General Position Summary:

The Director of Finance and Accounting will serve as the secondary leader of the Finance and Accounting function, is responsible for the management of the general ledger, and oversees all accounting functions, including Payroll, AP, AR, and Grant Reporting. This position is responsible for generating financials, leading year-end audit, budgeting process, and annual 990 tax return process, and will maintain sound financial and accounting practices that support the organization.  This position reports to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and is focused on supporting Food Lifeline’s overall strategy, including the development of appropriate financial teams, systems, processes, and internal controls.

Essential Functions:

• Provides day-to-day supervision to the Accounting staff, recruits, motivates, and leads a high-performing team in alignment with Food Lifeline’s core values and desired culture. Ensures fair and equitable staffing decisions throughout the team and encourages and provides professional development and growth opportunities for all department staff.
• Cultivate and lead a culture of respect and collaboration both within the Finance team and interdepartmentally. Work with CFO, when necessary to ensure timely, thorough, and effective problem-solving for any and all challenges. Build and develop a team dedicated to achieving goals and working collaboratively across departments.
• Serve as a key member of the leadership team. Participate and help lead the strategic planning process and actively engage team members as subject matter experts to inform the process. Serves as a strategic partner in developing and implementing financial processes and systems to support all donor types, restrictions, and designations.
• Lead areas of finance and accounting including month-end close, monthly reconciliation review, timely adjustments and correcting journal entries, budgeting, accounting, tax, and annual audits.
• Help to develop processes that ensure financial results and related metrics are available timely, distributed to appropriate departments and utilized for organizational decision making.
• Provide financial reporting and analysis for internal and external stakeholders as assigned.
• Help to ensure systems and processes are developed to ensure appropriate internal controls and compliance with non-profit accounting, US GAAP, legal, governmental and tax requirements.
• Assist with the development of internal financial policies, procedures, and systems to support organizational growth.
• Ensure grant processes and procedures support accurate and timely billing and are in compliance with specific grant requirements.

Secondary Functions:

• Backs up CFO and accounting functions, as needed.
• Serves as liaison and oversees audit schedule and tax return preparation.
• Other duties as needed

Job Scope:

• Has recurring work situations with frequent variations from the norm
• Has a high level of work complexity
• Performs work under minimal supervision
• Decisions are made within policy constraints.
• Budgetary accountability – Develops and manages budgeting and reporting processes.
• Responsibility for planning: Partners with CFO on long-range operational planning for department/functional area. Partners with CFO on organizational strategic direction and initiatives.

Supervisory Responsibility:

This position directly manages two staff members.

• Performs supervisory functions for the Finance Department
• Establishing staffing needs
• Recommending/approving hiring
• Establishing work schedules
• Orienting, training
• Developing, and assuring continued education for staff
• Assigning work, assessing and managing performance
• Advocating for employees
• Resolving complaints
• Counseling, coaching, mentoring
• Recommending/approving terminations.

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated overall commitment to promoting and enhancing equity, diversity, and inclusion at Food Lifeline through internal operations and external
• Understanding of the intersections between hunger, poverty, racial inequity, and social injustice.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive and collaborative work relationships with people from all backgrounds and
• Experience with team leadership; including the recruiting, training and retaining of skilled finance and accounting staff.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.
• Excellent writing, visual and presentation/communications skills.
• Communication – ability to clearly and simply articulate ideas, framing problems and solutions.
• Skill in using computer software including MS Office, Excel, Ceres
• Ability to work as a member of a team and independently.
• Ability to recognize the need for due care with confidential information.
• Ability to develop work

Education and/or Experience:

• CPA
• 4-6 years of Accounting/Finance experience in a financial management leadership role or equivalent combination of related experience and education.
• Non-profit experience is highly preferred.

About Food Lifeline

Who We Are: Food Lifeline is a Seattle-based nonprofit working to feed people experiencing while working to end hunger for tomorrow. We source and procure over 50M lbs. of food each year from farmers, manufacturers, and retailers, which is then sorted and repacked, warehoused, and shipped at our Hunger Solution Center (located within the South Park neighborhood) by a team of talented warehousing professionals and over 17K volunteers each year. Food Lifeline provides this food to more than 300 food pantries, shelters, and meal programs across Western Washington. This work, combined with our advocacy, policy, and community partnerships, creates a sustainable approach to ending hunger in our region.

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