Sr. Director of Finance and Operations

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Director of Finance & Operations to lead and strengthen the organization’s financial and business operations infrastructure.

This is a senior leadership position for an accomplished finance and operations professional who combines strategic financial leadership with hands-on operational execution. As the senior-most internal finance leader, this individual will guide financial strategy, stewardship, and organizational planning while ensuring that the systems, processes, controls, and infrastructure supporting day-to-day operations are disciplined, scalable, compliant, and effective.

This is a player-coach role requiring the ability to move comfortably between executive-level strategy and detailed operational leadership. The Senior Director will partner with executive leadership, external financial advisors, board and committee members, and organizational leaders to translate strategic priorities into actionable financial and operational plans.

The position will oversee financial planning and analysis, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, financial reporting, grant and revenue management, audit readiness, internal controls, contracts, procurement, compliance, and organizational operations.

The ideal candidate is a builder-minded leader who enjoys strengthening systems, creating organizational clarity, improving financial literacy, and developing the infrastructure necessary to support organizational growth and long-term sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Provide strategic leadership for a forward-looking finance function that supports organizational decision-making, financial sustainability, operational effectiveness, and growth.
  
• Serve as the organization’s senior-most internal finance leader and strategic partner to executive leadership, board and committee members, and external financial partners.
  
• Lead the development and implementation of integrated budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, and long-term financial planning processes.
  
• Translate enterprise-level financial strategy into practical implementation and execution plans.
  
• Maintain a hands-on approach to budgeting, financial modeling, analysis, forecasting, and scenario planning.
  
• Develop and utilize financial models, sustainability plans, cost allocations, revenue analyses, and risk assessments to inform organizational decisions.
  
• Translate complex financial information into actionable insights, dashboards, reports, and presentations for leadership, staff, board members, funders, and external partners.
  
• Continuously improve financial systems, planning tools, reporting processes, and organizational infrastructure.
  
• Leverage technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to improve forecasting, reporting, operational capacity, and organizational decision-making.
  

Operations, Governance & Compliance

• Oversee and continuously strengthen organizational finance and business operations.
  
• Provide oversight of accounting, accounts payable, payroll coordination, expense reimbursement, corporate card administration, banking relationships, and revenue and grant administration.
  
• Oversee procurement, organizational policies and procedures, regulatory compliance, and operational governance.
  
• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, monthly close processes, reconciliations, cash flow monitoring, and financial record maintenance.
  
• Maintain compliance with grant requirements, financial reporting obligations, tax regulations, audits, and other regulatory requirements.
  
• Lead organizational audit readiness and oversee audits, tax filings, internal controls, and compliance processes in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
  
• Oversee contracts, fiscal sponsorship arrangements, vendor management, insurance, document retention, and business continuity planning.
  
• Develop and implement operational systems, workflows, and financial controls that strengthen accountability and organizational effectiveness.
  
• Ensure financial systems, coding structures, policies, and operational processes are consistently maintained and aligned with reporting, compliance, and decision-making needs.
  
• Provide operational leadership beyond the finance function, including contracts, procurement, vendor management, organizational policies, and business processes.
  
• Partner with organizational leaders to strengthen operational maturity, document critical processes, and improve the consistency and effectiveness of organizational systems.
  

Team Leadership & Organizational Enablement

• Lead, manage, and mentor a high-performing finance team.
  
• Establish clear priorities, effective team practices, professional development opportunities, and a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
  
• Lead change management initiatives related to financial and operational processes.
  
• Increase financial literacy throughout the organization by developing practical tools, training, workflows, and partnership models for budget owners and organizational leaders.
  
• Partner cross-functionally to implement and improve budgeting, procurement, reporting, time tracking, resource planning, and other organizational systems.
  
• Build strong adoption and day-to-day effectiveness of financial and operational processes throughout the organization.
  
• Foster a collaborative, learning-oriented environment that values transparency, inclusion, curiosity, and shared accountability.
  
• Support organizational planning and execution by helping teams improve operational discipline, coordination, resource allocation, and alignment with organizational priorities.
  

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of progressive experience in nonprofit finance and budgeting, including experience leading and strengthening an organization-wide finance function.
  
• Demonstrated ability to use finance as a strategic tool to improve organizational planning, resource allocation, decision-making, and long-term sustainability.
  
• Strong experience developing financial models, budgets, forecasts, scenario analyses, and financial planning systems.
  
• Experience overseeing organizational operations beyond finance, including contracts, procurement, organizational policies, vendor management, and operational processes.
  
• Demonstrated experience with financial compliance, grant budgeting and administration, audits, tax requirements, and internal controls.
  
• Experience building scalable financial and operational systems within growing or evolving organizations.
  
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, establish organizational structure, and strengthen accountability in lean and fast-moving environments.
  
• Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving capabilities with the ability to create clarity from complex organizational challenges.
  
• Demonstrated experience leading teams, developing staff, managing organizational change, and building effective cross-functional partnerships.
  
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial information for executives, board members, staff, funders, and other stakeholders.
  
• Experience leveraging technology, automation, data systems, and emerging AI-enabled tools to improve financial analysis, forecasting, reporting, and organizational operations.
  
• Ability to balance innovation and technology adoption with sound financial judgment, critical thinking, and financial rigor.
  
• Collaborative and solutions-oriented leadership approach with a commitment to transparency, continuous learning, and organizational effectiveness.
  

Benefits