Finance Director

POSITION: Finance Director

Salary Range: $110,283.00-135,682.00

FLSA Status: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Finance Officer

AGENCY SUMMARY:

BrightSpark Early Learning Services has been at the forefront of the early learning landscape for over 30 years, ensuring that all children have equitable access to safe, engaging, positive, and high-quality early learning experiences that promote school readiness and lifetime success. With a staff of over 145 and a budget of $60 million (99% publicly funded), BrightSpark Early Learning Services provides a broad array of services for families and childcare providers so that they can, in turn, support the development and well-being of our children.

OPPORTUNITY:

BrightSpark Early Learning Services seeks a highly motivated and leadership-oriented individual to join the Finance team as its next Finance Director. The person in this role will be responsible for the organization's financial and audit activities and operations, including all financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and compliance requirements. The Finance Director will play a key role in tracking financial KPI’s and implementing financial strategies that support the organization’s overall financial health, mission, and goals.

The Finance Director will work closely as a thought partner to the Finance Officer and partner closely with program staff to ensure financial integrity and sustainability while adhering to the specific requirements of federal and state funding sources.

This individual will lead a team of up to 6 accounting staff, and this team's growth, support, and development is a critical responsibility in this role. As part of our commitment to our employees and community, we seek an individual with a high level of supervisory, coaching, and team-building experience with culturally responsive supervision tools. A responsibility to stakeholders and a commitment to the entire staff around transparent and user-friendly financial and budgeting tools and processes are all key factors in this role, including having a firm grasp of communicating GAAP principles and internal controls to non-finance-minded stakeholders.

The Finance Director will focus on process improvement, technology utilization, and inspiring team leadership. This role will involve strategic and dynamic financial reporting, emphasizing federal funding compliance, including managing the annual A133 audit, cost allocation, and grant management.

We expect the Finance Director to be able to manage the technical fiduciary responsibilities while leading with an antiracism lens.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning & Budgeting

• Support, manage, and track the annual organizational budget process, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and federal funding priorities.
• Work closely with program managers to create detailed, grant-specific budgets, ensuring federal requirements allocate government grant funds.

Grant Financial Management & Compliance

• Oversee the financial management of federal grants, ensuring proper expenditure tracking and adherence to all compliance requirements.
• Ensure that all federal grant funds are used for their intended purposes and that cost principles are followed.
• Coordinate with program staff to develop accurate grant budgets, track expenses, and prepare required financial reports for federal agencies.
• Oversee the tracking and reporting of temporarily and permanently restricted funds and administer timely releases.
• Ensure timely and accurate preparation and submission of federal, state, and local tax and financial reporting and compliance requirements and filings are met.

Financial Reporting & Analysis

• Prepare detailed financial reports, including monthly, quarterly, and annual reports, for federal funding agencies, the board of directors, and senior management.
• Update the Chart of Accounts to address analysis requirements while maintaining a clean and organized operating structure.
• Lead monthly financial statement review meetings with program management and senior leaders.
• Conduct financial analysis to monitor financial performance and recommend improvements or adjustments as necessary.
• Provide financial insights and data to support funding renewals, grant applications, and federal audits.

Internal Controls & Financial Compliance

• Ensure that the organization’s financial operations comply with federal regulations and GAAP.
• Develop, implement, and maintain internal controls to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse, ensuring proper documentation and record-keeping.
• Lead the preparation and oversight of audits, ensuring compliance with federal requirements. (Form 5500, Form 990, funder, insurance, IRS, and other annual compliance audits and return filings.)
• Oversee an accurate and timely month-end close.
• Served as the primary point of contact for external auditors and federal agencies during audits and monitoring reviews, ensuring clear communication and compliance with reporting requirements to funders and other stakeholders.

Cash Flow & Risk Management

• Prepare cash flow forecasting and monitor cash flow, working in partnership with the finance, program, development, and executive leadership teams to ensure the availability of funds to meet the organization's operational needs.
• Implement risk management processes, create contingency plans, and regularly review and update strategies. Ensure compliance with regulations and provide senior leadership with reports on key risks and mitigation efforts.
• Continuously evaluate potential financial risks, including credit, liquidity, operational, and market risks.

Cost Allocation & Indirect Cost Rates

• Develop and maintain accurate cost allocation plans and indirect cost rate proposals for federal grants, ensuring compliance with the relevant federal guidelines.
• Ensure the appropriate allocation of costs between direct and indirect categories in line with federal requirements.
• Work with external auditors to establish and negotiate the organization’s indirect cost rate, if applicable.

