Director of Finance

Director of Finance

The Director of Finance serves as Growing Hope's senior financial leader and is responsible for the integrity, sustainability, and continuous improvement of the agency's financial function. This role owns financial operations, accounting, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, grant and contract financial oversight, financial compliance, internal controls, and board reporting.

The Director provides more than accurate historical reporting. This position analyzes trends, builds financial models, evaluates cost allocation and program sustainability, identifies risks and opportunities, and translates financial information into clear recommendations for the Chief Executive Officer, Executive Team, program leaders, and Board of Directors.

The Director is also expected to strengthen the agency's financial infrastructure by challenging processes, enhancing reporting, finding efficiencies, and evaluating whether current accounting systems and related technology are meeting organizational needs. This role partners closely with the agency leader responsible for data, information technology, systems, and organization-wide operations; it does not own HR, employee relations, or broader agency operations.

Growing Hope relies on diverse funding sources, including government contracts, grants, Medicaid-related revenue, and private support. Strong financial leadership ensures the agency can understand the true cost of services, make informed staffing and program decisions, remain compliant with funder requirements, and plan responsibly for growth. This role creates the financial clarity and infrastructure needed for leaders to act proactively and strategically.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Own responsibility for the overall financial health, integrity, and sustainability of the agency. Proactively identify financial risks, emerging trends, and opportunities, and bring clear recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Team.
2. Develop multi-year financial forecasts, cash projections, scenario models, and sustainability analyses to support organizational strategy, program growth, staffing decisions, and new initiatives.
3. Build financial models that help leadership understand the impact of changes in funding, reimbursement, staffing, program capacity, indirect costs, and service delivery.
4. Analyze monthly and year-to-date financial performance against budget, forecast, prior periods, and key operational drivers. Explain material variances and recommend corrective action.

Accounting & Financial Operations

1. Oversee all day-to-day accounting functions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, payroll accounting, bank reconciliations, general ledger maintenance, journal entries, and month-end and year-end close.
2. Ensure financial records are accurate, complete, timely, and maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, nonprofit accounting standards, and agency policy.
3. Establish and enforce a reliable monthly close calendar, account reconciliation process, documentation standards, and review procedures so leadership receives consistent and timely information.
4. Maintain an effective chart of accounts, class and program structure, and coding methodology that allow the agency to accurately understand revenue, expenses, restrictions, programs, funding sources, and administrative costs.
5. Oversee cash management, banking relationships, liquidity planning, and cash flow forecasting to ensure the agency can meet current obligations and anticipate future needs.
6. Maintain complete financial policies, standard operating procedures, desk guides, and documentation so critical processes are consistent, auditable, and not dependent on one individual.

Budgeting, Cost Allocation & Program Finance

1. Lead the annual agency budgeting process and develop realistic organizational, departmental, program, grant, and contract budgets in partnership with leadership.
2. Maintain rolling forecasts throughout the year and update assumptions as revenue, staffing, utilization, reimbursement, or program conditions change.
3. Evaluate the financial performance and sustainability of programs, contracts, and service lines. Identify underfunded work, structural deficits, reimbursement concerns, and opportunities for improved cost recovery.
4. Partner with program leaders to develop financial projections, staffing models, break-even analyses, and recommendations before expanding, reducing, or launching services.

Grant, Contract & Revenue Financial Management

1. Own the financial administration of grants and contracts, including budget development, expense tracking, invoicing, reimbursement requests, financial reporting, budget modifications, and closeout.
2. Monitor restricted and unrestricted funds and ensure revenue and expenses are recorded and reported in accordance with g requirements.
3. Support proposal development through financial analysis, budgets, supporting documentation, and review.
4. Maintain a centralized financial calendar for grant and contract deadlines, reimbursements, reporting, renewals, budget periods, and funding changes.

Financial Systems, Technology & Process Improvement

1. Serve as the functional owner of accounting and finance systems and ensure they are configured, maintained, and used effectively. Recommend and help implement improvements when appropriate, in partnership with the agency leads.
2. Use advanced Excel skills to improve analysis, forecasting, reconciliation, and decision support.
3. Challenge inefficient or outdated financial processes and reduce unnecessary manual work, duplicate entry, inconsistent spreadsheets, and reporting delays.
4. Design workflows, controls, templates, and automation that improve accuracy, timeliness, transparency, and usability without creating administrative burden.

Reporting, Analysis & Performance Management

1. Prepare accurate, timely monthly financial statements and management reports for the Executive Team, Finance Committee, and Board of Directors.
2. Create reporting so leaders can easily understand what happened, why it happened, what is changing, and what action may be needed.
3. Present financial information clearly and confidently, answer questions directly, and make recommendations rather than simply distributing reports.

Audit, Compliance & Internal Controls

1. Lead preparation for the annual independent audit and serve as the primary liaison with external auditors. Maintain year-round audit readiness and ensure requested schedules and documentation are complete and accurate.
2. Coordinate preparation and filing of Form 990, required state filings, tax documents, financial reports, and other regulatory submissions in partnership with external providers as appropriate.
3. Ensure compliance with GAAP, IRS requirements, South Carolina requirements, donor restrictions, contract terms, and federal grant requirements.
4. Develop, implement, and monitor internal controls that protect agency assets and reduce the risk of error, fraud, unauthorized activity, or unsupported transactions.

Finance-Aligned Administrative Oversight

1. Oversee the financial components of payroll, employee benefits, retirement plans, workers compensation, and agency insurance in collaboration with HR.
2. Oversee agency purchasing and procurement practices.
3. Review significant vendor agreements and financial commitments for affordability, risk, compliance, and cost-effectiveness.
4. Maintain relationships with finance-related partners.

Leadership & Collaboration

1. Lead, supervise, and develop finance and accounting staff or contractors. Set clear expectations, monitor work quality and timeliness, provide feedback, and build sufficient backup coverage for critical functions.
2. Serve as a strategic thought partner to agency leadership by translating complex financial information into clear, practical guidance for non-financial audiences.
3. Present financial updates and recommendations to the Board of Directors and Finance Committee.
4. Foster a culture of financial transparency, accountability, stewardship, and continuous improvement.

Other

Perform other duties as assigned to support the mission and success of the agency.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field required. An equivalent combination of advanced education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible accounting and financial management experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading the finance function of a nonprofit organization with programs and revenue sources.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, nonprofit accounting, financial statement preparation, fund accounting, restricted funding, and grant and contract financial management.
• Demonstrated ability to build financial models, analyze trends, evaluate cost allocation, assess program sustainability, and turn analysis into recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and strong overall technology aptitude. The candidate must be able to improve tools, not simply use existing templates.
• Experience leading an annual audit and working effectively with auditors, tax professionals, boards, and finance committees.
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to leaders, staff, and board members without financial backgrounds.
• Demonstrated leadership, sound judgment, integrity, initiative, attention to detail, and ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA, CMA, MBA, MPA, or a master degree in accounting, finance