Finance Director

Organization Overview

Youth Organize! California (YO! Cali) is a statewide network of grassroots youth organizations working to empower young people and their communities through transformative youth organizing. Currently a fiscally sponsored project of Californians for Justice and transitioning to its own independent 501(c)(3), YO! Cali builds leadership pathways and serves as a hub for youth organizing. Placing directly impacted young people at the forefront, we advance a bold, multi-issue movement for transformation, liberation, healing, justice, and collective power.

Position Overview

The Finance Director will lead YO! Cali’s financial strategy, compliance, and operations, ensuring that financial systems and practices align with our values of equity, transparency, and collective accountability, supporting transformative youth organizing through sustainable and transparent resource allocation and management. This role will support the organization and its fiscally sponsored projects by leading budgeting processes, financial reporting, audits, tax filings, and payroll management.

As YO! Cali transitions to an independent 501(c)(3) with an annual budget of $2.5M and a growing staff team, the Finance Director will design scalable financial systems and build financial literacy across the organization, board, and stakeholders. The Finance Director will play a critical role in fostering operational efficiency, strategic planning, and a collaborative organizational culture rooted in equity, racial justice and collective liberation.

Core Competencies

• Equity-Centered Financial Leadership: Applies transparency, accessibility, and accountability to financial systems, ensuring alignment with liberatory practices and organizational values.
• Strategic Foresight and Risk Management: Anticipates financial challenges and opportunities with creativity and precision, balancing innovation with compliance and proactive risk mitigation.
• Collaborative Leadership: Builds trust across diverse teams, fostering alignment and shared ownership through clear and accessible communication.
• Capacity Building: Invests in the growth and empowerment of staff and board members, promoting financial literacy and shared leadership.
• Adaptability and Resilience: Navigates complex and evolving challenges with composure and flexibility, maintaining a focus on equitable and principled solutions.
• Technical Excellence: Utilizes deep expertise in nonprofit finance, compliance, and technology to drive efficiency, innovation, and adherence to best practices.

Key Administrative and Operations Responsibilities:

Financial Leadership & Compliance (60%)

• Lead YO! Cali’s budgeting process in collaboration with the Co-Executive Directors and Resource Stewardship Team, ensuring staff, board, and stakeholders are engaged and informed.
• Prepare and submit key filings, including IRS Form 990, California Form 199, payroll tax filings (Forms 941 and 940), and unemployment insurance reports.
• Oversee financial audits and develop accessible, transparent reporting systems for internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage grant compliance by tracking restricted funds and submitting financial reports to funders and partners.
• Build and maintain equitable financial systems that reflect YO! Cali’s values and are scalable for growth.
• Supervise in-house and/or out-sourced accounting and bookkeeping tasks, including payroll, month-end close, cash flow, and expense allocations.
• Support the Admin & Operations Manager in developing skills in areas such as payroll, benefits administration, promotions, and compliance.

Operational Strategy & Risk Management (30%)

• Develop and implement policies to enhance financial efficiency and ensure compliance with nonprofit regulations.
• Lead risk management efforts, including the development of safety plans and oversight of insurance policies.
• Support fiscally sponsored projects by co-creating financial systems and reports that meet their unique needs.

Cross-Organizational Collaboration (10%)

• Work closely with Co-Executive Directors, board members, and external stakeholders to align financial strategies with organizational goals.
• Participate in organizational culture-building, staff political education, and leadership efforts.
• Serve as a member of the cross-departmental leadership body.
• Actively participate and support facilitation in staff meetings, planning sessions, and retreats.
• Participate in YO! Cali fundraising campaigns and events.
• Participate in occasional organization-wide events.
• Participate in cross-department committees and teams.

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of director-level experience in financial management, staff supervision, and cross-departmental leadership within a nonprofit setting.
• Proficient in Google Workspace, Excel, QuickBooks, and HRIS systems, with expertise in nonprofit financial operations, including managing restricted assets, grant revenue, audits, tax filings (990s, 941s, 940s, 5500s), ERISA compliance, and 199s.
• Strong understanding of nonprofit GAAP, budgeting, and accounting principles, including intermediate accounting functions such as journal entries and strategic financial planning.
• Proven success in aligning financial strategies with organizational goals and equity principles.
• Experienced in handling sensitive and confidential matters with professionalism and discretion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with the nonprofit fiscal sponsorship model
• Experience tracking and reporting 501(c)(3) lobbying activities
• Experience with Apple computers advanced accounting functions.

Work Environment: The position will be located in California. This position will be remote.

Physical Demands:

• Able to work on a computer, including sitting at a desk, for extended periods of time with or without reasonable accommodation
• Manual dexterity to operate a keyboard
• Able to see or read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids
• Able to speak clearly and in audible tones on the phone and in person and be understood by others
• Able to hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone
• Able to understand and follow oral and written instructions
• Able to occasionally lift objects weighing up to 10 pounds

Compensation:

$95,000–$105,000 as determined by YO! Cali’s salary scale. This position is full-time exempt, reports to one of the Co-Directors, and provides strategic leadership to the Admin & Operations Manager, fostering a collaborative partnership. YO! Cali provides a generous benefits package, including fully paid health insurance (medical, dental, and vision) for employees and dependents. We also offer substantial paid time off.

How to Apply: Please complete this application form to submit your resume, a work sample, and answer a few brief questions.. We hope to fill the position by March 2025 and will accept applications until the position is filled.

At YO! Cali, a proudly multi-racial organization, we are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every staff member's voice is heard, supported, and valued, allowing them to bring their authentic brilliance to advance the YO! Cali mission. As an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer, we strongly encourage individuals who are queer, trans, non-binary, Black, Indigenous, people of color, parents, women, people with disabilities, im/migrants, and those who have faced systemic oppression or gender-based violence to apply. We are dedicated to confronting and addressing racism and inequity both within our organization and in the communities we serve.