Disbursement Associate

FORD FOUNDATION; New York (NY); On-site; USD 88,000 - 118,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Hybrid work model

Generous time off and parental leave

Job summary

Ford Foundation is seeking a Disbursement Associate to manage daily global banking, cash, and corporate expense operations. You will handle domestic/international payments, payroll for overseas staff, and vendor settlements from New York, collaborating with regional offices and external banking partners.

The role offers exposure to multi-currency wires, Workday and Concur processes, and a strong focus on accuracy, compliance, and cross‑functional teamwork.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance or Business Administration or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 4 years in relevant work, including 3 years in global banking operations and expense management.
• Proficient in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to work independently.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for global collaboration.
• Experience with Workday and Concur preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage domestic and international ACH, wire transfers, and payroll processing.
• Perform daily and monthly reconciliations, including bank reconciliations in Workday.
• Resolve payment instruction issues, discrepancies, and vendor/payroll queries.
• Process expense reports in Concur and ensure proper GL coding.
• Maintain corporate card data and assist with expense policy training.

Skills

Global banking

Expense management

Google Workspace

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance or Business Administration

Tools

Workday

Concur

SWIFT

Job description

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY

The Financial Services department is seeking a Disbursement Associate to manage and execute the Foundation's daily global banking, cash, and corporate expense operations. Reporting to the Manager, General Accounting, the Disbursement Associate plays a critical core function in ensuring the seamless, accurate, and timely distribution of domestic and international funds, spanning grants, payroll, and vendor disbursements across the Foundation. In this role, you will collaborate closely with key internal stakeholders, including overseas regional office staff, cardholders, and IT, as well as external banking and vendor contacts. The ideal candidate will gain broad exposure to international financial operations, multi-currency wire systems and enterprise expense administration tools.

HOW YOU WILL CONTRIBUTE

Payment Execution & Global Disbursements

• Validate and initiate domestic and international ACH, wire transfers (via SWIFT in both foreign currency and USD), paper checks, and prepare manual USD payroll for relevant overseas staff.
• Perform daily transaction and grant reconciliations, alongside monthly bank reconciliations in Workday (including Social bond cash accounts).
• Identify, investigate, and correct issues regarding incomplete payment instructions, statement discrepancies, vendor queries, and payment returns.
• Deposit cash receipts, create supporting documentation, and monitor overseas cash reserves to ensure proper usage.
• Assist overseas offices with investigating and resolving supplier, payroll, and statutory payment questions.
• Record daily bank activities, update exchange rates, and prepare general ledger batches.
• Identify and help resolve issues relating to the general ledger integration with Banking and Expense Report systems.

Expense Reimbursements

• Review corporate card, third-party, and exception expense reports in Concur to ensure policy compliance, completeness, and accurate general ledger coding.
• Process out-of-pocket staff reimbursements for all staff.
• Post Concur expense batches to Workday, and prepare reclassification batches for manager review.
• Ensure integration and data transfer from expense report system to general ledger is accurate.
• Work collaboratively with IT to resolve any issues.
• Provide ongoing expense reporting and corporate card policy training for new and existing staff.

Corporate Card Administration

• Maintain accurate cardholder account databases for active employees in New York and overseas regional offices.
• Process requests for new corporate cards and promptly close accounts that are no longer needed.
• Serve as the key point of contact to assist cardholders with resolving account issues and potential fraud.

Insurance Support

Assist management with gathering organizational inventory data from overseas offices for annual insurance renewals. Support regional offices with collecting details and reporting information for potential insurance claims.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

• Bachelor's degree in Finance or Business Administration, or relevant and equivalent experience.
• A minimum of 4 years of relevant work experience, with 3 years working in global banking operations and expense management.
• Strong proficiency in standard office productivity tools, including Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suites (spreadsheets, documents, presentations)
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage small projects, prioritize competing demands, and maintain high attention to detail.
• Proven problem-solving skills using judgment, precedent, and analytical thinking to resolve complex transaction and system discrepancies.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to collaborate effectively with internal global staff and external partners.
• A commitment to accountability, teamwork, and aligning individual work with organizational objectives and core values.
• HELPFUL BUT NOT REQUIRED Experience with enterprise systems like Workday and Concur.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

This position is primarily a sedentary role. However, the person in this position may need to occasionally move about inside the office to liaise with internal staff, access files, office machinery and a copy machine/printer.

The Ford Foundation is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its programs, and operations. As part of this commitment, the Foundation will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact, [e-mail].

SALARY:

The Ford Foundation is committed to salary transparency. The salary for this position is $103,000. A candidate’s relevant experience and our commitment to internal equity determine the final offer. We review global compensation regularly to ensure market competitiveness and equity. The hiring range for this position has been carefully crafted to align with the market.

LOCATION:

This position is based in the foundation’s New York office. We operate in a hybrid model and require staff to be in the office three days per week.

WORK AUTHORIZATION:

This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship now or in the future. All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.

EMPLOYMENT TYPE:

This is a permanent position.

WORKING AT FORD

Commitment to creating a culture where everyone feels respected.

A hybrid working model and flexible work arrangement policies offer colleagues the opportunity to engage in meaningful ways and the space to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Professional development and ample opportunities to build your expertise and expand your network.

Comprehensive benefits package designed for your well-being and work-life needs, including medical, dental, and vision benefits effective on your first day.

Generous time off, including personal, vacation, sick, extended holiday time off, and wellness days.

Generous parental leave policy, including birth, surrogacy, adoptive, foster parents, and resources for backup child and elder care that support our colleagues’ ability to attend to family responsibilities.

Comprehensive retirement benefits options (with employee and employer contributions of up to 13%), allowing you to invest in your financial future with confidence.

Learn more about what it’s like to work at the Ford Foundation.

Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at The Ford Foundation, where employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

The Ford Foundation does not discriminate against formerly incarcerated individuals.

The Ford Foundation is an independent, nonprofit grant-making organization.

For more than 80 years it has worked with visionary people on the front-lines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement.

With headquarters in New York, the foundation has ten regional offices in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

We're always looking to grow our talent pool!