Finance Manager

Finance Manager Job Description

Taproot Earth

Born out of the impacts and reality of Hurricane Katrina and legacy of the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, Taproot Earth is a global climate justice organization founded in on 2022 to create connections and power across issues, movements, and geographies to build the liberation horizon -, a world where all people can live, rest, and thrive in the places they love.

Taproot Earth builds power and cultivates solutions among frontline communities across the US Gulf South, Appalachia, and the global Black Diaspora, advancing climate justice through Black Liberation and democracy. As a sunset organization, Taproot Earth seeks to take bold steps to address the climate crisis by building and strengthening collective governance and stewardship of resources by 2030.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As the Finance Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring the smooth financial operations in the areas of budgeting, financial planning, reporting, and compliance for the organization. The Finance Manager will also can help shape and build out processes and practices to cultivate climate just resource investment to support Taproot’ climate justicd finance work. This role requires a strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to manage multiple financial tasks simultaneously. You will be responsible for facilitating internal communications related to financial matters, managing financial logistics for convenings and gatherings, and maintaining efficient financial operations.

Reporting directly to the Executive Team and working closely with other organizational leaders, advisors, and vendors, the Finance Manager will be essential in strengthening cohesive financial systems and ensuring accuracy across various platforms. The Finance Manager will work closely with our current financial firm who will continue to support Taproot Earth with controller functions and audit preparations. The role encompasses key responsibilities such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, general ledger functions, payroll, HR-related financial functions, procurement, and other operational duties crucial to the organization's fiscal health and growth. While this position does not have direct management responsibilities, it demands a proactive, strategic thinker who is aligned with our values, passionate about our mission, and eager to contribute to our financial and organizational development. The ideal candidate will have strong financial acumen, excellent organizational skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across teams to support organizational growth and efficiency.

This is a new position with priorities that may shift over time. But the initial focus will be:

FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS

• Develop and manage annual (and multi-year) budgets in collaboration with the Senior Leadership Team.
• Conduct regular financial forecasting and variance analysis to provide strategic insights.
• Monitor financial performance and recommend improvements to achieve financial goals.

ACCOUNTING & FINANCIAL REPORTING

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports, including REACH reporting, which includes income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
• Ensure accurate and timely closing of books and records in compliance with accounting standards.
• Oversee general ledger functions and ensure accurate financial data entry.

CASH MANAGEMENT

• Monitor and manage the organization’s cash flow to ensure sufficient liquidity for operational needs.
• Notify management of cash transfers required to cover obligations, including bank transfers, line of credit transfers, and loan withdrawals.
• Deposit cash and checks in a timely manner.
• Manage banking relationships and ensure authorized signature authority on accounts complies with company policy.
• Develop strategies for optimizing cash reserves and investments to enhance financial stability.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE & ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

• Manage the timely processing of invoices and payments to vendors.
• Process accounts payable, including bill spend and expense reporting.
• Collect and approve supporting receipts for expense reporting and reimbursements.
• Oversee and reconcile organizational credit card usage, creating expense reporting processes and monitoring spending to ensure alignment with budget and organizational values.
• Collect W-9 forms from new vendors for 1099 reporting purposes.
• Manage vendor communication and relationships to ensure effective and timely transactions.
• Oversee the billing and collections processes to ensure timely receipt of funds.
• Maintain accurate records of payables, receivables, and perform regular reconciliations.

PAYROLL & BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION

• Manage payroll processing and ensure compliance with relevant tax and employment regulations.
• Work in coordination with Human Resources to administer employee benefits programs and ensure timely payments.
• Oversee benefits administration, including health insurance, retirement plans, and other employee benefits.
• Ensure accurate and timely updates to payroll and benefits information as required.

COMPLIANCE & AUDIT

• Ensure compliance with all financial regulations, tax laws, and reporting requirements.
• Coordinate with external auditors to prepare for and conduct audits.
• Maintain proper documentation and ensure adherence to internal controls.

PROCUREMENT & VENDOR MANAGEMENT

• Oversee procurement processes, ensuring cost-effectiveness and vendor contract compliance.
• Manage vendor relationships, negotiate contracts, and ensure timely payments.

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

• Identify opportunities for improving financial processes and systems.
• Implement best practices to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve financial transparency.

OTHER DUTIES AS NEEDED

CANDIDATE PROFILE

The ideal candidate for this role embodies a deep passion for Taproot Earth's mission and values, dedicated to Black liberation and Indigenous Sovereignty. They thrive in a dynamic and emergent organization, demonstrating adaptability and discipline. Upholding high standards of ethics and professionalism, they prioritize confidentiality and discretion in handling sensitive information. Moreover, they are proactive and innovative, consistently contributing inventive ideas and solutions to optimize organizational processes and drive impactful outcomes.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE

While no candidate will possess every quality, the successful candidate will possess many of the following qualifications and attributes. Even if you aren’t sure but are excited about the position, we encourage you to apply!

• Excellent relationship building and communication skills (written and verbal).
• Possess strong time management, calendar management, and follow up skills.
• Taproot Earth utilizes bill.com, Quickbooks, and Google suite and therefore experience and proficiency in these systems are highly encouraged.
• Additional software skills including Apple or Microsoft Office, Zoom, Asana, Todoist, Jamboard, and Miro and familiarity with HR software is helpful.
• Organized, proactive, attentive to details; problem solver.
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends, when needed understanding the flexibility needed for movement grounded work.
• Strong understanding of environmental sustainability and ecological just practices, and related challenges.
• Proven track record of effectively planning events and leading cross-functional, culturally diverse teams, managing remote team members, and honoring cultural practices in countries and communities that host us.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• Professional certification (e.g., CPA, CMA) is preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years relevant work experience.
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial regulations, and compliance requirements, specifically GAP accounting practices.
• Experience managing multiple calendars and stakeholders.
• Proficiency in accounting software and financial management systems (e.g., QuickBooks, NetSuite).
• Experience tracking projects and deliverables.
• Experience working in a remote work culture
• High level of tact, diplomacy, professionalism, and confidentiality

COMPENSATION

This is a full-time salaried position. The salary range starts at $85,000. Benefits include 11 paid holidays, unlimited paid time off, health insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance, and up to 3% of salary employer contribution to 401k retirement plan.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply for this position, please submit a Taproot Earth Career Application.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Taproot Earth is an equal opportunity employer and we strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, immigrant, bilingual, and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Taproot Earth is firmly committed to complying with all federal, state, and local equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) laws and strictly prohibits discrimination against any employee or applicant for employment because of the individual’s race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, height and/or weight, disability, gender identity or expression, medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related conditions, marital status, partnership status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, military status, arrest record and any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation will be made so that qualified disabled applicants may participate in the application process. Please advise in writing of special needs at the time of application. While performing the responsibilities of the job, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable people with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Thank you!

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this job description. We’re looking forward to getting to know you!

English: Full professional proficiency (reading, writing, speaking) is required for clear communication, report writing, and documentation.

Spanish, French, Portuguese Proficiency Desired