Accounting Internship - Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.

For the last 13 years, Cambridge has recruited highly talented interns from across the country to join us during the summer for a 10-12 week internship. Each year, 25-30 interns join us for a full-time, paid internship experience at our home offices in Fairfield, Iowa or Phoenix, Arizona. The Next Step internship program gives students practical insight into the financial services industry. Students are partnered with a professional mentor, supervisor, and executive champion and participate in trainings on industry basics and trends, along with professional development courses and opportunities to job shadow other departments across Cambridge. At the conclusion of the internship, each intern will have the opportunity to present on their experience and a specific project of their choice.  

Benefits:

• Competitive pay
• Away time: Interns will receive 16 hours of away time at the beginning of employment
• Volunteer time: Each intern will be allowed up to eight hours of paid time off for the summer to volunteer for activities that support community events and activities.
• Holiday pay: Memorial Day and Independence Day
• Housing assistance: Interns located in the Fairfield office needing housing assistance will be offered the option to utilize a local university’s apartment facilities at a small expense.
• Educational courses: Interns get to participate in educational training put on by our Associate Training and Development team. Courses consist of career workshops, problem solving, proper work etiquette, and financial services industry basics.
• Social events: Interns have the option to participate in local social events with other interns and home office associates.
• Networking events: Interns have the opportunity to network with our top executives during the Welcome and End of Summer Banquets. Interns will get the chance to learn from our top leaders and ask questions. Interns also have the ability to do job shadows with other teams at Cambridge. Upon the completion of the internship program, interns will also have access to the Next Step Intern Alumni LinkedIn Group to stay in touch with Cambridge and other interns that have gone through the program.
• Opportunity to discuss continued employment with Cambridge on a part-time or full-time basis at the conclusion of the internship

The Accounting Department consists of several teams that specialize in commissions, fee billing and processing, accounting systems, financial reporting, and payroll. The Commissions team pays our financial professional compensation based on commissionable transactions and collects debit balance payments from financial professionals. This team also handles compensation agreement setup, direct deposit authorization forms, licensing invoices, collection efforts and garnishments.

We have one Accounting Internship opening located in the Fairfield, IA office. 

As the Accounting Intern, you will:

• Review processes for efficiencies and play a key part in providing feedback on existing procedures
• Collaborate with various product companies and distributors to obtain test data, reviewing data in our accounting systems, verifying data integrity, and transitioning the payments
• Assist Accounting associates with projects to help automate manaual processes 
• Immerse yourself in a major project for the accounting team to help them improve their efficiencies. Previous projects have included revamping the delivery of over 3600 1099’s for our financial professionals from a manual physical paper statement to an entirely electronic delivery.
• Obtain hands on experience in the various daily operations of the Commissions team.
• Collaborate with various internal and/or external customers and other interns to complete deliverables for the assigned project.
• In addition to your project work, you will have opportunities to expand your professional skill sets, connect with senior leadership, and engage in fun team and intern specific social activities.

Students studying accounting, management, finance, or business will likely be the most successful in this role.

Compensation: $16-$18  per hour. This range is a good faith estimate of the compensation to be offered for this position based on the ideal candidate’s qualifications, the Company’s operational needs, and other considerations permitted by law. The actual pay offered to a specific candidate may vary above or below the stated range.

About Us:

Cambridge Investment Research Inc. is one of the nation’s top independent broker-dealers. We serve independent financial professionals and their clients as they work to grow their wealth and plan for their future goals. We are a company of over 900 associates with offices in Fairfield, IA and Phoenix, AZ.  

At Cambridge, our purpose is to make a difference in the lives of our financial professionals, their investing clients, and our associates. Our values of integrity, commitment, flexibility, and kindness continue to guide us in the decisions we make together every day. For 40 years we’ve delivered innovative financial solutions while offering exciting career opportunities with ongoing professional development.

A national leader as a financial solutions firm, Cambridge’s commitment to long-term professional development in a unique small-town community makes this a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Cambridge has been honored 11 times by our associates as a ‘Top Workplace in Iowa’, and 13 times as ‘Broker-dealer of the Year’ by our financial professionals through Investment Advisor magazine. We are recognized among the leading firms in the financial advice industry as we serve over 3,700 independent financial professionals and hundreds of thousands of their investing clients across the country.