Pacific Science Center Hiring for Director of Finance Job at Seattle, WA Full Time

Position Title: Director of Finance
Division: Finance & Operations
Department: Accounting
Reports to: President/CEO
FLSA Status: Salaried Exempt

Position Summary

At Pacific Science Center, our mission is to ignite curiosity in every child and fuel a passion for discovery, experimentation, and critical thinking in all of us. Our colleagues are passionate lifelong learners who live our mission every day. Join our collaborative team and come help steward our warm and welcoming community-learning environment at PacSci! We are currently in an exciting process of renewal, actively determining how we can best serve the community, both at our facility and through our outreach programs while strengthening the long-term financial sustainability of our organization.

The Director of Finance serves as the senior finance leader for the organization, as a business partner for the executive team, senior leadership team, and budget owners. They are the person most responsible for the delivery of accurate, consistent and easily understood financial information, both retrospective financial statements and prospective financial forecasts.

This role supports the accounting function in day-to-day decision-making and manages the Controller. They will assist in developing corporate policies and procedures, particularly regarding financial controls, and ensure that the finance and accounting function is equipped for compliance with new and existing policies. They direct the organization’s business planning and budgeting process and provide senior leadership and budget owners with the insights required to develop sound financial plans. This role supports business leaders in identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness and proactively analyzes the financial impact of both internal and external factors.

The success of the Director will be measured by the reliability, accuracy and resilience of the organization’s overall financial management practices, internal client satisfaction, successful completion of projects within time- and budget constraints, clean financial statement audits, and the ready availability of business information for the purposes of managerial decision support, guest experience enhancements, and donor engagement.

A cover letter must be submitted with your application in order to be considered for this role.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Manage and provide overall guidance and direction for the finance and accounting staff.
• Efficiently manage cash is managed efficiently; monitor cash position and project short- and long-term cash needs and sources.
• Ensure monthly financial statements are issued timely, accurately, and in accordance with GAAP, relevant regulatory requirements, and donor restrictions; establish appropriate accounting policies, practices and internal controls to support that objective.
• Develop and monitor key performance indicators, highlighting trends and analyzing causes of variance.
• Act as the analytical engine of the organization to provide insights and support optimal decision making. Interpret operating results and budget variances to deliver insight, forecasts, and recommendations for cost reduction and margin improvement to key stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships with external finance partners, including but not limited to banking, investing, audit and tax.
• Direct the preparation of the annual budget, with supporting details for Senior Management and the Board of Directors, including financial scenario modeling and analysis of departmental submissions.
• Manage the finance and accounting department budget. Monitor and exercise accounting control of budgeted expenditures across the organization to contribute to the successful fulfillment of the aggregated financial plan.
• Support non-financial staff to develop financial literacy.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Position Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
• Not-for-Profit Accounting
• Federal, state and local tax issues
• Financial planning and analysis
• Internal control
• Cash flow management

Skills:

• Complex scenario modeling
• Budget creation and variance analysis
• Mastery-level excel skills
• Data visualization and collection skills (SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Python/R, etc.) preferred
• Problem solving, critical thinking

Ability to:

• Communicate financial information to leaders without accounting/finance backgrounds
• Lead process improvements
• Maintain composure under pressure
• Work effectively in cross-functional teams
• Take ownership over finance/accounting function
• Innovate, tackle challenges

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance.
• 7+ years of professional experience leading finance or accounting departments, including at least three years of supervisory experience.
• Strong understanding of generally accepted accounting principles.
• Service orientation and commitment to achieve customer & organizational goals.

Preferred

• Experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau, etc.).
• Knowledgeable of Microsoft Dynamics GP and Management Reporter.
• Some prior experience as a controller in a nonprofit setting preferred.
• Familiarity with federal grant funding or government contracts.
• MBA, CPA or equivalent.

COVID-19 Considerations
Pacific Science Center mandates that all new hires and employees must have the COVID-19 vaccination and masks must be worn onsite regardless of vaccination status. Reasonable accommodations will be made for those who cannot get the vaccine due to health reasons or sincerely-held religious beliefs.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $120,000.00 – $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance

Physical Setting:

• Office

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: One location