Finance Director

WHO WE ARE

Emma’s Torch is a non-profit social enterprise. Our mission is to train refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking in the culinary arts and to empower them to build meaningful careers in the culinary industry. Our students participate in a full-time, paid, culinary training program in preparation for job placement. We celebrate what they have to offer, and we affirm their innate value and power. Emma’s Torch honors Emma Lazarus, a staunch advocate for refugee rights whose poem, “The New Colossus,” adorns the Statue of Liberty.  

Founded in 2016, Emma’s Torch piloted our signature classroom café  program in 2017. In May 2018, we opened our first full-service restaurant in Brooklyn, receiving recognition from outlets such as the New Yorker, the Today Show, Bloomberg, CNN, and the Guardian, among many others. The restaurant, which houses our Culinary Training Program, has cemented Emma’s Torch as a community institution. In response to increased demand for our services, we opened another program site at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library in April 2019, enabling us to amplify our impact and to engage the community at large in supporting our mission. Prior to COVID-19, the earned revenue from our restaurant, café, and catering businesses offset 50% of our budget, providing a steady and sustainable model for growth. This allowed us to do more with every dollar donated.  More information can be found at EmmasTorch.org. 

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY 

Emma’s Torch is seeking a dynamic and creative Finance Director. This person will report directly to the Executive Director, and be responsible for the financial health of Emma’s Torch and its social ventures. The role covers managing the Emma’s Torch budget, ensuring that it is compliant with best practices for both its nonprofit operations, and its social ventures, and helping to ensure that the strategic vision of the organization is matched with robust financial planning and oversight. This individual will work closely with the leadership of both of Emma’s Torch’s geographic location, as well as the development team. This role can be performed in a hybrid-fashion, either based in our New York or Greater Washington D.C. locations. 

 We value diversity and inclusion, and encourage qualified applicants regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, marital status, or physical ability to apply

Primary Responsibilities Include: 

Financial Oversight and Strategy: 70%

• Working with executive team to shape the organizational vision and strategy, short- and long-term planning, and cross-functional initiatives, lending a strategic, financial, and sustainability lens to the work
• Anticipating opportunities and challenges as they relate to financial systems and procedures; streamline and improve fiscal functions through successfully implementing enhanced and efficient processes
• Reporting on financial standing to key stakeholders including quarterly board presentations 
• Managing and overseeing relationship with contracted bookkeepers and auditors 
• Leading annual audit process and implementing all necessary changes as suggested by auditors 

Operations Oversight: 30% 

• Ongoing operations at existing locations:
• Training and managing existing teams to ensure best practises for stewardship of each location as they relate to financial management 
• Managing leadership at each business location to ensure it is optimizing revenue, while still supporting programmatic goals 

Experience: 

• 6+ years of financial management and operations in the culinary industry 
• Familiarity with restaurant operations best practises 
• Experience working with quickbooks or similar financial management tools 
• Understanding of nonprofit financials and auditing processes 
• Entrepreneurial and creative problem solver  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; email and phone professionalism
• Team player with a positive, can-do attitude
• Detail-oriented, strong critical thinking and problem solving abilities
• Understanding of culturally conscious conflict resolution skills