Operations & Finance Manager

Operations & Finance Manager

HOW TO APPLY:

Applications will only be accepted here: LINK

About finEQUITY.org

finEQUITY is an early-stage nonprofit focused on improving financial outcomes for justice-impacted individuals and their families. We work to expand economic opportunity and advance the financial futures of families impacted by mass incarceration.

For more about our work, visit finEQUITY.org.

Overview

• Start Date: January 2025
• Location: Philadelphia, PA
• Compensation: $80,000–$95,000
• Work Style: In‑person onboarding required; hybrid over time
• Type: Full-time
• Reports to: Executive Director

Role Summary

We are hiring an Operations & Finance Manager to own execution across finance, operations, and cyclical hiring logistics — and to help move the organization forward in moments where progress is stalled.

This is a hands‑on role for someone who thrives in early‑stage environments, clears backlogs, meets deadlines, and exercises judgment about when to act independently versus escalate. This is not a strategy or advisory role.

Leveling note: We’re hiring for a Manager-level scope. If you’re excited about finEQUITY but your experience is earlier-stage, we still encourage you to apply — we may invite you forward for an Associate-level scope and salary band instead. We’re aiming to avoid “stretch applications” where scope and salary expectations don’t match.

Core Responsibilities

Financial Operations and Execution

• Own day‑to‑day financial operations: bill pay, expense tracking, payroll coordination, grant allocations, and reconciliations
• Manage relationships with accountants, payroll providers, and other vendors
• Execute funder reporting, compliance, audits, and 990 preparation in coordination with external partners
• Own internal QuickBooks hygiene and monthly close bookkeeping (typically ~5–10 hours total per month when systems are running well, including follow‑ups, waiting on documentation, and coordination with accounting support)
• Maintain clean, current financial records that are explainable at any point in time

Important context: The challenge in this role is not the volume of bookkeeping work, but prioritization when finance tasks collide with grants, funder or vendor requests, partner issues, program operations support, and other urgent operational work. Judgment about what must be protected versus what can temporarily be imperfect is critical.

Hiring Operations (Cyclical – 2x/year)

• Own hiring logistics for fellow cohorts and short‑term roles (twice per year)
• Manage application intake, screening logistics, scheduling, and candidate tracking
• Ensure hiring timelines are met and candidates are not stalled or dropped
• Coordinate onboarding paperwork and start‑date readiness

Operational Execution Under Pressure

• Clear operational backlogs that block participants, partners, or funders
• Step in to unblock urgent work when priorities shift or timelines compress
• Build lightweight systems or documentation only when they reduce errors or increase speed

How This Role Relates to finEQUITY’s Strategic HIT List

finEQUITY maintains a dynamic, org‑wide Strategic HIT List reflecting our most urgent priorities at any given time. This list is shared across the organization and may change throughout the year.

This role does not own the entire HIT List. However, strong performance includes:

• Maintaining situational awareness of high‑priority items
• Taking initiative when progress is blocked and action is possible
• Exercising judgment about when to act independently versus escalate
• Advancing low‑effort, high‑impact actions that materially move work forward

What We’re Explicitly Looking For

• Strong situational awareness across multiple workstreams
• A bias toward progress — action that leads to outcomes, not action for action’s sake
• Comfort acting without perfect ownership or complete information
• Judgment about when to act, when to loop others in, and when to escalate

What This Role Is Not

• Not people-ops leadership or HR strategy
• Not board management or fundraising strategy
• Not a product or program design role
• Not a documentation-first or planning-heavy role

Please Read Before Applying: This Role Is Not for Everyone

Early-stage organizations can be rewarding — and they can also be fluid, interrupt-driven, and demanding. This role requires comfort with shifting priorities while still maintaining strong follow-through and attention to detail.

You may struggle in this role if:

• You need stable, highly defined scopes of work to feel effective
• You prefer to wait for clear ownership, permission, or full context before taking action
• You are most comfortable optimizing processes rather than moving work forward under time pressure
• You find ambiguity stressful rather than solvable
• You expect priorities to remain fixed quarter to quarter

If you enjoy problem-solving in dynamic environments, exercising judgment about when to act versus escalate, and helping organizations move forward even when conditions aren’t perfect, this role may be a strong fit.

Location & Work Style

This role requires in-person work in Philadelphia during onboarding and the first several months. While residency within the city is not required, candidates must be able to reliably commute to Philadelphia during this period.

As trust and working rhythms are established, the role is expected to transition to a hybrid schedule.

We believe early-stage operational work benefits from proximity, shared context, and high-touch communication.