Finance & HR Associate

Position description

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, defending, and empowering public-interest journalism, is hiring an associate to support its finance and human resources functions.

Reporting to the chief development and operations officer, the associate will play a key role in managing FPF's day-to-day financial operations, supporting organizational budgeting and reporting, and coordinating with our external accounting firm. The position will also support essential human resources functions, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and compliance. The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, comfortable working with sensitive information, and interested in improving internal systems and processes.

Responsibilities

Financial operations

• Serve as primary liaison with the external accounting firm, attend biweekly meetings, and coordinate deliverables with the chief development and operations officer.

• Oversee day-to-day accounts payable and receivable processes, including expense coding, invoice approvals, payment processing, and tracking incoming funds, in coordination with our external accounting firm.

• Review and reconcile company credit card transactions monthly and staff reimbursements weekly.

• Prepare quarterly financial reports, including budget-to-actual comparisons, spending trends, and variance analyses, and work with department heads to identify and address budget discrepancies.

• Support the chief development and operations officer during the annual audit, tax return preparation, and annual budgeting processes, providing financial data, reconciliations, and documentation as needed.

• Coordinate quarterly meetings with the finance subcommittee of the FPF board of directors.

• Support financial compliance and process improvements by updating policies, training staff, and identifying automation opportunities.

• Monitor grant revenue and expenditures, including restricted funding, to ensure accurate tracking against grant budgets and support timely financial reporting to funders.

• Maintain accurate records in accounting systems, ensuring timely entry of employee/vendor information, invoices, payments, and deposits.

• Review contracts and vendor agreements to ensure alignment with budget parameters.

• Other responsibilities as assigned by the chief development and operations officer.

Human resources

• Recruitment support — maintaining applicant tracking records, posting jobs, screening resumes, and scheduling interviews for/providing application materials to hiring panels.

• Onboarding and offboarding of new staff and contractors — procurement of equipment, scheduling of onboarding meetings and trainings, and handling I-9 verifications.

• Support payroll and benefits administration, including employee changes, payroll adjustments, and coordination with our HR and payroll providers.

• Coordinating the annual performance review process — sending emails and reminders to relevant parties about submitting their assessments, and processing salary updates.

• Preparing and coordinating independent contractor agreements using approved templates and ensuring appropriate budget approvals.

• Maintenance of general organizational infrastructure (i.e., forwarding state tax notices, administering and tracking PTO requests, and processing any updates to our organization-wide holiday calendar).

Qualifications

Required

• Passion for the First Amendment and protecting the press freedom rights of all.

• At least three years of directly relevant experience in finance/accounting; some HR experience preferred.

• Demonstrated familiarity with GAAP and nonprofit accounting principles, including grants management.

• Proficiency in spreadsheet usage, with skills including formulas, financial analysis, and reporting with strong attention to detail.

• Experience with accounting or payroll systems; familiarity with these platforms preferred (Justworks, Bill.com, and Sage Intacct).

• Ability to handle sensitive information confidentially, while demonstrating integrity and professionalism.

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and diplomatic skills, with the ability to effectively act as a liaison between budget owners and the senior leadership team.

• Independent problem-solving and managing competing priorities.

Working with us

This is a full-time role with a competitive nonprofit salary in the range of US$90,000-95,000 per year, depending on experience. This position will preferably be based in FPF’s Brooklyn, New York, headquarters; however, strong U.S.-based remote candidates will also be considered. For more information on our full benefits package, please visit our website’s careers page.

FPF does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual or reproductive health decisions, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status, and other personal characteristics protected by law.

How to apply

If you think you’d like to be a part of our team, please submit your résumé and a cover letter (no longer than one page). Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, and we reserve the right to close this process early due to high applicant volume.
After an initial application review, FPF’s hiring process involves a phone screen with the chief human resources officer, an interview with our chief development and operations officer, and a final round meeting with our executive director.