payable
• Reviews all incoming invoices and submits for approval from management staff
• Enters invoices into QuickBooks
• Reviews weekly payables with Accountant and prepares AP checks
• Maintains vendor files and payables documentation files
• Work with staff to obtain supporting documentation for all expenditures
• Accounts Receivable
• Enters and processes customer purchase orders, checks, credit cards, and ACH/Wire payments.
• Communicates directly with customers via phone and email to address payment status, billing questions, inquire on past due balances
• Works closely with Sales, Customer Care, and School Support Teams to ensure accurate billing , and process refunds and transfers
• Investigates and resolves billing discrepancies
• Works with Accountant to ensure proper revenue recognition
• Banking
• Prepares all bank deposits

General HR Administration and Support (25%)

• Payroll, Benefits, and Compliance

We work with a PEO, so some of this work is done with support and collaboration with payroll and HR specialists assigned to our organization. These are the high level bullets: 

• Be a resource for employee inquiries about payroll, benefits, and compliance
• Process semi-monthly payroll
• Process semi-monthly retirement account contributions
• Support the annual open enrollment process and maintain updated enrollment information
• Ensure that all employees receive access and complete mandatory trainings
• Maintain updated information on Mindful Schools Human Resources HUB
• Employee Files Maintenance
• Recruitment/Onboarding/Offboarding These are the high-level bullets:
• Publishes vacant positions, assists with screening applicants, scheduling interviews, and conducting reference checks, generates offer letters
• Onboards employees
• Manages communication and processes to send new hire paperwork and benefits information
• Collaborates with IT and hiring manager to set up online accounts and manage office space/equipment needs
• Conducts new hire orientation to the office environment and policies on employees’ first day
• Offboards employees 
• Communicates separation information to departing employees and to PEO to process final paycheck and terminate benefits
• Works with IT to initiate termination of account access and collects keys, equipment, and other Mindful Schools property
• Conducts exit interviews when appropriate 
• People & Culture
• Collaborates cross-departmentally to maintain the information found on the Mindful Schools HUB
• Supports the planning and coordination of all in-person and Zoom team building events, including shopping for and mailing packages of supplies or gifts, booking venues, accommodations, and catering
• Manages birthday and work anniversary announcements on Slack and purchases and sends egift cards

Administrative Assistance and Facilities Management, Special Projects (25%)

• Admin Assistance: This would involve all manner of administrative assistance such as opening and distributing mail, scanning and filing documents, updating and maintaining filing systems, data entry, migrating data from one platform to another–also maintaining all insurance policies and renewals
• Facilities Management – High level bullets for this:Liaises with property management to facilitate lease renewals, request repairs, and be informed of scheduled building/grounds maintenance projects
• Works with SDPO to manage office floor plan, assign and re-assign office space to team members as needed and oversees any inter-office moves that require movers
• Acquires and maintains relationships with vendors and service providers including, but not limited to janitors, painters, furniture assemblers, movers, and maintenance people
• Organizes and maintains all office supply storage areas and orders and maintains all office supplies, including bathroom and kitchen suppliesSpecial Projects: We are a lean team with limited resources, so pitching in where one has capacity and skills, even if outside of their normal realm of work, is something that we all do, and that is valued and appreciated.
• Special Projects: We are a lean team with limited resources, so pitching in where one has capacity and skills, even if outside of their normal realm of work, is something that we all do, and that is valued and appreciated. 

Required Competencies

• Ethical Conduct and Discretion
• Excellent Interpersonal Communication Skills
• Analysis and Problem Solving 
• Organization and Task-Tracking
• Detail Oriented and Thorough
• Technical Capacity
• Teamwork Orientation
• Flexibility and Adaptability

Required Experience and Skills

• Previous office management and/or executive/administrative assistant experience
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Suite
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal)
• 5 years of experience working as a member of a team
• Experience working in-person
• Experience working remotely with meetings on Zoom
• Experience working in a startup and/or small business or non-profit environment
• Familiarity with basic bookkeeping functions
• Familiarity with basic HR functions
• Internal and external customer facing experience

Preferred Experience and Skills

• 2 years of bookkeeping experience at a small business or non-profit using Quickbooks Online
• Understanding of recognition principles under GAAP
• 2 years of HR generalist experience
• Experience processing payroll
• Experience in a customer-facing accounts receivable role
• Experience working in Salesforce 
• Experience with Smartsheet 
• Experience using Slack
• Personal mindfulness practice

Working at Mindful Schools

At Mindful Schools, we believe the most effective way to create meaningful change is by instilling a mindful, heart-centered relationship with ourselves and our community. We strive to connect with our bodies, hearts, and minds and to bring awareness into our interactions so that we can embody the change we wish to see in the world. As part of this work, we are committed to internal learning, and developing an awareness practice of how white supremacy culture and systems of oppression impact our personal lives and the conditions in which we work. Building a movement for deep systems change can be challenging and inspiring work, and we support our team to heal and grow through community building, opportunities to cultivate personal mindfulness competencies, and by practicing our organizational values with intention and integrity. 

Mindful Schools is committed to building a team that represents diverse cultures, perspectives, skills, and experiences in order for our employees, our programs, and our community to thrive.

Our Core Values:

We are curious. We ask authentic questions, notice and investigate judgment, seek to understand, and take on a learner’s mindset.

We grow love. We recognize the power of love as a radical tool for personal and community change. It is a catalyst for our collective growth. 

We build connections. We work together, nurture relationships, and empower the collective.

We practice kindness. We are honest with ourselves and others. We are clear and compassionate in our communication. We notice where there is suffering and respond with care. 

We act bravely. We do what’s right and just, even when it’s hard. We cultivate environments where courage can thrive. 

We find joy. Even when things are hard and heavy, we look for moments of wonder, celebration, and gratitude.

We live liberation. We actively practice anti-racism and encourage others to, as well. We hold ourselves accountable in our commitment to an equitable world.

Expected Hours of Work/Location

This position has an expected 40-hour work week and will operate from Mindful Schools’ headquarters office in Emeryville, CA., and in a remote, commutable San Francisco Bay Area location of the employee’s choice.

All candidates must be eligible to work in the United States. 

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications as described in the job description. If this role speaks to you, we encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you tick all the boxes.