Office and Administrative Manager

About Whatcom Land Trust

Whatcom Land Trust is a nationally accredited non-profit organization with the mission to preserve and protect wildlife habitat, scenic, agricultural, and open space lands in Whatcom County for future generations by securing interests in land and promoting land stewardship. Since 1984, the Land Trust has protected over 26,000 acres.

Position Summary

The Office and Administrative Manager plays a crucial role in supporting the operations of our conservation-focused non-profit organization. This position reports directly to the Executive Director and provides essential administrative and logistical support to multiple departments, including Stewardship, Communications, Conservation, and Development.

Key Responsibilities

While this posting does not contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee, those that are most common presently are listed below. These may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice:

Bookkeeping:

• Process all accounts payable, including entering bills and processing payments. Serving as the primary point of contact for vendors.
• Managing credit card transactions – ensuring supporting documentation is obtained and coding transactions in the accounting system.
• Monitoring the use of petty cash.
• Processing receipts – entering donations and other receipts into the accounting system, preparing bank deposits.
• Providing other support to the Finance Specialist, such as gathering documentation for the annual financial statement audit.
• Assist with month-end bank/credit card reconciliations.
• Record and deposit donations that arrive at the office via check in QuickBooks, and notify the development team of all new donations.
• Collaborate with the Development team to ensure accurate tracking and reporting of donations, donor relations, and donor interactions as needed (Little Green Light) with proactive communication and regular reconciliations.

Operations and Office Management:

• Coordinate building maintenance and repairs, including liaising with vendors and contractors.
• Get mail, distribute, and enter invoices.
• Maintain the inventory of office supplies and equipment, and reorder as necessary.
• Supportive cleaning tasks, such as but not limited to upgrading office equipment, reviewing and organizing files for appropriate document storage, general tidying tasks as related to janitorial support needs, eliminating excess furniture in the building, and keeping up with the trash, recycling, and compost schedule.
• Manage phone system, IT support, hardware, software needs, and subscriptions.
• Streamline administrative processes and procedures to improve efficiency.
• Confer with the grant writing staff to provide research and other supportive materials for grant applications.
• In collaboration with the Volunteer Coordinator, work with volunteers for office tasks.
• Record contact reports and background information of board members, donors, and volunteers as necessary to document relationship-building between the organization and its constituents.
• Support the Communications and Development Departments, as well as the Volunteer Coordinator, in maintaining proper record-keeping of these relationships.

Staff and Board Administration and Support:

• Document and keep updated position descriptions and hiring processes.
• Support hiring and onboarding and coordinate employee benefits.
• Support the finance specialist with all onboarding and offboarding materials, as well as support the organization of HR files and documentation.
• Support the coordination of communications with the board of directors, including scheduling meetings and maintaining records.
• Support board committees with notes and tracking action items as needed.
• Support board with meeting materials, refreshments, and notetaking as needed.

Front Desk Presence:

• Staff front desk—being a positive presence at the front door and on the phone system.
• Monitor and respond to general emails.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive environment for staff, board, donors, volunteers, and partners.
• Participate in staff meetings, training, and professional development opportunities as required.

Other Duties:

• Assist in coordinating and implementing various projects across departments, including events, campaigns, and initiatives as needed.
• Monitor project timelines and ensure tasks are completed on schedule.
• Take on special projects including research, analysis, and presentation of findings as needed. T
• Train and/or cross-train staff for specific database usage or other events and activities as needed.
• Help coordinate and support staff and board meetings and retreats as necessary.
• Collaborate with staff to streamline administrative processes and improve efficiency.
• Assist in preparing reports, presentations, and other materials for internal and external stakeholders.

Required Skills and Abilities

● Commitment to WLT’s mission.
● Experience working with Quickbooks, bookkeeping and databases.
● Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing various tasks efficiently.
● Self-sufficient and growth-mindset oriented.
● Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and prioritize workload effectively.
● Already have, or are willing to receive, a notary certification.
● Previous experience in office management or administrative roles, preferably in a nonprofit or conservation organization.
● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a customer service-oriented approach.

Qualifications

● The ideal candidate has 2+ years of bookkeeping experience, specifically in QuickBooks.
● Knowledge in nonprofit financial practices and fund accounting would be a plus.
● Experience with database management software and/or a willingness to learn multiple systems.
● Excellent communication skills, both verbal and in writing.
● Experience in writing and recording processes, procedures, and policies.

Desired Qualifications
The best applicants will also have:

● Experience working at a nonprofit and/or an accredited Land Trust.
● Experience managing and integrating new systems.
● Experience in land permitting.
● Experience with technical grant writing.

Physical Requirements:

● Walk half a mile at once.
● Must be able to work on a screen for 8 hours a day.
● Must be able to lift up to 40 lbs or secure accommodations in order to achieve tasks requiring lifting.