Senior Director Finance- Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

Position Summary The Senior Director of Finance directly oversees the day-to-day financial operations of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), partnering with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), executive leadership, and the Board of Directors to safeguard organizational assets, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver accurate, timely financial information that supports mission-driven decision-making. Reporting to the CFO, this role leads the accounting function, manages a team of finance professionals, and serves as a strategic operational leader within the Finance and Administration team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Operations and Reporting

• Oversee the preparation, review, and timely issuance of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP and FASB standards applicable to nonprofit organizations.
• Analyze monthly financial results, identify variances, cost-savings opportunities, and fluctuations that impact year-end projections, and surface insights to the CFO and program leaders.
• Prepare and review monthly cash account reconciliations and serve as back-up reviewer and approver on journal entries.
• Assess transactions for proper accounting treatment, including revenue recognition under ASC 606, contribution revenue assessment, and lease accounting under ASC 842.

Audit, Tax, and Compliance

• Lead and oversee the annual financial statement audit, serving as the primary liaison to external auditors and ensuring timely, clean delivery of audit deliverables.
• Lead the preparation and review of the annual IRS Form 990 and related state filings in coordination with external tax advisors.
• Design, implement, evaluate, and strengthen internal controls and accounting policies to safeguard organizational assets and ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and donor requirements.
• Implement and lead the annual risk management and compliance review in partnership with the CFO and administrative leadership.

Grants, Contracts, and Donor Reporting

• Partner with program staff to develop grant budgets, monitor grant spending, and produce accurate, timely financial reports for programmatic leaders and external donors.
• Manage the flow of contract review across the organization, ensuring financial terms are appropriately analyzed and documented.

Systems, Accounts Payable/Receivable, and Payroll

• Manage and optimize the accounting system (Financial Edge) and other platforms that impact organizational finances, including evaluating opportunities for automation and process improvement.
• Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll functions, ensuring accuracy, segregation of duties, and adherence to internal controls.
• Oversee administration of organizational retirement plans in partnership with HR and third-party administrators.

Team Leadership and Strategic Partnership

• Supervise, develop, and evaluate a team of finance professionals, including the Assistant Controller, Senior Staff Accountant, and part-time Accounts Payable Specialist; assess departmental staffing needs and recommend structural changes as appropriate.
• Strategically support the CFO, executive leadership, and the Board of Directors on financial matters, including ad hoc analysis, scenario modeling, and presentation of financial information.
• Partner with members of the administrative team on issues related to personnel management, facilities, and legal compliance.
• Foster a culture of accountability, accuracy, continuous improvement, and ethical financial stewardship within the finance team.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a closely related field.
• Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in good standing.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible accounting and finance experience in nonprofit organizations, with demonstrated leadership of a finance team.
• Public accounting experience, ideally with exposure to nonprofit audit engagements.
• Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit GAAP, including ASC 606 (revenue recognition), contribution revenue accounting, and ASC 842 (lease accounting).
• Demonstrated experience leading external audits and preparing IRS Form 990.
• Proven supervisory experience with the ability to mentor, develop, and retain finance talent.

Preferred

• Experience working within a private foundation or comparable mission-driven nonprofit.
• Hands-on experience with Blackbaud Financial Edge or Financial Edge NXT.
• Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• Experience with grant accounting, restricted fund management, and donor financial reporting.

Core Competencies

• Technical Accounting Acumen — Advanced command of nonprofit GAAP, financial reporting standards, and accounting systems.
• Strategic Thinking — Ability to translate financial data into strategic insights for executive leadership and the Board.
• Leadership and People Development — Demonstrated capacity to lead, coach, and grow high-performing finance teams.
• Integrity and Stewardship — Unwavering ethical standards in safeguarding organizational and donor resources.
• Communication — Clear, audience-appropriate written and verbal communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaboration — Effective cross-functional partnership with program, development, HR, and administrative leaders.
• Attention to Detail — Disciplined accuracy across reporting, reconciliations, and compliance work.
• Adaptability — Ability to manage competing priorities in a dynamic mission-driven environment.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements

This position operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment. The role requires the ability to sit for extended periods, communicate effectively in person and by phone and video conference, and occasionally lift up to fifteen (15) pounds. Limited travel may be required to support audit, training, or organizational meetings.

Equal Employment Opportunity

FDD is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Acknowledgment

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.



  Reports To:

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Department:

Finance & Administration

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Employment Type:

Full-Time, Regular

Direct Reports:

Assistant Controller, Senior Staff Accountant, Part-Time Accounts Payable Specialist (2+ FTE)

Salary Range:

$175,000 – $200,000 annually, plus $10,000 annual bonus eligibility

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

Nonprofit HR is committed to fostering and maintaining a work environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fully integrated into everything we do for the benefit of our employees and the clients that we serve. To fully realize our goal, we prioritize our understanding of the complexities of DEI within our workforce to inform our approach to talent management. We believe that this guides how we do our work, advise our clients to operationalize DEI and position our content and educational opportunities help strengthen the talent management capacity of the social impact sector.

Continue reading our about our commitment at nonprofithr.com/deinow .