Director of Finance

Description

This role will be based in our Richmond, Charlottesville, Falls Church, or Petersburg offices.

Salary Note: Salary range is $90,000 to $134,660.36 based on years of relevant experience and LAJC’s formal salary scale, upward 12% cost-of-living adjustment ($100,800 to $150,819.61) is available for positions based in Falls Church. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between $90,000 – $119,122.63 ($100,800 – $133,417.34 12% adjustment for Falls Church). Placement on the range will be based on factors such as years of relevant experience, budget, and internal equity.

About the Legal Aid Justice Center

The Legal Aid Justice Center is a nationally recognized, non-profit organization that partners with low-income clients and communities of color in Virginia to fight for racial, social, and economic justice. We understand that the harms our clients endure are inextricably linked to overarching systems of injustice. Together we are dismantling those systems through a combination of community organizing, litigation, policy advocacy, public relations, and individual legal services.

Founded in 1967, LAJC has offices in Charlottesville, Richmond, Petersburg, and Falls Church and provides services under six key program areas: Civil Rights & Racial Justice (focuses on the criminal legal system), Housing & Consumer Justice, Youth Justice, Health Justice & Public Benefits, Immigrant Justice, and Worker Justice. As examples of LAJC’s recent work, our lawsuit and organizing against the state forced reform of Virginia’s unemployment insurance system, including advocacy that resulted in the distribution of over $1 billion in illegally withheld payments to over 160,000 Virginians. During the pandemic, we demanded and secured a statewide eviction moratorium and emergency pandemic protections that helped hundreds of families avoid eviction. We reduced incarceration across the state, including reducing the population of a local immigration detention center down to historically low levels through a coordinated effort of organizing paired with impact and individual litigation.  Our staff are on the front lines of some of the most important anti-poverty fights happening today.

With a staff of over 90, the past few years have been a time of exciting growth and opportunity for the organization. In addition to the growth of programmatic efforts including increased organizing capacity, LAJC has expanded its operations and administrative capacity, created new opportunities for professional growth and leadership among staff, engaged in ongoing race equity work, and explored changes to organizational structure to deepen its efforts to create long-term, sustainable, community-driven change.

LAJC’s latest strategic plan is available at https://www.justice4all.org/lajc-strategic-plan-2022-2026/#area%20d

For more information about LAJC’s work and programs, visit www.justice4all.org.

About the Position:

As a member of the organization’s senior management team, the Director of Finance is responsible for strategically developing, maintaining, and overseeing the operations that support the financial health and sustainability of the organization. This role directly supervises a team of finance and accounting professionals to take primary responsibility for managing the financial, accounting, grant accounting, budgeting and treasury functions of the organization. The Director of Finance also oversees real estate leases and both owned and leased office properties, including assessing and managing future office expansions or relocations. In this capacity, the individual works with LAJC’s four onsite office managers to ensure our facilities appropriately support the organization’s strategic goals and operations.

As the finance and accounting subject-matter on the senior management team, this individual must possess a deep understanding of and significant experience complying with nonprofit accounting principles. Commitment to service-oriented leadership is required. Because this individual balances a variety of responsibilities and collaborates with people throughout the organization, the position requires a high degree of flexibility and comfort with ambiguity; a positive, solution-oriented attitude; significant initiative and problem-solving skills; and attention to details.

Job Duties

Organizational Leadership

Serves on the organization’s Leadership Team and chairs our staff Budget & Staffing Committee.
Advises the Executive Director, Board, and Budget & Audit Committee on how to maintain the financial health of the organization and achieve other strategic priorities.
Effectively communicates financial information to a variety of non-financial stakeholders, including especially the Leadership Team and staff, and provides ongoing coaching and support to members of the Leadership Team regarding budget management.
Responds timely to both internal and external customers.
Values and incorporates the contributions of people from diverse backgrounds and demonstrates respect for their opinions and ideas of others.
Readily shares information and expertise to enable others to accomplish goals and objectives.
When necessary, assists other team members in the timely and accurate performance of assignments, projects and goals.
Provides appropriate forums to encourage teamwork among staff.
Functions independently and adapts to changes in the work environment.
Provides leadership, exercises appropriate influence, tactful judgement, and proper conduct to carry out policies and programs.

Accounting and Fiscal Management

Develops and manages the accounting system to provide accurate and timely information used for decision making and reporting.
Ensures compliance with organizational policy, assesses the effectiveness of management controls, and seeks to improve internal controls over financial reporting within the organization
Designs and manages systems, processes and procedures for handling cash receipts and disbursements, ensuring segregation of duties.
Manages all aspects of the organization’s accounting operations including the revenue and expense cycles, balance sheet reconciliations, and period-end close, ensuring the organization’s books and records are in accordance with GAAP
Monitors, directs, analyzes and conveys financial performance to the Executive Director.
In conjunction with the Executive Director, develops the annual budget and long-term financial planning and forecasting including long-range budgets, capital expenditure budgets and cash flow projections.
Performs complex financial analyses and evaluates operating results with regard to cash flow, costs, budgets, utilization of resources and organizational productivity.
Project cash flows and maintain cash management and working capital control, including management of idle funds, short-term financing and timely payment of obligations for the organization.
Manage cash flow and investments in accordance with board-approved policies.
Monitors costs for savings opportunities.
Assures compliance with all regulatory and compliance matters and manages all legal and contractual matters in accordance with current laws, rules, regulations and standards.
Ensures accurate payroll and associated payroll tax liability payments. Ensures completion of monthly, quarterly and annual payroll tax reports.
Assists the Director of Human Resources with the review and revision of benefit plans, compensation structure and staffing levels.
Reviews and updates annual business insurance policy coverage.
Ensures the maintenance of master accounting files including leases and vendor contracts as necessary to support all financial transactions.
Supervises the organization’s annual financial audit, Single Audit (as necessary), and other ad hoc financial audits (e.g., grant-specific audits).
Assists the organization’s independent auditors with the completion of the annual Form 990.

