HR & Finance Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Direct Report: President

Location: Minneapolis, MN | Hybrid for Local Candidates

Anticipated Starting Salary: $65,000.00 - $90,000.00/yr.

Your Purpose in This Key Role

Steen Engineering is seeking an experienced HR & Finance Operations Manager on a part-time basis to own the firm's people operations and financial administration functions. This role serves as a key operational partner to leadership, ensuring the firm has the systems, reporting, processes, and employee support needed to sustain growth for a 20-person team positioned to expand in the coming years.

Our ideal candidate is a highly organized and proactive professional who enjoys helping small businesses thrive by combining strong financial acumen with practical HR expertise. This individual will oversee day-to-day accounting and HR operations while providing leadership with meaningful reporting, forecasting, compliance support, and operational insight.

We Make It Work

At Steen Engineering, "We Make It Work" isn't just a tagline-it's how we approach every challenge, every project, and every relationship. While our engineers design smart, sensible, and sustainable solutions for clients, our HR & Finance Operations Manager helps ensure the business itself is built on equally strong foundations.

In this highly visible role, you'll serve as a trusted operational partner to Team Steen, owning the systems, processes, and financial insights that help our growing firm thrive.

You will collaborate closely with project managers, department leaders, and the executive team to provide the information, structure, and support needed to make informed decisions, operate efficiently, and plan confidently for the future. Like every member of Team Steen, you'll be someone who digs in, takes ownership, and helps make things work-no matter the challenge.

Why This Role Matters

This is far more than a traditional administrative position. As Steen Engineering's HR & Finance Operations Manager, you'll serve as the owner of the firm's people and financial operations functions-creating the structure, visibility, and accountability that help our team perform at its best.

Working closely with company leadership and key external partners, you'll play an important role in helping Steen scale thoughtfully and sustainably by:

• Providing accurate financial reporting, forecasting, and insights that support sound business decisions.
• Helping project teams monitor budgets, manage resources effectively, and protect project profitability.
• Building and refining systems, processes, and workflows that improve efficiency and reduce operational friction.
• Ensuring critical HR, payroll, benefits, compliance, and financial deadlines are anticipated and proactively managed.
• Bringing best practices, thoughtful recommendations, and continuous improvement ideas that strengthen the business over time.

Your work will directly influence the health, stability, and future growth of the firm. You'll help create an environment where our engineers and project teams can focus on serving clients while knowing the operational side of the business is running smoothly, efficiently, and responsibly.

If you enjoy taking ownership, solving problems, improving processes, and making a meaningful impact on a growing organization, you'll find no shortage of opportunities to do so at Steen.

What You'll Do

Financial Operations & Reporting

• Own the day-to-day financial operations of the firm, maintaining accurate records and ensuring compliance with internal controls and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).
• Manage accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) processes, including invoice entry, payment tracking, collections, and vendor communications.
• Record and reconcile financial transactions, investigate discrepancies, and maintain the accuracy and integrity of company financial data.
• Reconcile bank accounts and work closely with our banking partners to verify deposits, payments, and account activity.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial reports, including balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and Steen's quarterly Cockpit Dashboard, which tracks key engineering consulting and business performance metrics.
• Coordinate closely with the firm's President and fractional CFO, submitting quarterly financials, incorporating feedback, and implementing reporting improvements and recommendations.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Business Performance

• Support the annual budgeting process and monitor actual performance against budget throughout the year.
• Monitor cash flow, anticipate upcoming expenditures, and maintain forecasting tools that provide visibility into the firm's financial health and growth.
• Partner with project managers and leadership to track project budgets, resource utilization, timelines, and overall project financial performance.
• Help identify trends, risks, and opportunities through thoughtful financial analysis and reporting that supports informed decision-making.

Human Resources & Employee Operations

• Support HR functions that are not administered through the firm's Professional Employer Organization (PEO).
• Maintain accurate employee records, including paid time off balances and other personnel-related documentation.
• Coordinate payroll and 401(k) contribution submissions in partnership with payroll providers and external partners.
• Serve as a trusted internal resource for day-to-day employee questions and HR operational support.
• Assist with benefits administration, employee onboarding, offboarding, compliance activities, and other people operations initiatives as needed.

Business Operations & Vendor Management

• Maintain accurate client, vendor, and business records across platforms including Ajera, Karma, Outlook, and other operational systems.
• Help improve internal processes, documentation, and workflows that increase efficiency and reduce risk.
• Provide proactive operational, administrative, and reporting support to leadership and project teams as needed.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen systems, streamline workflows, and create a more scalable operational foundation for the future.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for key external business partners, including the firm's PEO, payroll providers, benefits brokers, banking partners, insurance providers, and fractional CFO.

What You Bring

• Associate's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Human Resources, or a related field preferred; Bachelor's degree a plus. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
• 8-10+ years of experience in accounting, finance, business operations, HR operations, within a professional services, consulting, engineering, architecture, or small business environment.
• Strong understanding of U.S. GAAP, accounting principles and financial reporting.
• Experience owning or supporting AP, AR, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, payroll coordination, and financial reporting.
• Experience managing external service providers, such as payroll providers, PEOs, benefits brokers, banks, accountants, and insurance providers.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365, Excel, accounting and ERP software.
• Experience with Ajera is highly desirable.
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, anticipate needs, and consistently meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities and integrity when handling sensitive financial and employee information.

The Right Fit for Team Steen

Beyond experience and technical skills, we're looking for someone who embodies the values that define Team Steen.

You'll thrive here if you're humble enough to listen, hardworking enough to dig in when challenges arise, and smart enough to find practical solutions that move the business forward. You take ownership, follow through on commitments, and aren't afraid to roll up your sleeves to help the team succeed. Most importantly, you believe that great work happens when talented people collaborate, support one another, and stay focused on making it work.

What You'll Love About Steen

Your Voice Matters Here

At Steen, you're not a number, a job title, or a cog in a corporate machine. As a key member of our leadership support team, you'll have a seat at the table, direct access to decision-makers, and the opportunity to help shape how our growing firm operates today and evolves tomorrow.

A Team Culture Without the Bureaucracy

We're a high-performance team that values accountability, trust, and results-not micromanagement. We understand that experienced professionals do their best work when they're empowered to own their responsibilities, manage their time, and maintain a healthy balance between work and life. We take our work seriously, but not ourselves. Our culture is grounded in humility, accountability, curiosity, and collaboration. We celebrate wins together, tackle challenges together, and never stop looking for ways to learn, improve, and grow. That's The Steen Way.

Meaningful Work That Makes a Difference

The systems, processes, and financial insights you create won't sit on a shelf. Your work will directly support our people, strengthen our business, and help our engineers deliver the responsive, practical solutions our clients depend on every day.

Room to Grow Alongside a Growing Company

Steen is entering an exciting period of growth, and we're intentionally investing in our people, systems, and future. This is a unique opportunity to join a respected firm where your contributions will be visible, valued, and increasingly impactful as the company continues to evolve.

If you're looking for a part-time opportunity where you can apply your expertise, make a meaningful difference, and be part of a team that genuinely enjoys working together, we'd love to meet you.