VP of Operations and Finance

Summary

Key leadership role at Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area: 10,000+ wishes, 42 years, 17 counties from Monterey to the Oregon border. The VP of Operations & Finance covers everything non-programmatic: people first, then operations and finance. The heart of the work is HR: employee relations, performance management, hiring, and culture-building. You bring significant experience leading people-operations and see culture as the foundation of organizational performance.

On finance, the day-to-day accounting runs through Shared Financial Services, Make-A-Wish America's centralized team, so you'll be a strategic partner to the CEO and board, not a controller. You'll report directly to the CEO as her thought-partner. She's in her 10th year here, and last fiscal year the organization reached new heights in both funding and wishes granted.

We're an unpretentious, nimble, mission-driven staff of passionate professionals. The team enjoys fully-paid employee healthcare and a dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 4%, with two days per week onsite (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) in our new downtown Oakland office.

The Vice President of Operations and Finance serves as a key member of the senior leadership team and provides strategic oversight of the organization’s financial management, human resources, business operations, compliance, information technology, facilities, and organizational infrastructure. This role partners closely with staff leadership, board, external service providers, and Make-A-Wish America to ensure operational excellence, financial stewardship, and organizational sustainability. The ideal candidate is an experienced nonprofit leader with strong financial acumen, exceptional people leadership skills, and a commitment to advancing the Make-A-Wish mission.

Compensation: $150,000-170,000 annually. The final salary offered will be based on factors including relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, and internal equity.

Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that fulfills the wishes of children between the ages of 2-1/2 and 18 who have critical illnesses. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area was founded in 1984 and has fulfilled the wishes of more than 10,000 children in its 42-year history. The Greater Bay Area chapter is headquartered in Oakland and serves 17 Northern California counties, from Monterey County to the Oregon border.

Responsibilities

Operations

• Lead day-to-day organizational operations with a focus on efficiency, accountability, and risk management
• Develop, manage and execute strategic initiatives related to chapter finance, people, and business operations
• Lead a team of four, and serve as direct supervisor to the Senior Operations & Finance Manager
• Manage key relationships within Make-A-Wish America (MAWA): Shared Financial Services (SFS), Donor Care, IT, Compliance, among others
• Participate in MAWA’s Operations Leadership Community to both share and gather best practices
• Manage vendor relationships: Insperity PEO, benefit administrators, legal counsel, auditors, investment professionals, and bankers
• Represent the organization externally in banking, lease negotiations, and other business engagements
• Review and approve contracts and agreements as outlined in chapter’s Obligational Authority
• Manage insurance policies, COI requests, claims and procedures

Human Resources

• Lead all HR initiatives with support from Senior Operations & Finance Manager and Insperity, our PEO:
  • Recruitment and hiring of staff and paid interns
  • New employee onboarding 
  • Performance management and employee development 
  • Payroll and administration of 401k
  • Benefits renewal and administration
  • HR file management 
  • Employee leaves of absence
  • Employee handbook and policies and procedures manual 
  • Annual performance reviews
• Work with internal task forces to support annual staff retreat; staff engagement; staff recognition; and belonging initiatives
• Serve as chapter lead for Gallup Employee Engagement Survey: 
  • encourage staff participation
  • monitor and analyze data 
  • develop and implement action plans 
• Serve as co-sponsor of employee Community Council with CEO
• Design and implement practices and initiatives to cultivate a positive and inclusive workplace culture

Finance

• Work with the CEO and Senior Team to develop and manage the annual budget ($9 million cash plus an additional $2 million in-kind), multi-year financial forecast, and cash flow 
• Produce and manage the annual operations budget of $5.4 million including staff compensation strategies and benchmarking
• Oversee all accounting functions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, deposits and reconciliations performed by Shared Financial Services (SFS), our external accounting team
• Produce monthly memo to accompany financials from SFS for Executive and Finance committees of the Board
• Review and approve check requests, ACH payments, wires, and credit card expense reports
• Support SFS and serve as primary staff contact in the preparation and review of the fiscal year end, annual financial audit and Form 990, and bi-annual time study 
• Ensure compliance with all MAWA and chapter policies, performance standards, and internal controls relating to accounting/legal, cash management, and investments, as well as all state local and federal regulations
• Serve as primary staff liaison with bank and investment managers
• Monitor banking and investments to ensure adequate coverage for financial needs
• With CEO, Serve as liaison to the board, finance, audit and executive committees on financial and operational matters

The duties and responsibilities listed above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned as needed. 

Requirements

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• This role primarily operates in an office environment and requires extended periods of computer-based work. Occasional movement within the office is required.
• Occasional travel through the chapter’s 17-county service area may be required for meetings, events, and community engagement activities. 
• Ability to work occasional evenings and weekends 
• Participation in key fundraising and stakeholder events for the chapter including annual Gala, Walk for Wishes, and Wish Insider events
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions
  
  

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 10+ years of progressive work experience with 3 + years in a leadership role
• Nonprofit financial experience preferred
• Proven people leadership and coaching skills
• Experience successfully managing complex projects from inception to completion 
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Comfort working collaboratively across teams in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365, including Excel, SharePoint and Teams; 
• NetSuite and Salesforce experience a plus

Chapter Benefits

• Competitive Paid Time Off and Holiday Schedule
• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefit offerings; coverage will be available on the first day of employment
• Employer Paid Term Life Insurance and AD&D for employee coverage only
• Additional Optional Employee Paid Voluntary Life & AD&D and Voluntary Critical Illness Insurance
• Optional Employee Paid Commuter Benefits
• Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan with up to a 4% employer match. Participation can begin at the first of the month, following date of hire.
• Remote work capabilities: in-office required days Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on other days as needed to support business operations; may work remotely other days, with office and resources available throughout the week
• Employee Assistance Program