Managing Director of Finance

Managing Director of Finance

Mighty Earth is hiring a Managing Director of Finance, a key position on our leadership team. We’re looking for a strategic leader to play a key role with our growing organization, refining and optimizing the financial systems and infrastructure. The Managing Director will work closely with our CEO to provide strategic guidance as the organization continues to grow and magnify its impact, while also leading the day-to-day implementation of finance work. The Managing Director will be critical to Mighty Earth’s mission to protect nature and fight climate change.

Who We Are

Founded in 2016, Mighty Earth is a growing global advocacy organization, with a goal to protect Nature and secure a climate that allows life to flourish.  We aspire to be the most effective environmental advocacy organization in the world.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., Mighty Earth has built strong partnerships globally and currently has staff based across the U.S., South America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. The organization manages a significant amount of restricted foundation and government funding, with a budget of approximately $7 million and expectations of continued growth.

Position Overview

The Managing Director is a full-time position reporting to our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and working closely with our Chief of Staff. The Managing Director is responsible for leading the finance function and will partner with senior leadership and the Board to set the strategic direction and ensure the financial health of Mighty Earth. The Managing Director provides strong technical and visionary leadership to the Finance Department and will serve as a strategic thought partner to leaders across the organization. 

The Managing Director will have primary day-to-day oversight for financial planning and analysis, accounting, grants management and compliance. The Managing Director will build and nurture a high performing finance organization, coordinate closely with our program staff, and encourage and develop financial literacy and accountability throughout the organization. This position supervises a full-time Accounting Manager and Senior Associate, Grants & Finance.

Your responsibilities:

STRATEGIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

·   Be a strong strategic partner and thought leader to the Leadership team and liaise directly with the Finance & Audit Committee and the Board of Directors

·   Drive long-term strategic financial planning

·   Oversee cash flow forecasting and management

·   Develop and drive a vision for optimizing systems to enhance accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of fiscal operations

·   Represent the organization to financial partners, including financial institutions, government agencies, foundations, partners, auditors, public officials, etc.

·   Support the Leadership team to build out Mighty Earth’s international operating model

PLANNING & ANALYSIS

·   Lead financial planning for the organization, including annual budget development and building out Mighty Earth’s medium to long-term planning capabilities

·    Provide the CEO, the organization and the Board with accurate, complete and timely financial information that enables optimal decision-making

·   Collaborate with the CEO, Program and Development leadership to bring insightful financial business intelligence to support program spending and revenue growth

·   Drive increased financial visibility and ownership throughout the organization through monthly budget vs. actuals reporting, burn rate analyses, spending forecasts, etc.

ACCOUNTING & GRANTS MANAGEMENT

·  Oversee integration and adoption of Acumatica - Mighty Earth’s new Procurement and Finance & Accounting system

·   Oversee and continuously improve fiscal operations, including month and year-end close,

·   Oversee the contracts and grants management process, including supporting leaders to develop budgets, providing access to up-to-date and accurate financial information, and overseeing compliance and reporting

TEAM DEVELOPMENT

·   Supervise the Accounting Manager and Senior Associate, Grants & Finance - establish and monitor performance and development goals, establish priorities and conduct annual performance evaluations

·   Oversee trainings for staff in nonprofit financial management, especially during roll out of process or system updates in support of successful change management.

PARTNERSHIP WITH PROGRAM & DEVELOPMENT TEAMS

·   Provide financial leadership to support Mighty Earth’s revenue strategy, including telling the organization’s financial story to internal and external stakeholders

·   Lead the collaboration between Finance and Development, including timely reconciliations of records and systems

·   Lead regular financial reviews with program leadership, supporting the development of financial acumen across the organization

COMPLIANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT

· Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local requirements; monitor fiscal compliance with funder requirements

·   Formulate, recommend, and implement sound fiscal policies, procedures and controls

·   Oversee the timely completion of external audits and the IRS Form 990

·   Ensure that Mighty Earth is in compliance with international accounting and tax regulations

What we’re looking for in you: 

·     You have at least ten years of finance and accounting experience, including five years in a nonprofit setting

·      You have a minimum of five years in a leadership capacity for a finance department, preferably at a nonprofit organization

·      You have the ability to manage complex financial situations, are an effective manager, and can be a thought partner and strategic leader with the CEO and the Board of Directors. You are excited be a part of a growing organization.

·      You have experience driving systems change and process improvement.

·      You have nonprofit finance and accounting knowledge as demonstrated by a thorough understanding of organizational audited financial statements, budgets, monthly reports and projections and experience with financial planning, analysis, reporting, and grants management. Experience working with grants from international sources is a huge plus.

·       You have experience with a systems-based approach to ensure effective & efficient financial operations including budgeting and reporting

·      You have experience with fund accounting and cloud-based billing and expense management systems

·      You have a record of producing accurate financial information in a timely manner, having established trust from all data users

·      You have experience working in an international context

·       You have excellent problem solving, analytical, and reasoning skills

·       You have the ability to work independently and successfully manage multiple projects with competing deadlines, and excellent attention to detail

·       You have an interest in protecting the environment and advancing a more just society

·       You have experience with and a commitment to working with people from a variety of backgrounds, including different ethnic, racial, and socio-economic backgrounds, and the LGBTQ+ community

Preferred qualifications

·      Experience working in an advocacy or campaigning setting

·      Experience working with colleagues based across the globe

Location: This is a full-time position with a preference for candidates based in the Washington, D.C. area. We are open to remote candidates based in other U.S. locations, with a preference for Eastern time zone locations. For candidates based in the D.C. area, the expectation is to work in the office two days per week. Occasional travel will be necessary, including travel to Washington, D.C. if based elsewhere.

Compensation and benefits: The salary range for this position is $120K- $150K, depending on experience. We have a generous benefits package including group health insurance, dental benefits, unlimited vacation time, paid holidays, and a 401(k) plan. 

To apply: Please submit a resume, complete our short application, and tell us where you heard about the job. The position will remain posted until it is filled. 

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or participating in the employee selection process, please get in touch with Javon at [email protected]. Applications should be submitted through our application link and not sent to this email. 

Interview process: Our interview process involves a phone interview, two video interviews, a candidate exercise, and reference calls for candidates advancing in our process.

More about Mighty Earth: 

Our team: Mighty Earth is made up of people from various backgrounds, including people with backgrounds in non-profit organizations, election campaigns, government, the private sector, and legislative offices, at a range of experience levels. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming place for people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, parents, empty-nesters, and more.  

Approach and Culture: Consistent with our obsession with impact, Mighty Earth is results-focused, entrepreneurial, collaborative, and nimble – and we seek candidates who are excited to work in that culture. While remaining true to our public interest mission and commitment to movement-building, we have sought to apply the best of business to our organization. A resource that has informed our approach to culture is the book No Rules Rules and the famous Netflix culture deck.   

Read more about our approach in the following resources: 

Appealing to Companies’ Better Angels (Eco-Business) 

Fomenting a “Perfect Storm” to push companies to change (Mongabay) 

How Pressuring Corporations Can Save the Amazon from Destruction (Yale Environment 360) 

Profile of Mighty Earth founder Glenn Hurowitz

Mighty Earth is an equal opportunity employer; we strictly prohibit discrimination against any employee or applicant based on race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, and any other characteristic protected by law. Women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.