Director of Finance

Book Harvest—an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to providing books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community—is seeking an experienced Financial Professional to join our growing organization.

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Durham, North Carolina with a hybrid schedule. We cannot accommodate a fully remote employee.

Salary and Benefits: Starting salary of $82,560 commensurate with qualifications and experience. Benefits include 100% employer-sponsored, gold-level health care and short-term disability insurance, elective dental and vision insurance, 401(k) with 3% contribution, generous PTO, wellness and professional development funds, paid family leave, a flexible work schedule, purposeful workplace culture, and more.

To Apply: Message me "DOF" and I'll send you the full job description and link. Our Interview process will involve 1-3 live interviews, a brief work sample, and a reference check.

We believe those who are affected most by literacy injustice must be centered in the work that we do, inside and out. We prioritize applications from individuals who have lived experiences of our programs or who come from the communities we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Black, Latinx, Indigenous or as a Person of Color; people with lived experience of poverty; LGBTQ+ individuals; people with disabilities; and others who may not have seen themselves reflected in books and stories as a child.

Organization OverviewBook Harvest is internationally recognized for its work to transform children's literacy. Since 2011, Book Harvest has provided more than 2 million books to families in North Carolina, ensuring that parents have the tools and power to ignite and strengthen their children's literacy. With programs that are grounded in evidence, Book Harvest believes that literacy starts at birth, in the home, powered by parents, and nourished by books.

Position OverviewThe Director of Finance is an integral part of our Book Harvest team responsible for shaping, implementing and monitoring the organization’s finances as Book Harvest grows to an organization with annual revenues at or exceeding $5 million. This person will create accurate and detailed annual budgets for the organization and grant applications, lead the annual audit and 990 filings, serve as the key liaison and strategist for investment portfolios and planned giving vehicles, and deliver best-in-class organization and processes to track and report on large-scale government and restricted grants. The Director of Finance is a highly visible member of the Book Harvest team who brings expertise in non-profit accounting, strong compassionate management skills, a certification as a CPA, and consistently represents the culture and core values of Book Harvest to our volunteers, our partners, and our community.

This person reports to the Chief Internal Officer, works closely with the COO and CEO, and manages a small finance team. This role is based out of our office at 2501 University Dr. in Durham, NC, and offers a hybrid work arrangement, potentially requiring up to three business days in the office per week, subject to operational requirements.

Responsibilities

Finance (85%) Ensure the organization’s robust viability through sound fiscal management and oversight. Adapt and evolve as the budget grows. Responsible for the creation of the: Annual budget, created by the finance team in collaboration with key staff Annual audit and 990 filing Operating Reserve Fund and Policy, and any future funds created for the long-term fiscal health of the organization, including endowment funds and/or planned giving strategies Investment portfolios and relationships with external financial advisors Strategize with the leadership team about potential future financial models and practices. Book Harvest has multi-state growth ambitions that may require innovative improvements in accounting practices. Supervise any staff within the department, including an Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable Manager and any additional future staff. Create and update financial forecasts, proactively mitigate risks, and monitor cash flow and delivery against the budget. Update and implement best practice policies, internal controls, accounting standards, and procedures. Direct a financial team that completes monthly tasks such as processing monthly payroll, benefits, tax payments, and timesheet systems; producing financial reports for the annual report and other marketing materials. Create and strategize for the best placement of funds and return on accounts, including interest-bearing and investment accounts. Monitor grants and restricted funds, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and/or local grants and contracts as well as accurate data entry in the donor database; and preparation of budget documents for grant applications and reports. Stay abreast of and file for any applicable tax credits and/or other opportune financial positions, such as the recent PPP loans. Solicit and attain loans for capital improvement or other large-scale projects, if needed. Liaise between the external investment portfolio manager and the Board Finance and Investment Committees, ensuring alignment with the Committee’s investment policy. Recommend changes to investment policies, and manage a consolidated organizational budget of $5 million +. Use financial analyses to provide insight into operations and business plans and to make projections for sustainability and risk management. Serve as the main strategist for improving systems and processes with our Quickbooks, or any future accounting software, as well as leading alignment between our fiscal record and records within the Development department. Provide excellent communication to Book Harvest leadership and department heads on progress towards annual budgets, long-term fiscal goals, important trends and positions, and grants and reimbursement funds.

Administration (15%) As part of a learning team, participate in regular Book Harvest staff meetings, one-on-one meetings with their supervisor, departmental meetings, and other internal and external meetings as needed; Motivate and lead the finance team to sustain excellent service and constant improvement, in line with the organization’s growth. Research and connect with similarly sized or larger organizations to stay abreast of unforeseen situations or obstacles. Create connections for an informal network of aligned local professionals. Sustained contribution to organizational inclusion, diversity, equity, and belonging efforts; Professional development opportunities as provided and recommended annually.

Qualifications CPA or CMA financial certification 5+ years of experience with nonprofit accounting, with strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles, regulations, and reporting requirements with a specific focus on accounting that contains restricted and/or government grants Advanced proficiency in Quickbooks Online and financial management systems in general  Strong capacity in Google Suite/Microsoft Office. Excel expertise is a plus. Significant experience in supervision, preferably leading a team towards shared goals  Process- and operations-driven mindset, with utter dependability and a commitment to meeting and exceeding deadlines and honoring commitments; Strong planning and organizational skills with excellent attention to detail and the ability to work with minimal supervision; Communication skills and demonstrated ability to build trust with a wide range of individuals from a diverse community; Confident and self-motivated with initiative to learn; can proactively ask for help and anticipate problems; Dedication to the mission and culture of Book Harvest, which includes cultural competence, demonstrated commitment to social justice and youth literacy, demonstrated capacity and enthusiasm for teamwork and collaboration, and a commitment to active involvement in an anti-racist organizational culture Fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with booster shots up to date (subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law)