Description

Book Harvest—an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to providing books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community—is seeking an experienced Finance professional to join our growing organization. 

This is a full-time, exempt position based in Durham, North Carolina. It will be a hybrid schedule with a minimum of one compulsory day in the office. 

Salary and Benefits: Starting salary of $82,560 commensurate with qualifications and experience. Benefits include 100% employer-sponsored, gold-level health care and short-term disability insurance, elective dental and vision insurance, 401(k) with 3% contribution, generous PTO, wellness and professional development funds, paid family leave, a flexible work schedule, purposeful workplace culture, and more.

To Apply: Apply online at bookharvest.org/careers. A resume and cover letter are required. The hiring process will include reference checks, a brief work sample, and 1-3 live interviews. 

Priority Deadline: Review of candidates will begin in February 2024 and continue until the position is filled. 

Target Start Date: April 2024

We believe those who are affected most by literacy injustice must be centered in the work that we do, inside and out. We prioritize applications from individuals who have lived experiences of our programs or who come from the communities we serve, and we strongly encourage applications from candidates who identify as Black, Latinx, Indigenous or as a Person of Color; people with lived experience of poverty; LGBTQ individuals; people with disabilities; and others who may not have seen themselves reflected in books and stories as a child.

Organization Overview 

Book Harvest is internationally recognized for its work to transform children's literacy. Since 2011, Book Harvest has provided more than 2 million books to families in North Carolina, ensuring that parents have the tools and power to ignite and strengthen their children's literacy. With programs that are grounded in evidence, Book Harvest believes that literacy starts at birth, in the home, powered by parents, and nourished by books. 

With Durham, North Carolina as our flagship location, we are actively replicating and expanding our work throughout North Carolina and across our country. Our vision is of a world in which reading, learning, and access to information are considered rights, not privileges so that all children thrive. We hold an unshakable commitment to justice, equity, and equal opportunity for all people. To progress towards this vision, we strategically structure our programs and operations in service to Diversity, Equity, Belonging, Inclusion, anti-racism, and challenging the status quo.

Position Overview

The Director of Finance is an integral part of our Book Harvest team responsible for shaping, implementing, and monitoring the organization’s finances as Book Harvest grows to an organization with annual revenues at or exceeding $5 million. This person is a highly visible member of the Book Harvest team who brings expertise in non-profit accounting, strong compassionate management skills, a certification as a CPA, and consistently represents the culture and core values of Book Harvest to our volunteers, our partners, and our community. 

This person works based out of our office at 2501 University Dr. in Durham, NC, or in any combination of in-office and remote, with a minimum of one day of the week in-office, reports to the Chief Internal Officer, works closely with the COO, CEO, and manages a small finance team and is part of the Finance Department, underneath the Operations head.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to, the following activities:

Finance (85%)

• Ensure the organization’s robust viability through sound fiscal management and oversight. Adapt and evolve as the budget grows. Responsible for the creation of the:

1. Annual budget, created by the finance team in collaboration with key staff
2. Annual audit and 990 filing
3. Operating Reserve Fund and Policy, and any future funds created for the long-term fiscal health of the organization, including endowment funds and/or planned giving strategies
4. Investment portfolios and relationships with external financial advisors

• Create and update financial forecasts, proactively mitigate risks, monitor cash flow and delivery against the budget.
• Monitor grants and restricted funds, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and/or local grants and contracts as well as accurate data entry in the donor database; and preparation of budget documents for grant applications and reports.
• Stay abreast of and file for any applicable tax credits and/or other opportune financial positions, such as the recent PPP loans.
• Solicit and attain loans for capital improvement or other large scale projects, if needed.
• Liaise between the external investment portfolio manager and the Board Finance and Investment Committees, ensuring alignment with the Committee’s investment policy. Recommend changes to investment policies, and manage a consolidated organizational budget of $5 million .
• Serve as the main strategist for improving systems and processes with our Quickbooks, or any future accounting software, as well as leading alignment between our fiscal record and records within the Development department.
• Provide excellent communication to Book Harvest leadership and department heads on progress towards annual budgets, long-term fiscal goals, important trends and positions, and grants and reimbursement funds.

Administration (15%)

• As part of a learning team, participate in regular Book Harvest staff meetings, one-on-one meetings with their supervisor, departmental meetings, and other internal and external meetings as needed;
• Motivate and lead the finance team to sustain excellent service and constant improvement, in line with the organization’s growth.
• Research and connect with similarly sized or larger organizations to stay abreast of unforeseen situations or obstacles. Create connections for an informal network of aligned local professionals.
• Professional development opportunities as provided and recommended annually. 

Requirements

Qualifications

• CPA or CMA financial certification 
• 5 years of experience with nonprofit accounting, with strong knowledge of accounting principles, financial analysis techniques, regulations, and reporting requirements a specific focus on accounting that contains restricted and/or government grants
• Advanced proficiency in Quickbooks 
• Strong capacity in Microsoft office, specifically Excel and Google Suite 
• Solid experience with supervision, preferably leading a team towards shared goals
• Communication skills and demonstrated ability to build trust with a wide range of individuals from a diverse community;
• Dedication to the mission and culture of Book Harvest, which includes cultural competence, demonstrated commitment to social justice and youth literacy, demonstrated capacity and enthusiasm for teamwork and collaboration, and a commitment to active involvement in an anti-racist organizational culture
• Adherence to all staff policies and procedures
• Fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with booster shots up to date (subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law)

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Book Harvest is committed to creating an inclusive work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity, certified Living Wage, and certified Family Forward employer.

Book Harvest complies with federal and state disability laws, including all applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). Book Harvest will not discriminate against any qualified employee or applicant with regard to any terms or conditions of employment because of such individual’s disability or perceived disability. Book Harvest will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities, as defined by the ADA, or another medical condition who has made Book Harvest aware of their limitation, provided that such accommodation does not constitute an undue hardship for Book Harvest. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact careers@bookharvest.org.

Book Harvest is committed to protecting children through its child safeguarding policies. All offers of employment at Book Harvest are contingent upon acceptable results of a thorough background check. Staff are held to high standards of child protection.

To protect the health and well-being of our colleagues and maintain the safety of the communities where we operate, we follow CDC, federal and local guidance to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. Book Harvest requires that all employees be fully vaccinated and bivalent boosted against COVID-19, except as required by law. Any employment offer will be contingent upon satisfactory proof that you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law.