Executive Leadership Support

• Prepare and present financial reports to senior leadership, highlighting the economic health of federally funded programs and overall organizational performance.
• Support the Finance Officer in engaging the Board of Directors Finance Committee around issues and trends in financial operating models and delivery.
• Partner with the Finance Officer to create cross-training, professional growth, and other departmental staff investment strategies and plans.
• Ensure a strong relationship and collaboration between the Development, Programs, and Finance departments on all fundraising, development, and programs accounting activities to ensure that revenue and expenditures are consistently and accurately captured and are consistent with funder requirements.
• Build relationships with banks, investors, grantors, and other financial vendors.

Team Leadership & Capacity Building

• Lead, mentor, and inspire the finance team, fostering a culture of accountability, cross-training, communication, and continuous improvement and learning.
• Support the Finance Officer with implementing succession plans.
• Ensure that the finance team is equipped with the tools, knowledge, and resources to successfully manage federal funds and ensure compliance with federal financial standards.
• Ensure ongoing utilization of financial systems, including integration to other systems across the organization.
• Streamline process inefficiencies and develop systems and processes that minimize manual work.
• Design, implement, and improve budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and analysis processes for the organization’s increasingly complex and high-volume funding and resource development sources.
• Develop and provide staff training on financial processes, financial best practices, and federal grant management and regulations.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum of 8+ years of progressively responsible experience in financial management within a nonprofit organization, including at least 3 years of experience in budgeting and managing federal grants and funding.
• 5+ years of experience leading a collaborative, diverse finance team.
• Proficiency with complex accounting systems & Microsoft Office products

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with cost allocation and indirect cost rate negotiation
• CPA, CMA, or master's Degree in a related field or equivalent
• Proficiency with NetSuite, PyanGo, and SalesForce

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Qualifications

• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to present complex financial data in a clear and accessible way to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.
• Strong leadership, organizational, and project management skills.
• Team player with equity mindset, adapts and responds to changes, is accountable, responsible, adept at critical thinking, and has excellent decision-making skills.
• Mission-driven and passionate about the organization’s
• A demonstrated commitment to anti-racism, valuing diverse perspectives and encouraging contributions from all team members.

COMPENSATION:

• Hiring Salary Range: $110,283.00-135,682.00
• FLSA Status: Exempt
• This is a full-time salaried position requiring work during BrightSpark Early Learning Services Business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:30 am-5 pm, and requires a willingness to work some evenings and weekends.

The actual salary will vary depending on factors including, but not limited to, budget available, prior experience, skill, education related to the position’s qualifications, and internal racial equity. The posted salary range reflects just one component of our total compensation package.

Other components of the total compensation package may include participation in group life, health and dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program(s), paid time off, and paid holidays.

HOW TO APPLY:

1. A Resume
2. A brief personal equity statement describing your skills and experience engaging with issues involving diversity, racial equity, and inclusion and/or advancing racial equity in organizations. This statement should not exceed 300 words.

BENEFITS:

BrightSpark Early Learning Services’ benefits package includes employer-paid top-tier medical, dental and vision insurance plans for employees, 21 days of PTO per year in addition to 11 paid holidays, 3 paid floating holidays, birthday holiday, and one week-long office closure at year-end, Refresh Fridays in July (BrightSpark Early Learning Services Closure Days), flexible work environment, employer-paid life insurance, short-term disability/illness leave accrual, and 401k with 3% employer match.

WORK LOCATION:

• This position is a Hybrid Position.
• Hybrid positions at BrightSpark require at least two days in one of our offices per week. These days may change based on individual position and department needs.
• All BrightSpark Early Learning Services employees must attend training, meetings, events, or other work commitments at various BrightSpark Early Learning Services office locations or off-site locations in Washington State.

EQUAL EQUITY EMPLOYER:

BrightSpark Early Learning Services is an equal-opportunity employer, and we value diversity among our staff. We strongly encourage people of color, immigrants and refugees, people from the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and people from other historically marginalized groups to apply.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION & QUESTIONS

• To learn more about BrightSpark Early Learning Services, please visit BrightSpark.org
• BrightSpark Early Learning Services is a grant-funded nonprofit organization. This and all positions are contingent on grant funding being in place and can end based on the expiration of funding.