Grants and Federal Reporting

Responsible for ensuring the organization’s compliance with federal cost principles and OMB Circular A-133 requirements as required under 2 CFR Part 200.
Responsible for compiling and submitting grant management and required agency reports.
Supervises the preparation of budgets and reports for funders including major donors, foundations, and government entities.
Ensures maintenance of master grant files with supporting documentation, agency correspondence and award notifications necessary for the annual financial audit and Single Audit, as necessary.

Board of Directors Relationships and Responsibilities

Reviews the organization’s management reports with the Budget & Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Presents management reports, operating budgets and forecasts, audits, and the Form 990 for review and acceptance/approval by the Board of Directors.
Presents fiscal policies to the Board for review and approval.

People Manager Duties and Responsibilities

Directly supervises the Assistant Controller and Financial Analyst, Budgets and Grants.
Develops and coordinates orientation and on-boarding for Finance Department employees as well as finance-related orientation and onboarding, as appropriate, for non-Finance Department employees.
Contributes to employee performance management through both formal and informal channels.

Quality Improvement Duties and Responsibilities:

Demonstrates commitment to excellence by consistently looking for, contributing to and implementing ways to improve quality within the Finance Department and organization.
Identifies problems in a timely manner and develops alternative solutions.
Consistently evaluates work and evaluates whether further steps are needed to meet stakeholder expectations.
Demonstrates sound judgment by taking appropriate action on questionable findings or concerns.

Facilities Management and Growth Planning:

Manages leases, office space, and properties, including expanding into new locations.
Facilitates planning and execution of office relocations and renovations, oversees construction projects, and facilitates acquisition of capital equipment.
Assesses and makes recommendations for office needs such as additional space, construction, furniture, and green energy upgrades.
Works with LAJC leadership to review and update office security policies.
Along with Charlottesville Office Manager, serve as liaison with the Green Business Alliance.

Racial Equity: Promotes racial equity across all dimensions, including within LAJC, by doing the following:

Helping to recruit, retain, and support both staff and leadership that reflect the racial composition of our community.
Cultivating respect for the work of and expanding resources for non-attorney staff that are disproportionately people of color.
Creating spaces for staff to discuss issues of racial, gender, and all other issues of marginalization.
Pushing for institutional and cultural changes by management, the Board, and staff to further promote racial equity.

Skills Required

Strong commitment to social, economic, and racial justice.
A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a closely related discipline.
A minimum of five years’ progressively responsible experience in the accounting function of a nonprofit organization or nonprofit practice of an independent audit firm.
Experience maintaining and using general ledger software as well as a high degree of computer proficiency, especially with Microsoft Excel.

Preferred Qualifications:

10 years of experience in accounting, audit, and/or financial management.
5 years of experience in managing people and teams.
Experience using Sage Intaact GL software. Familiarity with system-based payroll allocations highly preferred.
Experience operating in a Single Audit environment.

A Note to Potential Candidates: Studies have shown that women, trans, non-binary folks, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described.

Location: This role can be based in any of our offices Charlottesville, Falls Church, Richmond, or Petersburg. Occasional travel between offices will be required. Although a regular presence in the office is required, LAJC offers a remote work policy to support employees in co-creating schedules and arrangements that allow us all to do our best work.

Application Deadline: June 3rd, 2024, is the last day applications will be accepted. We accept applications on a rolling basis and encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible.

Salary: Salary range is $90,000 to $134,660.36 based on years of relevant experience and LAJC’s formal salary scale, upward 12% cost-of-living adjustment ($100,800 to 150,819.61) is available for positions based in Falls Church. To allow for salary growth within the position over time, the anticipated hiring range for this position is between $90,000 – $119,122.63 ($100,800 – $133,417.34 12% adjustment for Falls Church). Placement on the range will be based on factors such as years of relevant experience, budget, and internal equity.

Benefits: Our mission is compelling, and our team members are passionate about their work, and so we recognize the need to provide generous benefits and encourage rest and a healthy work environment. For example, we provide:

Generous paid time off every year, including 3 to 6 weeks of vacation, 12 days of health leave, 6 weeks parental leave, and 14 holidays (not including bonus holidays/rest days allocated as needed)
100% employer paid health, dental, and vision insurance, plus excellent family insurance with annual max of $2,400 premium contribution to LAJC-sponsored health plan.
403(b) retirement plan with 4% employer contribution (no required match)
Strong commitment to professional development
Relocation package

Application Instructions: Complete the online application which requires a cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references. You can direct the cover letter to the hiring manager, Angela Ciofli at Angela@Justice4all.org. Please note, we will not contact references without advance consent from candidates.

Vaccination Requirement: The Legal Aid Justice Center requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved medical or religious exemption as a qualification of employment. Proof of vaccination or accommodation request must be provided within one day of employment.

The Legal Aid Justice Center is an equal opportunity employer, committed to inclusive hiring and dedicated to diversity in our work and staff. We strongly encourage candidates of all identities, experiences, and communities to apply. The Legal Aid Justice Center is committed to strengthening the voices of our low-income clients, working in collaboration with community partners, and rooting out the inequities that keep people in poverty. We strive to take on the issues that have broad impact on our client communities and to be responsive to client input. Recognizing the particular impact of racism on our clients and staff, we devote special attention to dismantling racial injustice. All applicants must be dedicated to working in and sustaining an environment that enables staff and clients to feel empowered, valued, respected, and safe. In reviewing applications, we look for evidence that applicants have experience and/or thoughtfulness in working with traditionally marginalized populations.