Vice President of Finance

The Vice President of Finance (VP) is responsible for providing strategic financial and budget management for Earthjustice by partnering with the Senior Leadership Team to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies. Reporting to the SVP of Operations, s/he has direct responsibility for the finance, accounting and bookkeeping functions of Earthjustice, a $30+ million operating budget and a $25+ million investment portfolio. The VP ensures legal and regulatory compliance of all financial functions and also maintains responsibility, in partnership with the General Counsel, for ensuring the organization has adequate insurances. The VP provides leadership and oversight of the finance team and plays an active role on the Operations management team, leading and collaborating on projects.

Earthjustice is in the process of evaluating and evolving its management information systems to better meet its program, fundraising, communication and operations strategic goals. The VP will be expected to lead a process to evaluate and improve the financial system and tools to support those goals.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS:

• Lead and oversee all aspects of the finance and accounting function of the organization including preparation/review of the accrual and cash financials on a monthly basis and investment performance analysis on a quarterly basis.
• Ensure all accounting activities are in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and internal policies and procedures; manage and oversee all audits and organizational control and compliance reviews.
• Develop and implement sound fiscal policies, procedures and control systems and recommend financial and operational changes that will enhance the attainment of strategic goals.
• Directly manage, in partnership with Development staff, the accurate budgeting, tracking and reporting of revenue and net assets.
• Interpret and communicate complex financial information to the Board of Trustees, Finance Committee, President, Senior Leadership Team, staff and the public, as needed.
• Lead and oversee budget, budget review and reforecasting processes. Engage in continual improvement of the budgeting process through education of and partnership with department managers on organizational and financial issues impacting their budgets.
• Participate on and provide staff support for the finance, investment and audit committees of the board of trustees and collaborate with committee chairs on preparation of agendas, meeting materials and meeting minutes.
• Manage bank and investment relationships, maintaining appropriate strategies to optimize services and cash position.
• Evaluate and approve charitable gift annuity agreements and maintain database of charitable gift annuities and other split interest gifts, ensuring accurate management and reporting or overseeing the management and reporting by third-party vendors.
• Directly supervises the Controller and Budget Analyst and all their associated activities. Oversees the supervision of other Finance staff (currently the Senior Manager Accounting and Staff Accountant).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

• B.S. required, MBA, CPA or CMA preferred.
• 5-10 years of experience in a leadership level finance/accounting position.
• Non-profit experience required.
• Strong business acumen and financial management, budgeting and accounting skills.
• Ability to guide Earthjustice's financial planning in a manner that advances the organization's evolving fundraising and strategic goals.
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex financial information and investment performance results.
• Capable of proactively assessing organizational needs and challenges; identifying potential responses and skillfully working to implement solutions.
• Prior experience in evaluating and managing a successful financial system conversion.
• Strong facility with conceiving of and implementing budget development and management improvements to meet the evolving needs of an organization.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing key elements of organizational risk management and administration.
• Experience evaluating, negotiating and overseeing insurance policies, property leases and other administrative services and contracts.
• Demonstrated integrity, strong work ethic, and sound judgment.
• Outstanding communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into layman's terms for the benefit of Board and staff.
• Management and leadership skills, including the ability to inspire and motivate others to perform well, provide regular performance feedback, develop staff skills, and strive for ways to improve.
• Ability and desire to collaborate and build strong working relationships and partnerships within and across departments.
• Ability to leverage technology to maximum benefit, particularly financial management information systems.
• Proficiency in accounting software for non-profits and Microsoft Office applications.

We offer a mission and employee-focused work environment and a competitive compensation package including excellent benefits. Earthjustice is an equal opportunity employer and highly values diversity. To learn more about Earthjustice, visit www.earthjustice.org.