Planetree Finance Accountant/Coordinator

Finance Accountant / Coordinator

The Finance Accountant / Coordinator provides hands-on accounting and finance operations support for Planetree. The role prepares and processes accounts payable and receivable transactions, billing, reconciliations, close schedules, financial records, compliance trackers, audit documentation, and recurring reporting support.

Working under the Finance Manager / Controller, the position helps ensure that financial information is accurate, complete, timely, and supported by appropriate documentation. The role works closely with budget owners, vendors, clients, banks, auditors, external advisors, and colleagues across Planetree's global operations.

This is a preparation, processing, coordination, and control-support role. It does not independently approve its own work, release payments outside delegated authority, make final accounting, legal, tax, insurance, or enterprise-risk determinations, or own Board-level financial reporting. Duties and system access must be assigned to maintain appropriate segregation of duties.

Finance Team Structure

Role - Primary Accountability

Vice President, Corporate Services - Sets executive direction; owns final budget and forecast recommendations, major financial decisions, Board-level communication, and enterprise risk oversight.

Finance Manager / Controller - Manages accounting, close, reporting, budgeting and forecasting processes, finance controls, cash-flow reporting, analysis, and review of finance support.

Finance Accountant / Coordinator - Prepares and processes approved transactions, reconciliations, billing, schedules, records, trackers, audit requests, and routine compliance and reporting support.

Responsibilities

Finance Operations and Stakeholder Support

• Provide accurate, timely, and service-oriented finance support to the Finance Manager / Controller, budget owners, and other internal stakeholders.
• Maintain recurring finance calendars, task lists, trackers, and supporting documentation so deadlines and follow-up items are visible and completed.
• Respond to routine finance inquiries, obtain missing information, and route judgment-based or approval matters to the Finance Manager / Controller.
• Identify discrepancies, overdue items, unusual activity, or control concerns and escalate them promptly with supporting information.

Accounts Payable, Purchasing, and Expenses

• Receive, review, code, and enter vendor invoices, payment requests, and employee expense reimbursements after confirming required approvals and supporting documentation.
• Match invoices and payment requests to contracts, purchase orders, budgets, and receiving or service confirmation, as applicable.
• Prepare complete payment packages and payment batches for review and approval; do not independently approve or release payments outside delegated authority.
• Maintain accurate vendor records and collect required tax forms, banking documentation, and onboarding information in accordance with approved procedures.
• Track open commitments, unpaid invoices, employee advances, credit-card activity, and missing expense documentation and coordinate timely resolution.
• Support bank and credit-card transaction coding and ensure supporting records are complete and stored in the designated location.

Accounts Receivable, Billing, and Collections

• Prepare and issue client invoices based on approved contracts, milestones, billing schedules, expense documentation, and instructions from authorized owners.
• Record cash receipts and maintain accurate invoice, payment, credit, and receivables-aging records.
• Maintain collections and billing-input trackers, send routine reminders, and coordinate with internal relationship owners on overdue balances or disputed items.
• Reconcile billing records to contracts, project trackers, accounting records, and other approved source systems and investigate differences.
• Escalate materially overdue accounts, disputed charges, unusual payment requests, or other collection risks to the Finance Manager / Controller.

Accounting, Reconciliations, and Financial Close Support

• Prepare bank, credit-card, balance-sheet, and other assigned account reconciliations with clear supporting schedules and explanations for open items.
• Prepare routine journal entries, accrual schedules, allocations, and supporting workpapers for review and posting in accordance with approved procedures.
• Complete assigned monthly and year-end close tasks by established deadlines and maintain the close checklist and evidence of completion.
• Investigate discrepancies, obtain missing support, and prepare proposed corrections for review by the Finance Manager / Controller.
• Maintain organized, complete, and audit-ready accounting records in accordance with retention requirements and established naming and filing conventions.
• Support project, contract, grant, sponsorship, restricted-fund, and regional accounting schedules as applicable.

Budgeting, Reporting, and Cash Support

• Maintain budget and forecast templates, compile budget-owner submissions, and check inputs for completeness, consistency, and mathematical accuracy.
• Load or maintain approved budgets and forecasts in designated files or systems and preserve clear supporting assumptions and version history.
• Prepare recurring budget-to-actual, receivables, payables, cash, project, and other finance reports for review by the Finance Manager / Controller.
• Update short-term cash trackers using current bank balances, approved commitments, receivable expectations, and known payment schedules.
• Prepare supporting schedules, data extracts, and explanations for management, leadership, and Board reporting packages.
• Support ad hoc analysis by gathering reliable source data and documenting the basis, timing, and limitations of the information provided.

Compliance, Audit, Internal Controls, and Risk Support

• Maintain the finance compliance calendar and supporting evidence for audit, tax, nonprofit, grant, insurance, banking, contract, and other assigned deadlines.
• Coordinate routine audit and external-advisor requests, prepare schedules, collect supporting records, and track open items through completion.
• Follow documented finance policies, approval workflows, record-retention standards, and system-access requirements and identify exceptions for management review.
• Maintain logs of control exceptions, missing documentation, unresolved reconciliations, overdue receivables, and other identified finance risks.
• Support periodic reviews of vendor records, banking instructions, approvals, system access, and transaction documentation to help detect errors or irregularities.
• Promptly escalate suspected fraud, unusual activity, policy violations, privacy or confidentiality concerns, and material control gaps; legal, tax, insurance, accounting-policy, and enterprise-risk determinations remain with the appropriate manager, executive owner, or qualified external advisor.

Financial Systems, Documentation, and Process Improvement

• Maintain accurate data in accounting, purchasing, expense, CRM, banking, and related finance systems within assigned access rights.
• Maintain current procedures, templates, checklists, account mappings, contact lists, recurring-report instructions, and backup documentation.
• Recommend practical workflow and automation improvements that increase accuracy, timeliness, transparency, and ease of use without weakening controls.
• Support cross-training, backup coverage, testing, and implementation of approved finance-system or process changes.

Teamwork & Culture

• Live and uphold Planetree's Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Work collaboratively, reliably, and respectfully with colleagues across the organization and globally.
• Demonstrate compassion, openness, accountability, confidentiality, attention to detail, and sound judgment.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, organizational learning, and constructive feedback.
• Complete mandatory training and required compliance activities in a timely manner.

Critical Skills

• Working knowledge of accounting principles and practical experience with accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations, journal entries, and financial records.
• Strong accuracy, attention to detail, organization, follow-through, and ability to meet recurring deadlines.
• Ability to prepare clear schedules, maintain reliable documentation, and investigate differences before escalating them.
• Understanding of approval controls, segregation of duties, audit readiness, confidentiality, and records management.
• Ability to recognize unusual transactions, missing support, control exceptions, and potential financial risks and escalate them appropriately.
• Strong spreadsheet, data-management, and financial-systems skills.
• Clear written and verbal communication and a service-oriented approach to working with financial and non-financial colleagues.
• Professional judgment, discretion, adaptability, and willingness to support both routine processing and changing organizational priorities.

Competencies

Area - Minimum - Preferred

Education - Associate degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered. - Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance