Operations Specialist

Merchants Bank, Winona, has an opening for an Operations Specialist.  Primary responsibilities will be to assist our Merchants Bank Equipment Finance Company with accounting, lease, and audit operations.   This position will include a mix of daily responsibilities including posting cash receipts, monthly invoicing, preparing pay-off calculations and closing out paid contracts, managing ACH activity, preparing, and monthly audit reports.  Will also include working with UCC filing and insurance maintenance.  This position will interact with customers and lease partners.    An associate or bachelor’s degree in accounting, or business administration with a strong background in finance/accounting/operations or equivalent work experience.  Previous work experience in the leasing and finance industry is a plus.  Must be able to multi-task, be organized and have excellent communication skills.  Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs   Merchants Bank offers competitive wages and benefits for our full-time employees including health, dental, life, disability and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts, 401(k) and ESOP retirement plans; bonus plan; paid time off; tuition reimbursement; and a variety of voluntary supplemental insurance options.   Please click on Apply Now or apply in person at Merchants Bank, Winona (102 E 3rd Street). Questions can be emailed to [email protected]. Merchants Bank is an Equal Opportunity Employer of women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.         Job Summary: Primary responsibilities are to assist with Operational Processes, including accounting portfolio operations, client services, and audit processing for Merchants Bank Equipment Finance.  Activities include posting cash receipts, closing out paid contracts, UCC and insurance maintenance, managing ACH activity, payment billings, preparing pay-off calculations, monthly audit reports, while assisting the Lead Finance Specialist, Senior Operations Analyst, and Vice President of Operations with accounting functions and portfolio administration functions.     Primary Duties: Accounting: This position will include a mix of daily responsibilities along with providing assistance and backup to the Lead Finance Specialist in all accounting functions.  Responsibilities will include daily cash postings, monthly invoicing, preparing pay-off calculations, managing ACH activity, maintaining contract files, GL account balancing and monthly reporting.   Lease administration: This position will assist the Vice President of Operations, as needed, in traditional lease administration functions.  These activities will include securing updated insurance certificates, renewing and terminating UCC filings within appropriate timeframes and closing out all terminated or expired finance contracts.   Customer Relationships: While not directly responsible for the origination of new business, this position is expected to regularly represent the organization in communication and interaction with customers, lease syndication partners and serve as a backup team member on the customer service line.   Audit Processing: This position will conduct an audit/check back on a monthly basis of all newly booked contracts along with associated reporting. Additionally, will assist with ongoing Audit Review of business processing as needed.    Additional Duties: Perform any other duties as requested by management to assist other departments, as necessary. Regular and dependable attendance is an essential function for this job. Employee will be expected to contribute to a positive working environment through words and actions. Employee will be expected to greet internal and external customers in a friendly and outgoing manner. Employee may be asked to perform other duties as required by business needs. Employee will be expected to complete compliance and product knowledge assignments in a timely manner.   Other Duties as Assigned: The operations of Merchants Bank Equipment Finance are managed by a small group of professionals.  As a result, this position will be required to assist the organization in matters not specifically outlined in this job description on an as needed basis.     Working Conditions: This position involves a comfortable inside working environment with very low noise.  The office environment does not involve any chemical hazards in office and, in general, the working environment is very clean and aesthetically appealing.             Physical Demands: Work is performed primarily sitting at a desk; very minimal degree of lifting, should not exceed 15 lbs.  Requires average finger dexterity to operate normal office equipment; such as computer, adding machine, etc.  Requires good eye/finger coordination.     Education and Skills:  An associate or bachelor degree in accounting, or business administration with a strong background in finance/accounting/operations or equivalent work experience. A minimum of two years of experience carrying out comparable functions is preferred and previous work experience in the leasing and finance industry is a plus. The ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage many tasks or projects concurrently is required.  Excellent organizational skills are a must. Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills. Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Suite programs Relationships: Responsible to the President of MBEF for the proper interpretation of duties.  Will have extensive contact with MBEF staff members, bank personnel and customers of MBEF.  Reporting structure will include a secondary line to both the Lead Finance Specialist and Senior Operations Analyst based on location of the position and job duties.