Data & Society is seeking a Director of Finance & Administration to move our young but rapidly developing organization’s systems and practices beyond the start-up stage, while maintaining the flexibility that we need to be responsive to emerging needs and opportunities. The ideal candidate is a strong strategic thinker who is committed to supporting the mission and values of the organization and excited to be part of its ongoing evolution.
About the Director of Finance & Administration
The Director of Finance & Administration at D&S is a crucial role focused on the structure and running of our finances and operations. They will be a senior leader within the organization, participating in the planning and development of the organization’s overall strategy and owning significant elements of that strategy where they intersect with operations and finance. In this senior role, the Director of Finance & Administration will also be involved in monitoring, evaluation and grant reporting, and will be a key partner to the organization’s managers, who steer our programs, research, and communications.
The Director of Finance & Administration’s mandate is to refine and streamline Data & Society’s financial and administrative processes, develop and expand our infrastructure, and implement systems needed to support D&S effectively over the next five to ten years. They will oversee our finance, human resources, legal, facilities (physical and IT), and administrative functions. They will report to the organization’s president and founder and be responsible for leading a distributed operations team of staff and consultants, including the Controller, Finance Administrator, Human Resources Manager, Grants Administrator, Office Manager, and Operations Assistant. The Director of Finance & Administration will lead day-to-day operations, guiding and managing team members and their work.
Responsibilities Will Include:
Finance
- Oversee and manage operations, finance, office, and administrative budgets; organize the entire annual budgeting process, including devising process and tools for use by other managers/directors; train key staff on budgeting approaches; support management in aligning projected budgets with available and projected funding sources.
- Manage and cultivate the skills and talents of the operations, finance, and administrative staff; define staff needs and professional development paths and recruit new talent when needed.
- Build necessary structures to cultivate and maintain relationships with our bank, vendors, and legal team.
- Build systems to allow organizational leadership and management to project and track spending through multiple lenses.
- Prepare timely and accurate budgets and financial reports for Board, organizational leadership, and budget-responsible managers.
- Advise organizational leadership on non-profit financial issues, questions, and concerns.
- Manage and lead the financial team including the Controller, Finance Administrator, Grants Administrator, and Staff Accountant.
Administration and Operations
- Provide ownership and implement D&S’s overall operations and administration strategy.
- Coordinate and manage the projects and initiatives of Finance and Administration team so they work in concert towards organizational and programmatic goals.
- Deploy Finance and Administration team staff/skills to support the research, program, and communications team appropriately; this includes everything from deploying office management support to enable successful events to providing useful budgets to help with strategic decision-making.
- Manage the office manager and operations assistant.
Human Resources
- Supervise and support the Human Resources manager in all aspects of her work.
- Oversee the development of Human Resources processes and tools to move the organization to a more stable environment.
- Contribute to team morale, in creating a healthy and happy place to work.
Management & Strategy
- Provide strategic, high-level perspective on the organization’s finance and accounting needs; partner with senior management in making decisions through a financial lens; balance or supplement the skills of the controller and other finance team members.
- Provide support in development and fundraising work led by Board members and the organization’s directors.
- Prepare reports for and present documentation to staff, Board, funders, and supporters.
- Work across all teams to build processes that support D&S’s research, programs, and communications and help D&S to be efficient and to spend wisely.
Qualifications:
- 7-10 years of leadership and team management experience in the nonprofit or social sector; 3-5 years of experience managing, leading, and motivating at the senior level in a high-performance nonprofit/for-profit organization.
- Master’s degree in Administration (Nonprofit, Business, or Public)
- Significant experience with and knowledge of nonprofit accounting systems and GAAP; experience with nonprofit audits required.
- Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communications and presentation skills, particularly on communicating around financial systems and structures.
- Successful track record in setting priorities, shaping processes, guiding investment in people and systems, and developing infrastructure that creates a stronger and more efficient organization.
- Working knowledge of systems for business development, human resources, budgeting, and strategic planning.
- Ability to negotiate and work effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Excellent organizational skills with high attention to detail and follow-through.
- Demonstrated leadership and management style characterized by personal integrity, collaboration, creativity, and flexibility.
- A creative and proactive approach to problem-solving and an ability to operate with purpose, urgency, and accuracy in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
- Experience supervising a diverse team of direct reports.
Practical Considerations:
- This position is full time and requires that you work from Data & Society’s NYC offices in the Flatiron District.
- Attendance and some participation in events will be a part of this job, some of which may occasionally take place at night or on weekends.
- You will be offered a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid time off, and paid holidays.
- You must be eligible to work in the United States; we are unable to sponsor visas.
- Salary is commensurate with experience.
TO APPLY, PLEASE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING TO JOBS@DATASOCIETY.NET BY FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2017:
- A cover letter explaining your qualifications and interest in this role, as well as how you learned of this opportunity;
- CV or resume;
- Names, affiliations, and email addresses of two references
Applications will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis. Please feel free to contact us at jobs@datasociety.net should you have any questions about the position. Questions about the opportunity or process will not reflect negatively on your application.
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