Director of Finance

Director of Finance

Director of Finance 150 150 lcespedes@savethesound.org
Save the Sound
Published
November 5, 2021
Location
NEW HAVEN
Job Type
Contact Name (not public)
Leticia Cespedes
Main Phone
2037870646

Description

Would you like to combine your superior financial and business skills with your passion for nature and
assuring that everyone enjoys clean air and water? If so, you can contribute to the success of our region’s
pre-eminent environmental non-profit organization by joining Save the Sound as the Director of Finance.
We are seeking an individual with broad experience and knowledge of accounting, financial and business
principles who is highly organized with and a strong attention to detail to assist with overseeing financial
aspects of Save the Sound and drive financial strategy and planning. The Director of Finance will report
directly to our Chief Finance and Administration Officer.

Who We Are
Save the Sound leads environmental action in your region. We protect the Sound, restore its rivers, fight
climate change while building resilient communities, and save endangered lands. We do this in many ways,
from legislative advocacy and legal action to engineering, environmental monitoring, and hands‐ on
volunteer efforts. For more than 40 years we’ve been ensuring that everyone in our region can enjoy the
healthy, clean, and thriving environment they deserve—today and for generations to come.

The Position
Our finance and administration department oversee the organization’s financials and budget, audit, human
resources, IT, the front desk, and so on. The Director of Finance will be a member of this department, based
out of the New Haven office, and will report directly to the Chief Finance and Administrative Officer (CFAO)
and work closely with the Associate Finance and Administrative Director.

In this position, the Director of Finance will be responsible for assessing the financial performance of Save the
Sound as well as possible risks and investments, to guide the organization towards long-term success. The
Director of Finance will work closely with program, communications, development, and administrative staff
at Save the Sound to discuss and report on program budgets, assist with payroll, and set organizational
budgets and year-end audits.

Specific responsibilities of this position are to:

  1. Manage the month-end close process including journal entries and reconciliation of balance sheet
    accounts;
  2. Be familiar with foundation and government grant financial management and manage government grant drawdowns;
  3. Assist CFAO with organizational budget(s) and coordinate year-end audits;
  4. Monitor cash flow, accounts, and other financial transactions;
  5. Evaluate and research systems such as financial management systems, payroll systems, and
    personnel salaries, while gathering input and needs of development and program teams;
  6. Develop and implement accounting policies;
  7. Accurately track restricted and unrestricted assets;
  8. Troubleshoot and coordinate IT system management with IT professionals;
  9. Ability to process payroll, as a back-up to other assigned staff;
  10. Additional tasks as determined by department as needed.

Save the Sound will provide a laptop and desktop computer, access to our company server and remote
IT support as needed. All company meetings are taking place on Zoom or via conference call at this
time and into the foreseeable future.

Qualifications and Desired Characteristics:

  • Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance is required along with at least five years’ experience in a similar role.
  • Experience working in a non-profit environment.
  • Highly organized and systematic in approaching systems and tasks;
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality of information and records.
  • Strong collaboration and follow through in approaching and implementing cross-departmental solutions. Good interpersonal skills; willingness to teach and work with program leaders.
  • Ability to work under the pressure of tight deadlines, able to take lead with minimal supervision; able to juggle multiple tasks and responsibilities.
  • Demonstrated ability to identify procedural problems or inefficiencies and to recommend and implement improvements.
  • Suitable professional writing skills.
  • High proficiency with Microsoft Office as well as financial management software.
  • Have a strong understanding of fiscal policy and investment regulations.
  • Positive outlook, energy and diplomacy; openness to learning new skills; flexibility in the face of changing priorities.

Common Organizational Job Responsibilities:

  • Strongly motivated by the organization’s mission, values and vision.
  • Maintaining positive and productive working relationships with all Save the Sound staff members, including providing and receiving constructive feedback,
  • Participating in building productive relationships with Save the Sound's members, external partners, policy makers, and the general public and;
  • Participating in organizational meetings and activities as requested, such as monthly staff meetings, trainings, and ad hoc planning committees.
  • Completing all administrative work on time, such as time sheets, purchase orders, project reports and planning documents.

Compensation: This is a full-time, 40 hour per week, exempt position. Salary is commensurate with experience. Comprehensive benefits package includes health insurance, 403b, life and long-term disability insurance, paid holidays, vacations, and opportunities for professional development.

COVID-19 Considerations: Due to the COVID‐19 pandemic, only the administrative department and select staff who need access to the office are reporting regularly in-person, with the remainder of the team working remotely. This position will work in the office and remotely, and will develop a schedule that works for the employee and the department. Save the Sound requires that all new hires submit proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 for the safety of all staff and the communities where we work.

How To Apply

To Apply: Interested candidates should e‐mail a resume, cover letter, and the names of three references to Finance@savethesound.org with the words “Director of Finance” in the subject line.