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The Legal Aid Society’s Finance Department seeks a Director of Finance & Grants Management to support the Finance, Development and Practice teams with the successful management of grants and contracts. The director will be responsible for maintaining financial oversight and management of an over $330M grant portfolio, mainly funded by the state and city governments as well as private foundations and individual donations. This person will oversee a team of 10-15 members of the Finance Department’s Grants and Contracts unit and work collaboratively across all teams. The Director of Finance & Grants Management will also have responsibility for the successful collaboration, communication, and execution of grant management work across all finance teams: accounting, financial planning and analysis and payroll.
This person will report to the CFO and play a key role in developing and implementing financial systems, technology, and processes as well as training, developing, and leading the finance team comprising of 50 members in close collaboration with the CFO & the Finance leadership team. The ideal candidate has experience orchestrating systems-level change with a collaborative approach across multiple departments. They are an effective communicator with the proven ability to develop productive relationships internally and externally and a superior project manager and systems thinker.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategic Leadership
Collaborate with the CFO and practice leaders to develop, implement and maintain with excellence the grants and contracts strategy, structure, process, and success criteria.
Support the CFO and the Finance leadership team with refining, optimizing, and implementing financial systems, tools, structures, and processes.
Provide leadership, direction and partnership to all teams and departments directly and indirectly involved or impacted by the grants and contracts process and ensure process management is professional, efficient, transparent, and effective at meeting each contract and grants goals.
Cultivate high integrity and transparent working relationships with funders and other external partners to achieve practice and finance goals while strengthening the LAS brand and reputation.
Grant & Contract Process Management
Lead day-to-day operations of the Finance Department’s Grants and Contracts unit and provide leadership, direction, and supervision to the unit’s staff members.
Actively manage grant-related pre-and post-award functions, including but not limited to budget and expense analysis, periodic invoicing, financial reporting, labor distribution changes, reconciliations, budget modifications and grant closeout functions.
Analyze the grant awards and ensure that all the allowable grant expenses (personnel & OTPS) including the indirect rates are properly budgeted and accounted for. Prepare a monthly cash flow with expected grant spending, invoices and cash receipts extended out to the life of the grant where practical.
Ensure timely preparation and submission of all required financial reports to the various funders are in accordance with LAS standards and donors’ requirements.
Closely monitor collection activity to ensure that invoices are submitted monthly and collected promptly and reconciled within the accounting system. Escalate any delays in receivables appropriately.
Partner with Financial Analysis unit to develop of forecasts, budgets, and budget revisions for programs. Analyze cash flow forecasts for program areas monthly and communicate monthly project level financial results to program manager.
Partner with Controller with year-end audits as well as various program specific audits, process journal entries, and other various projects if needed.
Partner with General Counsel and CFO to ensure compliance of grants with LAS’s policies/procedures and donor rules/regulations, primarily New York State & City funding agencies
Team Development
Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen internal communications with staff throughout the organization; create and promote a positive, multicultural work environment that supports consistency throughout the organization’s strategy, operational methods, and data collection needs.
Develop, train, and provide guidance, support, and tools to all finance staff as well as those directly or indirectly involved with grants and contracts to ensure effectiveness and increase efficiencies and consistency in practices.
Establish and implement high standards and success metrics for grants and contracts and hold staff accountable to meeting these standards.
Minimum of a BS in Finance or closely related field with at least 10 years of relevant, progressively responsible experience, preferably in the non-profit sector, with experience in budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting; government contract management and compliance or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Organized, strategic systems builder and project manager
Comfort with fast-paced, detail and deadline oriented, high-feedback environment
Good organizational, verbal, and written communication skills
Significant experience building, developing and leading high performing cross-functional teams and developing key external relationships
Proven success orchestrating systems level change with a collaborative approach
Excellent interpersonal skills and strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Demonstrated experience managing numerous projects simultaneously
Ability to analyze, evaluate, summarize, and communicate financial records for accuracy and conformance to procedures, rules, and regulations
Knowledge of federal grants and regulations and experience in managing a diverse portfolio of institutional grants, including New York State & City grants, as well as foundations and other charities
Hands-on experience in accounting software, preferably Financial Edge.
Strong knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
Knowledge and demonstrated experience with MS Office package software applications with advanced skills using Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs, if statements)
Internal consulting and union environment experience preferred
SALARY AND BENEFITS
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society believes in attracting and retaining exceptional talent committed to serving our clients. We offer a generous benefits package including health insurance, paid vacation, disability and life insurance, and more. Salaries for our unionized jobs are governed by our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please visit our Careers page for additional information. Salary and benefits information will be available to applicants, when and if, an offer is made.
OUR COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
The leadership of The Legal Aid Society is committed to a work culture of zealous advocacy, respect, diversity and inclusion, client-oriented defense, access to justice and excellent representation. We are dedicated to building a strong professional relationship with each of our clients, to understanding their diverse circumstances, and to meeting their needs. Our ability to achieve these goals depends on the efforts of all of us.
HOW TO APPLY
All applications must be completed online. We do not accept paper submissions. Please visit our Careers Page to review all current job postings, and instructions on the application process. For technical difficulties or questions regarding this posting, please email jobpostquestions@legal-aid.org.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer, The Legal Aid Society prohibits discriminatory employment actions against and treatment of its employees and applicants for employment based on actual or perceived race or color, size (including bone structure, body size, height, shape, and weight), religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity (one’s internal deeply-held sense of one’s gender which may be the same or different from one’s sex assigned at birth; one’s gender identity may be male, female, neither or both, e.g., non-binary), gender expression (the representation of gender as expressed through, for example, one’s name, choice of pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics; gender expression may not be distinctively male or female and may not conform to traditional gender-based stereotypes assigned to specific gender identities), disability, marital status, relationship and family structure (including domestic partnerships, polyamorous families and individuals, chosen family, platonic co-parents, and multigenerational families), genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, arrest or pre-employment conviction record, credit history, unemployment status, caregiver status, salary history, or any other characteristic protected by law.