Senior Nonprofit Accountant, Managed Organizations job in Chicago

You are mission driven and action oriented. You love to get involved, and work as part of a team to accomplish something great. Any job is your job if it helps the team succeed, and you thrive on variety. Today, you’re looking for a role where you can use those traits to make a real difference in the world by advancing the most important social issues facing humanity today.

If that sounds like you, Arabella Advisors can’t wait to meet you.
Arabella Advisors seeks an entrepreneurial, socially engaged professional to help our clients launch and manage innovative social sector projects. If you want the opportunity to work with a fast-growing and entrepreneurial team reshaping the charitable sector, then this job is for you. The Associate Director will manage a diverse portfolio of projects focused on affecting national and global change. In doing so, you will work closely with philanthropists, program staff, and other key stakeholders; and rely on your operations and relationship management expertise to ensure programmatic compliance and effectiveness.

About the Managed Nonprofit Organizations

Arabella Advisors provides operations and management support to multiple public charities, including a 501(c)(3) named the New Venture Fund and a 501(c)(4). These managed organizations house new and innovative public interest projects and nonprofits, as well as coordinate collaborative initiatives between donors and administer grants programs. This type of structure is commonly referred to as fiscal sponsorship, and candidates are highly encouraged to research fiscal sponsorship prior to a first interview. The managed organizations provide support to a diverse range of projects, including many focused on conservation and global health. The organizations have also provided fiscal sponsorship to projects focused on voter registration, public policy, education, disaster recovery, and music and the arts.

Candidates are highly encouraged to research fiscal sponsorship prior to a first interview.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Provide nonprofit financial expertise and analysis to internal business teams and clients, including reviewing and analyzing program financial statements and preparing forecasts
• Prepare, review and/or advise on financial deliverables for Key Strategic Account (KSA) clients and assigned projects including financial components of project proposals, No Cost Extensions, budget reallocation requests, reports to funders and other ad hoc reporting as required
• Aid internal business teams with developing financial reporting strategies to meet funder client and project needs
• Communicate financial information to internal business teams and external clients on occasion in a polished, professional manner
• Review and help prepare financial component of proposals and reports to funders
• Participate in the preparation of webinar trainings designed for internal staff and external projects on processes and best practices in nonprofit financial management.
• Work in tandem with FP&A teammates to identify financial literacy challenges and design tailored training sessions for internal business teams in respective assigned regional Arabella office.
• Support the FP&A team as needed with preparation for project and external financial audits
• Be day to day resource and mentor for Grants Accountants

To be successful in this role you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required in accounting, finance, or related field
• Ideal candidate has 4+ years of professional accounting experience
• Approximately 2 or more of those years should include grant reporting experience in a charitable nonprofit setting
• Knowledge of finance and accounting best practices, procedures and administrative practices, including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and written, including the ability to write clear and concise correspondence to clients
• Ability to simplify and explain complex financial concepts
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects
• Proficiency with Excel

Other Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Prior experience managing private foundation and/or government grants
• Financial management experience with fiscal sponsors
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation
• Exposure to Salesforce and Great Plains preferred

Our Core Competencies:

• The ability to provide excellent service, including being able to address complex service matters, implement and communicate service changes to everyone involved, and to coach teammates on how to apply the firm’s service standards
• The ability to manage large-scale and cross-firm projects, including delegating and managing all resources, identifying and implementing improved processes, monitoring consistency across project teams, and providing direction and support to teammates
• The ability to facilitate and negotiate among stakeholders with conflicting needs and to generate consensus among decision makers
• The ability to help effectively communicate difficult messages; to adapt style, tone, and content to meet various needs; and to coach teammates on crafting content
• The ability to work cooperatively and inclusively with others to achieve shared goals, including encouraging and facilitating effective compromise, drawing on the capabilities of all team members, and leading team-level knowledge sharing
• The ability to use available resources and feedback to continually develop mastery in your role and facilitate team and project-level learning, including coaching others
• The ability to solve complex challenges by identifying innovative solutions and facilitating coordination with others

About Arabella Advisors

Arabella Advisors helps foundations, philanthropists and investors who are serious about impact achieve the greatest good with their resources. We work on issues ranging from the social and economic advancement of women and girls, and conservation of our climate and planet, to reducing poverty and inequity in the United States and around the world. Our staff members are mission-driven and action-oriented, and have a unique combination of experience in philanthropy, business, nonprofits, government, finance, law, and other fields. We combine creative, strategic thinking with knowledge and networks developed through decades of hands-on experience. The fastest-growing philanthropic advisory firm in the nation, Arabella is also a certified B Corporation.

About Arabella’s Managed Organizations Team

Arabella Advisors provides operations and management support to multiple nonprofit organizations, including the New Venture Fund, the Windward Fund, and the Hopewell Fund—all 501(c)(3) public charities—and the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a 501(c)(4). These managed organizations house new and innovative public interest projects and nonprofits, as well as coordinate collaborative initiatives between donors and administer grants programs. This type of structure is commonly referred to as fiscal sponsorship, and candidates are highly encouraged to research fiscal sponsorship prior to a first interview. The managed organizations provide support to a diverse range of projects, including many focused on conservation, global health and civic engagement.

Working with Us

We are committed to having a passion-driven, inclusive, transparent, collaborative, healthy, and fun culture. We invite you to visit our careers website to learn more.

To encourage work/life balance we offer flexible work options. Our office is an open space with cubicles and standing desks and informal work areas. Our salaries are closer to the range of a nonprofit and our benefits are excellent. You’ll start with three weeks of vacation, 80 hours of personal time, and 20 hours of paid time to volunteer at an organization of your choice. In addition to six federal holidays, you get to pick four more from a list of inclusive religious holidays and your birthday.

We have a competitive health package that includes medical, vision, dental, and prescription insurance. We also provide funds for professional development, a fitness benefit, and cover part of your personal cell phone plan.

How to apply

Submit a resume and a one-page cover online. The cover letter should address why you’re excited to work at Arabella and why you’re qualified for this specific job.

We value diversity and inclusion and encourage all qualified people to apply. If we can make this easier through accommodation in the recruitment process, please let us know.

While Arabella is open to individuals from various locations applying to join our team, please note that we generally are unable to pay for relocation expenses.

We will review applications as they are received and look forward to hearing from you.

Note: The internal title for this position is Sr. Financial Analyst

While Arabella is open to individuals from various locations applying to join our team, please note that we generally are unable to pay for relocation expenses.