Arizmendi Association Financial Specialist / Coop Devlopment Generalist

The Arizmendi Association is looking to hire two Development & Support Cooperative staff. Combined approximately 40 hours. Thus, we might hire two people at 20 hours weekly, or one for 8 hours and the other at 32; the mix will depend on the availability and needs of the hired.

Financial Specialist & Educator
We are seeking two staff with bookkeeping knowledge to help support and train our network of Arizmendi worker cooperative businesses (if one hire has high-level bookkeeping skills, that will open up the possibility of hiring a second person whose strong generalist cooperative skills commend hiring them with intent of training-up as a bookkeeper and eventually finance trainer). This position is part of the Association’s Development & Support Cooperative (DSC), the staff collective tasked with carrying out the goals set forth by Association members and offering financial, legal, and democratic management services/advisement.

What We Envision for this Role
Development & Support Cooperative staff do not have fixed job titles or responsibilities in that all staff members are expected to step in as needed to fulfill new needs and functions. However, staff members generally focus on one or more major service areas at any particular time. The area in which we currently most need to expand is finance. So we’re looking for someone who will focus on finance functions; but they will also be expected to have regular cooperative development/services duties outside that area. We’re looking for a candidate who brings a social justice lens to their work and an enthusiasm for teaching and collaborative problem-solving.

Job Responsibilities:
– Train cooperative members on financial topics (reading financial reports, etc.); cross-train with other staff to achieve resilience goal of having multiple DSC staff capable of handling any responsibility
– Provide general bookkeeping support to Association cooperatives
– Assist member coops with quarterly financial reports, year-end closing of books, and long-term planning; assist closing of Association’s books and help forecast yearly Association budget
– Provide member cooperatives with financial analysis of options (e.g., wage raises, price changes, etc.)
– Calculate Association member fees and bill coops accordingly
– Provide analysis and support for new financial benefits and programs
– Assist with Association office management

Required Qualifications & Skills:
– High-level bookkeeping and/or accounting
– Financial planning
– Serve as a positive role model of responsiveness, integrity, and collaboration
– Openness to questioning established approaches and interest in collaborating on new ones
– Commitment to be solution-oriented and work through any communication difficulties with colleagues
– Ability to develop standards and systems
– Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive matters involving not only financial operation but group dynamics
– Ability to work independently and with groups
– Inclination and ability to train members to handle financial matters to the best of their ability, fostering confidence and minimizing dependence on DSC or outside contractors
– Ability to communicate complex financial matters in English to people without formal finance training; fluency in other languages, particularly Spanish, highly valued
– Some ability to attend cooperative meetings in person, perhaps as frequently as once or twice per month; if one hire is local, that will open the possibility of the other being a remote-work hire, and the remote-worker would travel in once or twice per year for meetings

Pay/benefits
Between $43.52 and $50.02/hr depending on whether the individual has health insurance coverage through other sources (e.g., someone working more than 20 hours per week, could choose full dental/health insurance and receive $43.52/hr; but if they will continue to have those coverages through, say, an Arizmendi bakery, they would receive $50.02/hr). Additional benefit: $1,200 annually for discretionary professional development training (e.g., staffer might choose class in public speaking) in addition to core-function training (e.g., a course in high-level spreadsheet skills would be covered outside this budget).

About The Arizmendi Association Development & Support Cooperative
The Association now has five thriving bakery/pizzerias in the Bay Area. We have started to diversify, having added a landscape design-build cooperative, and are currently looking at next launches. The Association itself is a cooperative made up of seven member businesses (the seventh being the DSC, which operates as a collective using modified consensus, having equal pay, etc).

Inclusion
In hiring and staffing, we look to represent the diversity of the communities we serve. People of color and women, queer, trans, or non-binary people and those with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

To Apply
To apply or if you have any questions, please email aac@arizmendi.coop with your resume AND this signed application form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Jd8VYQH8OW9AwHLe4bYPzsyiNAGj_gz2ZAhEVQxy4RE/edit?tab=t.0

Applications will be accepted through 6/30/25.