SENIOR DIRECTOR, FINANCE - Boston, United States - InsideHigherEd

Description

Who We Are & What We Can Offer You:

WBUR is Boston's NPR and a public media leader, producing exceptional journalism on-air, online, on-demand, and in real life. Our mission is to produce high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection, and community for an expanding circle of people. WBUR is member-supported and licensed to Boston University.

WBUR is brimming with talent and ambition. Our colleagues work hard, strive for excellence, value truth, creativity, diverse perspectives, and open debate. Our culture is warm and welcoming — no matter what your role is — we work hard to ensure that everyone feels like they belong. On top of that people are both respectful and passionate about the work we do.

We've got exciting plans to keep innovating and building WBUR for the future. It's a place to do meaningful work with interesting people and to learn and grow along the way.

We offer our employees both hybrid and in-office work arrangements.

We also offer:

• Health and Well Being Benefits including Gender Affirming Healthcare
• Paid Time Off, Holidays & Intersession
• Tuition Remission and Professional Development through Boston University

The Opportunity and Who You'll Work With:

Position Type: Regular, Full Time, Benefits Eligible

Work Format: Hybrid; minimum of 2 days onsite, up to 3 days remote.

Schedule: Monday – Friday, 40 hours per week. Hours are typically 09:00AM-05:00PM Eastern Time.

Our Finance & Administration team is responsible for managing budgets, forecasting financial outcomes, and ensuring compliance with financial regulations and standards. By providing strategic financial insights and oversight, this team supports our mission of delivering impactful and accessible content to a diverse audience. Their expertise not only helps in optimizing resources but also in shaping WBUR's financial strategies to adapt to the ever-evolving media landscape.

As Senior Director, Finance and Administration, you will play a pivotal role in WBUR's strategy, financial and operational management. This role includes, but is not limited to, strategy, long-term modeling, annual budgets and monthly/quarterly forecasts, cash reports, grant- funding administration including resource allocation and utilization, alignment with strategic objectives. Additionally, you will prepare quarterly reports to the COO/CEO and Board, year-end close activities while maintaining accuracy and transparency.

Integral to your role will be managing the annual audit engagement, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and institutional requirements. You will direct budgeting and accounting activities in accordance with non-profit accounting standards, maintaining financial integrity and accountability.

You will also manage payroll, accounts payable processing, and gift processing, ensuring efficient operations and compliance with relevant regulations.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), you will collaborate on strategic budget planning and initiatives, leveraging financial insights to support organizational objectives. Your involvement in strategic planning and implementation aligns with WBUR's mission and facilitates its strategic transformation.

In summary, as Senior Director, Finance and Administration, you will embody a multifaceted role crucial to WBUR's financial sustainability, operational efficiency, and strategic advancement.

Essential Functions:

• (40%) Manage the financial functions of WBUR, overseeing revenue in excess of $30M. Ensure accurate, timely and consistent financial reporting, development, and maintenance of systems and processes to support management decisions. Lead strategic planning and analysis across the organization and develop necessary monitoring of results. Directly manage the staff of the Finance & Administration team, and all aspects of budgeting and accounting. Develop the annual operating budget; prepare annual year-end financial statements; monitor ongoing operating expense and departmental payroll; oversee grant funding administration (pre and post-award); and participate in strategic planning and implementation toward WBUR's mission.
• (30%) Lead the development and planning, modeling, budgeting and forecasting processes that provides senior management and the Board of Directors with information to support and illustrate outcomes of business strategies and decisions. Recommend to the COO, capital investment and policies and guidelines needed to execute the operating plans of WBUR and support financial growth and success, implement and administer accounting policies and procedures consistent with WBUR and Boston University's guidelines and policies, oversee all aspects of stations financial accounting, internal controls and reporting consistent with policies and guidelines and generally accepted accounting principles. Collaborate with other departments to create business proposals/proformas for new businesses/ventures. Direct all aspects of the yearly station annual audit. Responsible for the annual compliance reporting to the Federal Communications Commissions and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. Regularly research and recommend improvements to the efficiency of finance and administrative processes.
• (10%) Provide financial expertise, lead operational planning and revenue and expense forecasting for the station and supports strategic business decisions with timely, concise and accurate financial analyses. Provide accurate, thoughtful and timely financial analysis and business context to address operating issues and strategic planning affecting WBUR. Review contracts to ensure sound business decisions and minimal risk. Manage grant administration from the grant proposal submission to the award and closure of each grant. Responsible for the financing activities, quarterly budget projections, and year-end close. With few exceptions, you will be closely involved in all operational decisions and initiatives at WBUR.
• (10%) WBUR Board: Attends the Finance Committee Meetings and other board committee meetings as requested. Prepare board materials as needed and report on finance activities.
• (10%) Review the accuracy and appropriateness of financial transactions including invoices, and travel and business expense reports in Concur. Approve business office Purchase card transactions and ensure all expenses are mapped correctly, all purchasing procedures are followed, and receipts and monthly statements are submitted by the Purchase card holder.

What You'll Need to Succeed:

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent/relevant experience. Certified Public Accountant (CPA) preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of related and/or equivalent experience.

Capabilities and Proficiencies:

• An excitement about WBUR's mission to provide an essential public good: high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection and community.
• Strong analytical skills that can translate financials to business performance and expected outcomes.
• Strong orientation to finding better ways to perform tasks to build capacity within the team.
• Anticipates questions and exhibits ability to simplify messages for all spectrum of audiences.
• Constant state of "solutioning" every obstacle; turning them into opportunities.
• Design exhibits, reports to zero-in-on what matters the most.
• Takes the complexity out of the way we think and do.
• Fearlessly, provides meaningful input that drives discussions to arrive at the fullest decisions.

In an ongoing effort to enrich our organizational culture, WBUR is committed to building a staff and leadership team that reflects the diversity of our city, region and nation.

Designing an organization where everyone thrives, creating connection and community that permeates our workplace requires real change across all facets of what we do and who we are.

We must hire, support, develop, advance and retain diverse talent at all levels of the organization with a standard of inclusive excellence.

If you are excited by this opportunity and have a passion for our mission - whether you meet all or some of our criteria - we want to talk to you. After submitting your application – join our Talent Community

If you require an ADA reasonable accommodation to complete your application and/or participate in the interview process, please let us know here.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, or because of marital, parental, or veteran status. We are a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.