Position Summary
The Director of Nonprofit Finance strengthens the accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and effectiveness of NCAIED’s financial operations, with particular emphasis on nonprofit financial management, federal grants, grant budgets, and indirect-cost considerations. The position provides experienced financial guidance and quality control to help ensure that budgets, financial processes, templates, reports, and supporting documentation are accurate, practical, and aligned with organizational and funding requirements.
Working collaboratively with executive leadership, Finance, Grants, project directors, and other staff, the Director reviews financial information, identifies concerns, clarifies requirements, and helps teams resolve issues before they affect grant submissions, reporting, reimbursement, or program implementation. The position also develops and improves financial processes, tools, and review practices that support timely decision-making, strong internal controls, and responsible stewardship of NCAIED’s resources.
This role requires strong nonprofit finance expertise, an understanding of federal grant funding and indirect costs, sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate financial information clearly to both financial and nonfinancial stakeholders.
Position Classification
Essential Responsibilities
Nonprofit Financial Oversight
- Provide experienced financial guidance grounded in nonprofit accounting structures, restricted and unrestricted funding, grant-supported programs, and organizational financial sustainability.
- Help leadership and staff understand the financial implications of program, staffing, spending, and resource-allocation decisions.
- Contribute financial insight to organizational planning, budgeting, forecasting, and decision-making.
- Identify significant financial risks, inconsistencies, or process concerns and coordinate resolution with the appropriate staff and leaders.
- Promote clear accountability and appropriate separation of responsibilities within financial workflows.
- Support accurate and timely organizational financial reporting in coordination with Finance staff and leadership.
Grant Budgeting and Financial Compliance
- Review grant and contract budgets, budget narratives, modifications, reallocations, financial templates, and supporting schedules for accuracy, completeness, internal consistency, appropriate cost treatment, and alignment with proposed program activities.
- Apply knowledge of nonprofit and federal grant funding structures when reviewing direct costs, indirect costs, cost allocation, and other budget assumptions.
- Help ensure that grant budgets are financially practical and adequately account for the organizational resources needed to perform the proposed work.
- Review grant modifications, reallocations, and other budget revisions and help determine the financial documentation and internal approvals needed.
- Compare approved grant budgets with actual activity and identify spending patterns, variances, documentation gaps, or other concerns requiring follow-up.
- Coordinate with the Grants Manager and project directors to align financial activity, reporting schedules, deliverables, and supporting documentation.
- Support the preparation and review of grant-related financial reports, reimbursement requests, drawdown documentation, closeout materials, and responses to funder questions, as applicable.
- Maintain current knowledge of applicable funding requirements and communicate financial obligations clearly to internal stakeholders.
Financial Processes, Tools, and Templates
- Evaluate financial processes, forms, templates, review practices, and documentation requirements.
- Develop, standardize, and maintain practical financial templates, worksheets, checklists, instructions, and review tools.
- Establish clear review steps, responsibilities, and timelines to improve financial accuracy and timeliness.
- Recommend and implement improvements that reduce duplication, clarify accountability, and strengthen coordination among Finance, Grants, and program teams.
- Document and periodically evaluate financial workflows and procedures to support consistency, continuity, training, and changing organizational or funding requirements.
Quality Control and Timeliness
- Establish and maintain practical quality-control practices for grant budgets, financial reports, templates, and other significant financial materials.
- Review financial work for accuracy, consistency, completeness, appropriate supporting documentation, and readiness for internal or external use.
- Monitor key financial deadlines and coordinate proactively with responsible staff when information or action is needed.
- Help resolve delayed, incomplete, inconsistent, or unsupported financial items before they affect submissions, reporting, reimbursement, or decision-making.
- Identify recurring errors or delays and recommend process, training, or accountability improvements.
Internal Controls, Audit, and Risk Support
- Evaluate financial processes and recommend practical controls related to review, authorization, documentation, confidentiality, access, and separation of duties.
- Support audit readiness by maintaining or coordinating accurate records, schedules, supporting documentation, policies, and financial procedures.
- Coordinate with Finance staff, leadership, external accountants, auditors, and other advisors on financial questions and documentation requests.
- Assist with responses to audit inquiries, monitoring reviews, corrective actions, and other financial or compliance matters.
