The United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area, a dynamic, mission-focused non-profit in Utica, NY has an outstanding opportunity for a highly professional leader to join our team as Director of Finance & Administration.
Our Mission is to mobilize the caring power of the Valley & Greater Utica Area by connecting people, resources, and ideas to create a thriving community.
The Director of Finance & Administration provides organizational and functional leadership for all finance-related activities. The position serves in an advisory capacity to the CEO and Board of Directors providing strategic leadership to support the UWGVU mission. As part of the Leadership Team, the position collaboratively develops and implements the organization’s short-term and long-term financial operating model.
The essential duties of the Director of Finance include but are not limited to:
Serves as a strategic business partner providing leadership in an ongoing assessment of organizational financial performance against both the organization’s budget and its short- and long-term strategy. Acts as the fiduciary officer to ensure that organization complies with all financial and tax regulations, and ensures that organization adheres to United Way membership requirements and all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations. This includes:
Planning.
- Discusses expenditures and allocations with UWVGU staff, as needed.
- Works with staff to develop expenditure projections, cost-saving efficiencies, and revenue enhancement opportunities.
- Organizes, administers, and monitors the annual operating budget and the short-term and long-term capital budget proposals.
Reporting.
- Prepares timely and accurate financial and business reports in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and United Way Worldwide reporting standards.
- Ensures reports are based on organizational objectives and attend to end-user feedback.
- Provides monthly financial statements, fiscal year-end audited financial statements, notes to the audited financial statements, and ad hoc financial analyses.
- Develops and maintains accurate grant expenditure reporting systems.
Audit and taxation.
- Coordinates with and in the internal lead for the external auditors. Oversees the preparation and timely filing of local, state and federal returns, reports, filings, and exemptions.
Accounting.
- Develops and implements processes for ensuring accurate and timely accounts receivable, accounts payable, allocations and designations payable.
- Oversees and implements efficient campaign pledge processes. Oversees, reconciles, and maintains all accounts, ledgers, functional areas and reporting systems.
- Responsible for monthly/fiscal year close process.
Cash management.
- Oversees banking and cash management functions.
Purchasing.
- Manages the acquisition of goods and services. Provides training and assistance to staff to ensure policies and procedures are met. Facilitates review of contracts and services agreements, prior to purchase.
Policies and procedures.
- Ensure records retention system reflects best practices and is maintained.
- Develop, document, ensure accountability to, and continuously improve all finance procedures and processes.
Risk management.
- Serves as the risk manager by planning and implementing measures that will avoid and/or mitigate the negative impact of actual and potential risks to UWVGU.
- Develops and manages systems to assess business enterprise risks and drive integration and standardization of risk management processes/procedures across the organization.
- This includes
- maintaining adequate insurance coverage including: fire, theft, general liability, auto and equipment, retirement plan, directors and officers coverage, etc. and
- ensuring adequate and efficient system of internal controls is in place and is operating as designed, to support the integrity of financial information, to protect the physical and financial assets, and to reduce the risk of illegal acts.
Leadership
- Plans for, acquires, develops departmental procedures for, and monitors use of assigned resources to ensure optimal use of staff, budget, space, and equipment to achieve organizational goals and departmental objectives.
- This includes:
- Staffing. Hire, train, supervise, coach, and evaluate performance of departmental staff.
- Collaboration. Supports cross-functional collaboration. Ensure that department collaborates with other departments. Works with department supervisors to set clear objectives that support departmental and organizational goals and then makes progress toward those goals, promotes core values, and drives the use of organizational tools and processes. Guides cross-functional strategy between departments to track, allocate, and analyze gift and payout processes for accurate reporting and projections.
- Communication. Maintains proactive lines of communication, keeping staff and the leadership team informed of issues related to the financial management of the organization.
- Strategy. Serves as a member of the Leadership Team by providing business leadership and financial expertise to achieve the organizations business goals. Assists the CEO and the board in developing and updating organizational goals and strategies.
- Board liaison. Serves as the staff support and liaison to the Board’s Finance Committee. Communicates financial matters at committee and Board meetings. Participates as needed with other committees of the board. Efficiently incorporates feedback from board members into financial and operational strategy.
- Professional development. Maintains professional and technical knowledge by completing professional education; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; and participating in professional societies
- Other duties as assigned.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- A minimum of five years of financial management experience including:
- Managing the staff and budget for an operating unit or department;
- Understanding and applying financial accounting standards relevant to for-profit and governmental and/or non-profit organizations, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and Generally Accepted Auditing Standards;
- Developing and monitoring operational, programmatic, and capital budgets; and
- Developing and implementing organizational and financial policies and procedures.
- Must have business acumen and effective leadership, analytical, organizational, and team building skills with high level experience in complex organizations including the ability to:
- Develop, analyze, understand, and work with complex financial and statistical information.
- Produce and edit written communications including preparing proposals, technical or analytical reports;
- Oral communications including the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical audiences, and to develop and provide presentations with the use of multi-media; and
- Use applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and accounting and database software.
Preferred Qualifications
- Financial management experience in a mid- to large-nonprofit/profit organization
- Ability to effectively manage change
- Ability to develop and implement innovative approaches to solving problems
- Experience in applying endowment and planned giving accounting standards