Associate, Financial Planning - Santa Monica, CA

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advo ...

Job description

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities. As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world's most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America's foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, London, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.).

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at

NRDC is seeking an Associate, Financial Planning and Analysis to work with the Finance team. This position can be based in any NRDC office (Washington, DC, Chicago, IL, New York, NY, Santa Monica, CA, or San Francisco, CA), with preference for NRDC's US office.
Position Summary
The Financial Planning and Analysis Team is part of the Accounting and Finance Department, which reports to the Chief Financial Officer. The team is responsible for i) the development of annual budgets and multi-year forecasts to support strategic decision making and resource allocation across the organization for both NRDC (c3) and NRDC Action Fund (c4) and ii) the enhancement of NRDC's existing financial management framework, processes, and tools to meet the organization's evolving needs. In addition, the team provides ongoing reporting and analysis of NRDC's operating results to the Executive team and the Board of Trustees, and monitors and manages budget variances, liquidity position, and cash flows.

In addition to financial management functional expertise, the ideal candidate should have change management experience, a continuous improvement mindset, and a stakeholder engagement, solution-driven orientation to help drive NRDC's increasing focus on more strategic, data-driven decision-making, risk management and predictive analysis and the alignment of resource allocation with strategic priorities.

The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local

Responsibilities
Financial Planning and Forecasting

• Support the annual budget process and forecasting including preparation and collection of budgets and forecast templates for use by budget owners and organizing financial information and inputs into financial systems
• Maintain approved budget adjustments and reforecast information in the financial systems; ensure that changes flow to end user systems and are timely and accurate
• Prepare and disseminate timely and accurate annual budgets to functional budget owners

Analysis and Reporting

• Assist with the production of the monthly and quarterly financial performance and budget reports.
• Monitor and report on occupancy and salary variances; work with HR to resolve headcount budget discrepancies and ensure relevant FTE updates are reflected across finance systems.
• Support analyses of historical budget data and help with providing trend analyses
• Prepare routine journal entries for reclass process

Budget Modifications and Approvals by Budget Committee

• Maintain, capture, and track budget committee requests, decisions, and supporting documentation throughout the year
• Ensure relevant impact to budgets are captured end to end across financial systems

Ad-Hoc projects and Process Improvement

• Field ad-hoc requests and inquiries from Finance team and Finance stakeholders
• Support with variety of other ad hoc analysis and organization reporting
• Update and document changes to standard operating procedures and system processes within FP&A
• Support the Finance team on key process improvement and enhancement initiatives led by senior Finance leadership.

Qualifications
Minimum Education & Experience

• BA/BS degree required. Advance degree in business related discipline, CPA, CMA, or CFA a plus
• 0-2 years of finance experience
• Non-profit experience is a plus.

Skills, Abilities, Competencies

• Possess strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task and meet deadlines
• Working knowledge of the Adaptive and Great Plains software is desirable.
• Ability to sort/mine large sets of data from multiple data sources to identify trends/variances
• Attention to detail is critical
• Autonomous self-starter with the ability to exercise independent judgment
• Ability to work in cross-team environment; exceptional communication and customer service skills, plus demonstrate ability to perform in a team environment with excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills
• Proficient in the use of financial management software to include spreadsheets and databases, required. Exposure to Adaptive, Great Plains and Power BI dashboards is a plus
• Able to adapt to changes, including operational processes and new vendor platforms
• Demonstrates a genuine commitment to diversity and an appreciation for different perspectives, experiences, and traditions; passionate about being part of a team culture that reflects equity, diversity, and inclusion in action
• Commitment to NRDC's mission, values, and DEI principles

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits , and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer . For this position, the salary range is $60,000 to $70,000 .
NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month.
As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws.

To apply, visit and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs.

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For more about NRDC, visit .