Position

Reporting to the Chief of Staff, the Controller/Director of Finance will be responsible for oversight of all finance, accounting, and reporting activities. The Controller/Director of Finance will be involved in supporting presentations to the board finance and audit committee and will work closely with the senior leadership team.

The Controller/Director of Finance will lead all day-to-day finance operations of a budget of $5 million and supervise a team of three staff members, including functional responsibility over accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and grants administration. The Controller/Director of Finance will ensure that systems and procedures are in place to support effective program implementation and conduct flawless audits. The Controller/Director of Finance will work closely with program leaders and their staffs, not only to educate them regarding finance and accounting procedures, but also to explore how the finance function can support program operations.

In addition, s/he will partner with the Chief of Staff, senior leadership, and the human resources (HR) and information technology (IT) staff to enhance and better integrate finance, HR, and IT functions.

Specific responsibilities include:

Leadership and Management

Serve as a business partner to the Executive Team on the organization’s financial, budgeting, and administrative processes—including HR, payroll, and benefits functions—with an eye to continuously developing and improving systems.
Leverage strengths of the current finance team members, help to clarify roles and responsibilities, and develop and implement training programs in order to maximize and reach optimal individual and organizational goals.
Provide leadership in strengthening internal communications with staff at all levels throughout the organization; create and promote a positive and supportive work environment.
Directly manage finance team to ensure that our goals are reached, including defining quarterly and yearly goals for each staff person, supervising execution of the plans to hit those goals, and providing consistent and regular feedback.

Finance and Accounting

Oversee all accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems, ensuring compliance with appropriate GAAP standards and regulatory requirements.
Maintain internal control and safeguards for receipt of revenue, costs, and program budgets and actual expenditures.
Coordinate all audit activity.
Consistently analyze financial data and present financial reports in an accurate and timely manner; clearly communicate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements; monitor progress and changes, and keep senior leadership abreast of financial status.
Assist leadership in the annual budgeting and planning process; administer and review all financial plans and compare to actual results with a view to identify, explain, and correct variances as appropriate.
Support the Executive Team in engaging the board’s audit and finance committees around issues and trends in financial operating models and delivery.
Oversee all financial, project/program, and grants accounting; ensure that expenditures are consistently aligned with grant and program budgets throughout the grant/fund period; collate financial reporting materials for government, corporate, and foundation grants.
Manage organizational cash flow forecasting by working in partnership with department directors and managers; continuously collaborate with department directors and managers to assess the financial efficacy of program operations and establish finance and administrative systems to support program operations.
Manage and track the performance of invested assets in keeping with policies and investment guidelines.

Qualifications

This is an extraordinary opportunity for a mature leader with five to ten years of accounting and finance experience, ideally beginning in accounting and audit, followed by experience gathering, evaluating, presenting, and reporting financial information to executive teams and external stakeholders. Ideally, s/he will have experience in a complex nonprofit that has multiple programs.

Other qualifications include:

Minimum of a BA; CPA and/or MBA preferred.
Personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a proactive, hands-on strategic thinker who will own the responsibility for finance.
Solid experience coordinating audit activities and managing reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, payroll, and accounting for investments.
A track record in grants management as it relates to compliance and reporting of corporate and foundation grants.
Technological savvy, with experience selecting and overseeing software installations and managing relationships with software vendors; advanced knowledge of accounting and reporting software.
Keen analytic, organization and problem solving skills that allow for strategic data interpretation versus simple reporting.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data, including presentations to senior management, board, or other outside partners; ability and desire to translate complex financial concepts to individuals at all levels including finance and non-finance managers.
Demonstrated leadership ability, team management, and interpersonal skills.
Excellent people skills, with experience collaborating in a multidisciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Flexible and a self-starter; able to multi-task while also being highly detail-oriented.

How to apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with priority given to those received by August 31, 2015. If our job announcement is still on our website, we are still accepting applications. Please send a detailed cover letter explaining your connection to NILC’s mission and why you are the ideal candidate for this position and your resume to controller@nilc.org. PDF format preferred. Please include reference #CTRL0815 in the subject line of your email message. Do not send duplicate materials. Incomplete applications will not be considered. No phone calls, please.