Director, Accounting & Finance - Tides Center

About Tides

Tides is a nonprofit and philanthropic organization committed to advancing social justice. We work across the social sector to shift power to communities of color and other groups historically denied power.

Centering equity and justice in everything we do, we collaborate in deep partnership with movement leaders, nonprofits, donors, foundations, and corporations to amplify the impact of their work by providing services like fiscal sponsorship, donor advised funds, grant making, and a variety of innovative solutions. Learn more at tides.org.

About the Role

Tides Finance team is seeking a Director, Finance & Accounting, to provide leadership and management in support of the work of Tides Center. Tides Center offers fiscal sponsorship to more than 130 partner projects of varying sizes including resources that provide operational efficiencies, cost savings, and compliance support, along with connections to our network of leaders.

Qualified candidates will have demonstrated success providing effective and efficient financial services, developing and optimizing teams, leading organizational change and a wholistic view of the auditing and the 990 processes. This role will be responsible for accurate and timely accounting and financial reporting for a volume of approximately $200m in annual activity.

As a senior leader, the Director, Accounting & Finance is responsible for completing duties and responsibilities while embracing and exhibiting Tides core competencies:

• Leading Results: Strategic planning, Change leadership, Driving outcomes
• Leading People: Trusting relationships, Team leadership, Decision making, Developing teammates
• Leading Self: Self-awareness, JEDI practice, Continuous learning, Project management

What you will Do

Strategic Leadership (30%)

• Collaborate with cross-functional leadership teams to align Tides Center finance and accounting to the vision for our fiscally sponsored projects and to Tides’ organizational goals.
• Develop financial strategies and accounting infrastructure to drive operating excellence and sustainable growth, including pricing models, technology-enabled automation, and robust user-friendly knowledge management systems.
• Ensure the Tides Center finance and accounting approach stewards Tides impact goal.
• Ensure all finance and accounting teams establish strong relationships with internal and external partners and develop a deep understanding of their needs.
• Align Tides Center financial and accounting operations to a rigorous compliance approach by ensuring that effective internal controls are in place and consistently applied.
• Lead restructuring initiatives of people, processes, and technology to align with strategic organizational goals and objectives.

Operations (30%)

• Ensure partner and project satisfaction for timely, accurate, effective, and easily accessible financial and accounting resources, information, and solutions to Tides fiscally sponsored projects, collaborating with partner team leadership.
• Ensure the teams prepare and present financial statements and related reports, including performance dashboards, balance sheets, income statements, cash-flow reports, budgets, and variance analysis, and forecast models to external and internal management and project partners.
• Develop and maintain financial and accounting management policies and procedures that align with Tides’ mission and are in compliance with applicable accounting standards and best practices with respect to accounting for non-profits.
• Ensure daily financial and accounting functions performed in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), company policy and all applicable regulatory requirements and legal rules and regulations for nonprofit operations designated as IRS 501(C)(3). Ensure consistent accounting treatment of all transactions and timely, accurate reporting to budget managers, management, and partners.
• Identify and implement improvements to existing processes, systems, and operational policies and practices that facilitate efficient/improved operations and financial management of the organization.
• Ensure the development and maintenance of a robust knowledge management function to facilitate the exchange of financial and accounting information needed by all constituents.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive financial and accounting learning agenda for Tides Center, including team members within the Finance Department as well as across the organization.
• Participate and lead the monthly financial close processes with management and board reporting packages.
• Develop strategies for completing complex transactions while ensuring compliance with tax laws and other applicable regulations.
• Lead the annual audit and preparation of tax return work-papers.
• Responsible for all monthly close – audit coordination and annual budgeting in partnership with Vice President of Finance.

Management (40%)

• Responsible for the hiring, development, and performance management of a high-performing team that is financially sophisticated, partner-centric, impact-centric, and geographically dispersed nationally.
• Serve as an exceptional role model as a leader and manager, investing deeply in supporting and developing direct reports and team members.
• Actively promote and model justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• Hold direct reports accountable to achieve team goals and work plans by ensuring team members have the appropriate skills and support to accomplish their objectives.
• Provide timely developmental feedback to accounting and finance team members within the fiscal sponsor project team.

What you will Bring

• Deep commitment to Tides’ mission and strategic direction.
• Partner-centric approach to finance and accounting, including understanding and meeting the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Proficiency with enterprise-wide technologies (NetSuite ERP, Salesforce, Office 365, Microsoft Teams), and experience creating and implementing processes and systems.
• Strong communication and problem/conflict resolution skills; high emotional intelligence with the ability to build and maintain positive relationships internally and externally and strategic thinker and systems builder with demonstrated success leading change management initiatives.
• Commitment to working with a multicultural workforce with sensitivity and appreciation for cultural differences.
• Excellent leader of people with the ability to attract, recruit and develop top talent for a national hybrid organization in a union environment.
• Excellent knowledge of GAAP and non-profit accounting procedures, including mergers of entities
• High degree of integrity, discretion, professionalism, and accountability to achieve quality results; demonstrated ability to hold confidential information with excellent judgment.
• Ability to learn quickly; able to flex and/or pivot when needed and operate effectively in a fast-paced, multifaceted environment.

Ideal Experience

• 8 years of direct experience with accounting in fiscal sponsorship agreements and a relevant bachelor’s degree; or 10 years of relevant experience within matrix accounting environments. 4 years of experience must be in a supervisory capacity.
• CPA is required
• Experience with NetSuite and Salesforce systems, preferred.
• Prior experience or affiliation with leading accounting professionals of fiscally sponsored projects.
• Experience and/or deep understanding of nonprofits and how they operate.
• Excellent knowledge of GAAP and non-profit accounting procedures, including consolidation of entities.
• Experience with systems design, implementation, configuration, and development from business requirements analysis through day-to-day management.
• Proven ability to organize and support workflow processes that ensure high degree of accuracty and accountability within team members.

Compensation

Tides is committed to providing a competitive compensation package. We value pay equity and account for factors including your location within the U.S., skills and relevant experience. We will not ask for your salary history.

Starting salary for this position will fall into one of these ranges:

• $132,600 – $165,800 (Most of the United States)
• $144,700 – $180,900 (Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. metro areas)
• $159,200 – $199,000 (New York City & San Francisco metro areas)

Our Talent Acquisition team will review your application and confirm your placement within this structure with you at the beginning of the interview process.

Application Instructions

Please submit your resume and a cover letter expressing why you are well-qualified for this role and your motivation for joining the team at Tides. For best consideration, apply by Monday, July 21, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We look forward to reviewing applications from all qualified job seekers. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the LGBTQIA+ communities. No applicant will be discriminated against because of their race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we encourage and will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Where required by state law, we utilize E-Verify as a part of our employment authorization process.

Applicants with Disabilities

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that all who are interested may participate in our interview process. If you are in need of an accommodation, please advise in writing at the time you apply.