Finance Director

The Roger Baldwin Foundation of the ACLU of Illinois seeks a Finance Director to lead the financial strategy and execution for the ACLU of Illinois and its affiliated Roger Baldwin Foundation (ACLU-IL).

ABOUT THE JOB

The Finance Director ensures the ACLU-IL – with a combined $12 million annual budget and 40 staff – has the financial leadership to accomplish our organizational mission of advancing civil liberties. The Finance Director serves as a strategic partner to the Executive Director and leadership team. The Finance Director sets high standards for financial integrity and stewardship across the organization, executes financial operations with impeccable customer service, and provides financial oversight and support for the ACLU-IL.

The Finance Director reports to the Executive Director and manages the Finance Associate.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Financial Management

Provides supervision and implementation of monthly financial reporting, accounting operations, payroll, procurement, expense, and cash functions to ensure financial health and sustainability.
Partners with the Executive Director, staff leadership team, and Board of Directors to manage all aspects of the organizations’ finances, including developing and overseeing the annual operating and program budgets, and executing investment policies.
Oversees all financial functions and ensures the delivery of all mandated financial reports to funders, auditors, governmental authorities, and key stakeholders.
Supports and manages banking relationships.
Maintains insurance policies and contracts.
Works with external auditors to prepare and review tax documents, audit schedules, and annual report of audit findings.
Manages effective, transparent internal controls to safeguard ACLU-IL’s assets and minimize risks, including financial controls as well as compliance with local, state, and federal requirements and accounting standards.
With support from the Finance Associate, the Finance Director books income, processes payments, and creates financial reports for staff and Board members.

2. Team Management

Manages the Finance Associate to attain consistent high-quality results and to support their professional development.
Supports the Board’s Budget, Audit, and Investment Committee, serving as a trusted advisor and thought partner to its members.
Engages in cross-departmental collaboration and organizational planning with the members of the leadership team.

QUALIFICATIONS

Ten or more years of significant experience in senior finance and/or accounting roles such as CFO or VP and three or more years of supervisory experience; nonprofit sector experience is in both instances is helpful.
Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance is preferred; CPA license is a plus.
Strong compliance experience, including leading annual audits and other external reviews, and maintaining strong internal controls for handling revenue and payment processing.
Interest in and willingness to toggle between routine implementation of tasks and higher-level planning and strategy work.
Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a diverse, public interest setting and to foster and support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
Demonstrated integrity, both in words and actions, and a record of ethical behavior and decision making.
Proficiency with accounting software, word processing, and spreadsheets; familiarity with Financial Edge is a plus.
Excellent analytical, strategic thinking, problem solving, and communication skills.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

The salary for the Finance Director is commensurate with experience and the ACLU-IL’s salary scale. The minimum starting salary for this position is $150,000.

Excellent benefits include four weeks paid vacation; 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental insurance for staff and eligible dependents; a 403(b) retirement benefits plan with employer match; life insurance; and long-term disability insurance.

The ACLU of Illinois is a unionized workplace. This is not a union position. ACLU-IL staff are based in Chicago, IL, but are currently working on a blended in-office/remote work schedule. Staff members will be expected to work in our Chicago office on in-office days.

JOB APPLICATION STATEMENT

The ACLU-IL is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, criminal record, or veteran status.

The ACLU-IL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance applying online, please email jobs@aclu-il.org. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please prepare a resume and a cover letter describing (1.) how your skills and professional experience align with the key responsibilities of this position, and (2.) why you are interested in joining the ACLU-IL’s mission to protect and defend individual rights.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

Please fill out the fields below. Then, email your application materials to jobs@aclu-il.org and use the subject line: “Finance Director.”

Referral Source

Please share how you heard about the job: through a website, from a friend, etc. This information will be kept confidential and shared only with our Human Resources department for tracking purposes.

Demographic questions (optional)

At the ACLU of Illinois, we’re committed to making our organization one where people from all backgrounds – including people with marginalized identities – thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer, working to incorporate equity and inclusion into all aspects of our work, and we welcome all individuals, including individuals with historically marginalized identities, to apply for open positions. The following questions about your identity are completely optional, and anonymous: we do not ask for your name, email address, or other personally identifying information on this form. (See our privacy statement at the bottom of the page for more information.) The answers we receive will be used to confirm that our recruiting and outreach practices are effective at attracting a diverse pool of candidates in the initial stages of the hiring process.

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