Payment Application Clerk

The Star Tribune is the Upper Midwest’s largest news organization, with audience numbers consistently in the top five in the country amongst regional and national peers. Building on an extraordinary legacy that includes seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards, the Star Tribune is an unrivaled force for journalistic excellence in Minnesota. It is also a company under transformation – realigning its core purpose for a new age of media consumption through innovative new partnerships, technology strategies, and a refreshed strategic direction. Our company has a new vision to create the leading model for local news in America – driving innovation in media to make every Minnesotan’s life better.  We’re looking for dynamic leaders to help create that model. We’re excited to work with people who care about journalism and democracy and are eager to re-invent one of our state’s most trusted companies for a completely new era of growth that embraces new technologies and strategies for excellence.

Job Summary:

The Payment Application Clerk is responsible for ensuring all incoming payments are accurately and timely recorded on customer accounts in the Star Tribune’s subsystems (ATEX/AdBase AR for Advertising and NewsCycle/Naviga Circulation for Circulation) as well as preparing manual journal entries for non-system related payments.  This includes coordinating work with the team members daily to ensure balanced workloads and to meet posting deadlines. In addition, this position will serve as a backup to team members by performing additional duties such as daily/weekly/monthly balancing of cash, EFT, bank draft, credit card, and PayPal payments and assisting with the Finance monthly fiscal period close process as needed. Includes assisting other Finance Departments with projects and duties upon request from the Cash Application Manager and Finance Director. May include preparing and uploading monthly cash-related journal entries and running PeopleSoft (current) or MS Dynamics (future) ERP system GL queries. Additional duties for the Payment Application Clerk to be assigned by manager dependent on workload.

Key results/responsibilities:

• Ensuring all payments are applied accurately and timely in Advertising and Circulation systems. 
• Summarizing and communicating daily payment amounts to assist with reconciliation processes.
• Resolving daily reconciliation issues as needed.
• Researching and resolving payment related inquiries and unidentified payments and initiating refund processes as needed. 
• Processing recurring bi-weekly and monthly credit card and bank draft payments and maintaining recurring customer information lists.
• Sorting and processing department’s mail and lockbox packages sent directly to the Star Tribune.
• Note: Requires coming to Minneapolis headquarters office one day every three weeks and to attend periodic department meetings in the office.

Relationships:

Immediate Supervisor: Cash Applications Manager

Direct Reports: None

• Works closely with other Payment Application Specialists.
• Communicates with customers and employees regarding payment setup and issue resolution.
• Interacts highly with Advertising and Circulation Customer Service (internal and outsourced) personnel

Qualifications:

• Associate/bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance or equivalent work experience.
• Strong internal and external communication skills.
• Proven ability to prioritize and accurately complete a variety of tasks on time with little supervision.
• Proven analytical ability to research and resolve payment related issues independently.
• Strong Microsoft based program/app skills including Excel, Word, and Teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 1-3 years relevant experience.
• Advertising and/or subscriber customer-based system experience.
• D365 general ledger related experience.

Salary Range: $40,000.00- $52,000.00, depending on experience. 

More about the Star Tribune:

At the Star Tribune, we believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. We go above and beyond to ensure their happiness, growth, and overall well-being. Here is a glimpse into the exceptional benefits we offer:

Modern downtown office with a free fitness center and rooftop patio. Commuting subsidy, medical, dental, and vision insurance. Wellness program with financial incentives. Paid time off which includes flexible holidays to honor the preferences of employees, plus one volunteer day and 2 wellness days. 401(k) with company match, parental and caregiving leaves, flexible work arrangements, employee assistance program, pet insurance, tuition reimbursement, flexible spending, and health savings accounts.

The Star Tribune also gives back to the Minnesota community. In 2020, the Star Tribune launched the Connect Grant, providing qualifying local Minnesota businesses with a total of $200,000 in advertising credits and services. The Connect Grant serves to empower the future growth of underrepresented business owners through marketing collaboration and advertising.

Selected in 2023 to Diversity MBA's inaugural list of Top 25 Outstanding Leadership and Diversity Impact Awards.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Star Tribune is committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace and encourages qualified applicants of all backgrounds to apply.