Employment

With latitude to exercise independent judgment within established policy, the Finance and Accounting Manager performs professional accounting and management. The incumbent is responsible for oversight of all finance, accounting activities, and reporting functions. The Finance and Accounting Manager provides input to agency leadership through forecasting and financial strategies, leads projects, and prepares materials and presentations to the finance board and audit committee. The incumbent works closely with the senior leadership team with responsibility for financial reporting, cost distribution, and systems implementation. The Finance and Accounting Manager leads all day-to-day finance operations of a budget of $5-10 million and leads the department team with functional responsibility over accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash flow forecasting, payroll, and grants reporting. This position reports to the Director of Finance and Administration.

Additionally, the position supports the mission, values, and strategic direction of Children’s Institute (CI) through promoting racial and social justice; honoring and valuing children; transforming with an engaged presence; establishing essential partnerships; implementing research-based practice; and the ethical, responsible stewardship of resources for the benefit of children. You desire a career aligned with our Mission, Vision, and Core Values:

Our Mission: Joining together to raise every child’s complete wellbeing
Our Vision: Supportive communities where every family can raise children who thrive as they live, learn, and play.    
Our Core Values:
Racial and Social Justice: We work collectively to be anti-racist and to promote social justice by removing barriers to equity and ensuring inclusion of all people.
Children and Families First: We honor and value children, youth, and families as experts in their own lives, and promote success in all areas of well-being. 
Transformation with an Engaged Presence: It is our duty to participate with cultural humility, always learning, reflecting, and applying new understandings to strengthen the systems and communities that health, learning, and growth depend upon.
Partnerships Are Essential: We team with community partners, shoulder-to-shoulder, to develop and deliver measurably effective solutions to serve children, families, and providers.
Interdependence of Research and Practice: We believe that taking action informed from lived experience, research and practice achieves outcomes that children, youth, families, and communities desire similarly.
Ethical and Responsible Use of Resources: We are good caretakers of resources and relationships that benefit children, including the ethical use of data. 

Responsibilities

Finance and Accounting

• Oversees all accounting operations including but not limited to accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems ensuring compliance with appropriate Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) standards and regulatory requirements.
• Maintains and coordinates all audit activity.
• Internal control and safeguards for receipt of revenue, costs, program budgets, and actual expenditures.
• Analyzes financial data and presents financial reports in an accurate and timely manner; performs and clearly communicates monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
• Oversees all financial, project/program, and grants accounting; ensures that expenditures are consistently aligned with grant and program budgets throughout the grant/fund period; collates financial reporting materials for government, corporate, and foundation grants.
• Manages organizational cash flow forecasting by working in partnership with the program vice presidents; collaborates with program vice presidents to assess the financial efficacy of program operations and establish finance and administrative systems to support program operations.
• Manages and tracks the performance of invested assets in keeping with policies and investment guidelines.

Leadership

• Assists CI leadership in the annual budgeting and planning process; administers and reviews all financial plans and compares to actual results with a view to identify, explain, and correct variances; monitors progress and changes and keeps senior leadership abreast of ongoing financial status.
• Supports CI leadership in engaging the board’s audit and finance committees around issues and trends in financial operations.
• Implements and executes financial strategies for the organization.

Relationships

• Fosters a culture of compliance, accountability, and cultural humility in financial processes that supports equity among internal and external partners.
• Coordinates all audit activity.
• Fosters Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises - relationships and resources.

Supervises Internal Systems

• Manages daily operations, functions, and systems for management of finance processes with alignment CI and UR guidelines.
• Ensures that internal processes are developed, implemented, monitored, and revised as needed.
• Monitors and reports on operational issues, opportunities, and achievements within agreed formats and timelines, and intervenes with a continuous improvement approach as needed.

Team Leadership

• Leverages strengths of finance team members and helps to clarify roles and responsibilities. Develops and implements training programs in order to maximize and reach optimal individual and organizational goals.
• Provides leadership in strengthening internal communications with staff at all levels throughout the organization; creates and promotes a positive and supportive work environment.

Reporting

• Oversees preparation and distribution of IRS 990, NYS CHAR500, IRS 1099 misc., and 1096 summary forms; submits bi-annual lobby reports, annual workers compensation insurance audit, and other mandatory filings.
• Uploads quarterly reports and required documents to major funders as per contract requirements. Submits annual consolidated fiscal report (CFR) to New York State per contract and grant requirements.

Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or business field with equivalent course work, or specialized experience in an appropriate field related to the assignment.
• At least 3 years of relevant experience in accounting and budgeting preferably in a grant-funded non-profit setting, or an equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Experience with coordinating audit activities and managing reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, payroll, and accounting for investments.
• A track record in grants management as it relates to compliance and reporting of government, corporate, and foundation grants is essential.
• Advanced knowledge of accounting and reporting software (prior use of Abila preferred). Prior experience managing relationships with accounting software vendors.
• Commitment to recruiting, mentoring, training, and retaining a diverse team; the foresight and ability to delegate accordingly.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data, including presentations to senior management, board, or other outside partners,
• Ability and desire to translate complex financial concepts to individuals at all levels including finance and non-finance managers.

Preferred   

• CPA is preferred.
• Master's degree is preferred.

How to Apply: 

All applicants must apply online. 

Click here to apply. Search for Job ID 244444

For questions, please contact William Brien, Director of Finance and Administration, at wbrien@childrensinstitute.net or (585) 295-1000, ext. 223.