Accounting and Grant Processing Intern

Department Overview:

The Accounting & Finance Department is responsible for maintaining accurate financial records, producing clear and timely financial reports, and supporting informed decision-making across the business. This department ensures that day-to-day transactions, payroll, and expenses are properly recorded while also providing weekly and monthly financial insights that help leadership understand performance and plan ahead.

At The Rigby, the focus is on practical, real-world accounting—tracking cash flow, reconciling accounts, preparing for taxes, and identifying opportunities to improve financial systems. The department works closely with ownership, management, and external accountants to ensure the business remains organized, compliant, and financially healthy.
As systems become standardized, the Accounting & Finance Department is designed to scale beyond The Rigby. These same bookkeeping, reporting, payroll, and tax-prep processes can be applied to additional businesses, allowing financial operations to be centralized and expanded across multiple entities.

Anticipated Start Date:

asap

Anticipated End Date (If Applicable):

 

Remote Work Eligibility Detail:

Partially Remote

 

Anticipated Hours Per Week:

Minimum: 5 Maximum: 10

Schedule:

flexible

Salary/Wage Range/Lump Sum:

Minimum: $10.00 Maximum: $13.00

Number of Positions:

1

Qualifications:

School of business accounting or finance major

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Knowledge

Fundamental accounting and bookkeeping principles

Understanding of income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow

Familiarity with payroll processes and basic wage compliance

Knowledge of tax preparation requirements and financial documentation

Awareness of grant funding processes and reporting requirements

Understanding of small business and hospitality financial operations

Skills

Bookkeeping and data entry using QuickBooks or similar software

Financial reporting on a weekly and monthly basis

Account reconciliation for bank accounts, credit cards, and POS systems

Spreadsheet management and financial organization

Payroll processing support and verification

Researching and assisting with grant applications

Identifying inefficiencies and improving accounting systems

Abilities

Ability to work accurately with detailed financial data

Ability to maintain confidentiality with sensitive financial information

Ability to meet recurring deadlines consistently

Ability to analyze discrepancies and resolve issues

Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-accountants

Ability to work independently while coordinating with management

Ability to scale and apply accounting systems across multiple businesses

Position Summary/Job Duties:

The Accounting Intern supports the financial operations of The Rigby by maintaining accurate bookkeeping, preparing weekly and monthly financial reports, and assisting with payroll, tax readiness, and grant-related activities. This role works closely with ownership and management to ensure financial information is organized, reliable, and useful for decision-making.

The position is designed to move beyond basic data entry, with an emphasis on understanding the full financial picture of an operating business. As systems are documented and standardized, the Accounting Intern may also support accounting and financial functions for other businesses, helping apply consistent processes across multiple entities. This role plays a key part in improving financial systems, reducing owner workload, and supporting long-term growth.

Physical Demands:

none

Institutional Statements:

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

UW-Madison is an Equal Employment, Equal Access Employer committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce.

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background-people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inc