- Follow up on financial-control or process concerns and assist in documenting their resolution.
- Handle financial, personnel, grant, and organizational information with appropriate confidentiality and discretion.
Cross-Functional Partnership
- Serve as a collaborative financial resource to executive leadership, Finance, Grants, project directors, and other staff.
- Explain financial concepts, requirements, concerns, and recommendations clearly to individuals with varying levels of financial knowledge.
- Participate in grant development, budget review, financial planning, and program implementation meetings, as appropriate.
- Clarify financial review, documentation, and approval requirements for program and grant activities.
- Provide practical guidance on budgets, financial templates, documentation, indirect costs, and related processes.
- Promote respectful, timely, and solutions-focused coordination across departments.
- Escalate significant financial, compliance, control, or timing concerns to the appropriate leader.
Additional Responsibilities
- Collaborate across departments and contribute to organizational initiatives and special projects.
- Maintain current knowledge of nonprofit finance, federal grant requirements, and relevant accounting practices.
- Perform other related duties as assigned in support of organizational operations and strategic priorities.
Core Competencies
- Nonprofit financial management
- Federal grant-budget knowledge
- Indirect-cost and cost-allocation understanding
- Financial review and quality control
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Timeliness and reliable follow-through
- Process improvement and documentation
- Internal controls and risk awareness
- Financial analysis and practical problem-solving
- Clear communication with financial and nonfinancial stakeholders
- Cross-department collaboration
- Cultural awareness and respectful communication
- Sound judgment and appropriate escalation
- Discretion and confidentiality
- Organization and prioritization
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, nonprofit management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly related experience.
- Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit finance, accounting, grant finance, financial operations, or a related area.
- Demonstrated experience reviewing, developing, or managing budgets within a nonprofit or grant-funded organization.
- Experience with federal grant budgets, financial requirements, cost allocation, indirect costs, or other grant-related financial responsibilities.
- Demonstrated understanding of nonprofit financial structures, including restricted and unrestricted funding.
- Experience developing or improving financial processes, templates, controls, or review practices.
- Demonstrated ability to identify financial concerns, investigate discrepancies, and coordinate practical resolutions.
- Experience collaborating with program, grant, finance, and executive stakeholders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain financial information to nonfinancial audiences.
- Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and complete accurate work within established deadlines.
- Experience preparing for or supporting external audits, monitoring reviews, or other financial examinations.
Technical Skills
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and shared document systems.
- Strong spreadsheet skills, including the ability to develop and review budgets, schedules, reconciliations, projections, and financial templates.
- Experience using accounting, financial-management, grant-management, or enterprise systems.
- Ability to develop clear financial tools, instructions, procedures, and reporting templates.
- Ability to maintain organized, confidential, and audit-ready financial records.
- Ability to learn and use new financial systems and reporting tools.
Preferred Attributes
- Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, or other relevant professional credential.
- Experience in a senior nonprofit finance, controller, grant-finance, or financial-operations position.
- Experience with federal grants, cooperative agreements, reimbursement requests, drawdowns, or financial closeout.
- Experience developing or applying an indirect cost rate or cost-allocation methodology.
- Experience supporting tribal governments, Native-led or Native-serving organizations, economic-development programs, technical-assistance programs, or community-based organizations.
- Experience leading finance-process improvements or implementing new financial systems.
- Experience training or advising program staff on budgets and financial requirements.
- Experience working within an organization supported by multiple grants, contracts, and other restricted funding sources.
Work Environment
This is an onsite position based at NCAIED’s office in Mesa, Arizona. The role requires frequent communication and coordination with executive leadership, Finance, Grants, project directors, employees, auditors, funders, and other stakeholders.
Workload may be especially active during grant submissions, reporting periods, budget development, financial close, audits, monitoring reviews, and award closeout. Occasional work outside standard business hours and periodic travel may be required in support of organizational needs.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to remain in a stationary position and work at a computer for extended periods.
- Ability to review and interpret detailed financial information in electronic and printed formats.
- Ability to communicate effectively by email, telephone, video conference, and in person.
- Ability to use standard office equipment and technology.
- Ability to occasionally lift, carry, or move office, meeting, or financial-record materials weighing up to 20 pounds.
- Ability to travel periodically for meetings, trainings, audits, conferences, or organizational activities.
- Ability to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.