Overview: The Director of Finance & Operations will lead the development and management of Black Visions’ Finance and Operations team. Developing and implementing human resources, operations, and financial oversight, this role will lead the charge in strengthening Black Visions’ infrastructure through co-creation, developing policies reflective of our changing culture, and securing our vision by collaborating to ensure our long-term sustainability. This role will work with the Co-Directors to evolve Black Visions staff, membership, and team to build Black leaders that implement campaigns, strengthen narrative, and expand movement strategy.
About Black Visions Collective: Since 2017, Black Visions Collective has been putting the lessons learned from organizations before us, as well as our direct experience building within the Movement for Black Lives, into practice to shape a political home for Black people across Minnesota. Through our intentional growth process, we aim to center our work in healing and transformative justice principles, sustainability, and developing Minnesota’s emerging Black leadership to lead powerful campaigns. By building movements from the ground up with an integrated model, we are creating the conditions for long term success and transformation.
Mission: Black Visions is a Black-led, Queer and Trans centering organization whose mission is to organize powerful, connected Black communities and dismantle systems of violence.
Vision: Black Visions believes in a future where all Black people have autonomy, safety is community-led, and we are in right relationship within our ecosystems.
Black Visions Collective is currently in a period of growth, accountability, and development. All prospective applicants must be willing to grow with the organization as we move into our next iteration.
About the Director of Finance & Operations Role:
The DFO will be the first of their kind in this position at Black Visions! Because of this, we are looking for a dynamic and relational person to join the leadership team, who can – and will – build the plane while flying it. Is this you? If so, Black Visions is looking for someone familiar with transformative justice or healing justice praxis to play a key role in growing our organization, specifically in collaborating to move the burgeoning strategic plan; growing an operations, finance, and development team; and keeping Black Visions accountable to each other and our communities as we phase into becoming an independent organization. There is potential for long-term growth, including potentially into a Co-Director position after the first year.
Individual Responsibilities
FINANCE
- Oversee Black Visions’ daily financial operations and work with internal teams and external bookkeepers to manage monthly reporting, ensuring the timely preparation and accuracy of a variety of standard reports.
- Oversee accounts receivables and payables processes.
- Create, hire and manage internal Operations, Finance, and Development teams including but not limited to current HR manager, Executive Coordinator, Development Director and potentially 1-2 additional managerial staff across finance and operations.
- Lead the annual budgeting process in collaboration with Co-Directors to ensure relevant participation and process efficiency.
- Regularly monitor and report on cash flow projections and budget forecasting.
- Develop practices for staff and member engagement and consultation.
- Lead the annual audit and IRS 990 filing with support from the Finance Manager and outside accounting firm (as appropriate).
- Develop and/or enhance internal financial process and procedures documentation to ensure strong internal controls.
- Support the Operations and Finance team, once developed, to collaborate with program and campaign directors create internal budgets for purposes of grant application/reporting, event planning, and membership campaign efforts.
- Manage payment accounts for sustaining donors; reconcile donor accounts with accounting records for accurate reporting.
OPERATIONS
- Lead, research, and coordinate Black Visions’ process to file as an independent entity; lead administrative and financial transition from fiscal sponsor.
- Develop innovative and holistic practices to support staff and internal organizational culture.
- Approve HR processes that are consistent as well as values aligned regarding hiring practices, performance evaluations and employee recordkeeping.
- Act as or support Core Team members in the “Accountability Crew” and eventually internal transformative justice processes including staffing member-based committees/working groups.
- Evaluate, update, and maintain IT, social media, and security protocol with support of external security agencies.
- Work with HR Manager and Co-Directors to amend organizational employee evaluation practices to be reflective of the structure and aligned with transformative justice values.
- Correspond with and support Policy Board regarding annual giving, organizational reporting on goals, meeting coordination, and involvement.
- Annually evaluate and adapt employee handbook to reflect organizational values.
- Manage some administrative functions for member-cultivation and fundraising events.
- Manage and evaluate strategic plan (years 2-5).
DEVELOPMENT:
- During strategic planning, alongside Co-Directors and development staff, build key strategies for long-term financial security as a result of strategic direction set for 2-5 years.
- Hire and manage Development Director in supporting development and fundraising staff to lead and implement strategies that support Black Visions and are aligned with our broader movement ecosystem.
- Ensure accurate grant reporting and support with funder relationship building and maintenance until securing a small development team.
Shared Responsibilities with Co-Directors as a part of the Management Team:
- Strategic Direction: Shaping and implementing Black Visions’ strategic direction and ensuring its relevance to the needs of the Black community in Minnesota.
- Community, Stakeholder, and Public Relations: Serve as Black Visions’ key spokespeople and ambassadors as well as act as liaison with Black Visions’ fiscal sponsor to all administrative, finance, and operations projects.
- Leadership Development & Culture: Manage development, implementation, and evaluation of internal training, leadership development, and cultural practices organization-wide. Including modeling organizational embodiment of shared values, principles, and practices.
- Staff Management: Effectively communicate, divide, and assign work/tasks, delegating appropriate levels of autonomy and authority while supporting interdependent work plans.
- Financial Management and Legal Compliance: The Director of Finance & Operations should be able to lead collaborative processes to plan and oversee allocation of funds that are in line with organizational mission and values, external regulations, and efficacious use of financial resources.
Experience and Qualifications
- 7-10 years of professional experience in Black Liberation movement building, community organizing, electoral politics, communications, issue advocacy, or a closely related field.
- 3-5+ years of professional experience in financial or operations management in said field, with at least 3 years in leadership roles.
- People Management & Leadership – Excellence in staff management with the ability to recruit, develop, coach, and manage high-performing teams. Proven commitment to visionary and embodied leadership and ability to cultivate the leadership of others while also managing several tasks/projects concurrently, and prioritizing work effectively by setting up a team to meet goals. This means excellent organization, time management, and attention to detail.
- Financial Management – Working knowledge of GAAP, audits, and other regulatory requirements in the nonprofit financial field, and experience working and assisting with budget management and financial forecasting. Experience and comfort with Excel and/or Google Sheets.
- Project Management – Ability to plan and manage multiple projects, plan backward, consult with various stakeholders, anticipate obstacles, run a tight ship, manage staff, and keep a cool head while doing it.
- Nonprofit Operations Experience – Understanding of 501(c)4 and 501(c)3 regulations and ability to maintain compliance (within agreements of fiscal sponsorship), experience with change management, as well as developing and implementing strategies that lead to organizational sustainability and success, fundraising experience with the demonstrated ability to ask for and receive money.
- Collaboration Skills – Understanding of the structural nature of power and inequity with the demonstrated ability to transform it along with the discernment and ability to identify individual vs. collective/community-driven decision making.
- Liberation Praxis – Relationally organized, having significant experience working with Black-led/Queer- and Trans-led organizations, broad coalitions, and multiracial communities with demonstrated ability to lead through a model of solidarity, familiarity with transformative justice, healing justice, and Black feminist thought willing to imagine and then enact it within the organizational culture.
- Fluency in Spanish, Hmong, Somali, or Oromo is preferred.
Must be willing and able to:
- Communicate needs and boundaries as they arise
- Maintain a personal care and development practice
- Work hours during evenings and weekends
- Delegate tasks to focus on their primary role
- Speak in front of small and large groups (translation provided as necessary)
- Speak to what Abolition is and why it is essential to Black liberation
- Have a driver’s license and access to reliable transportation
PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT
Currently work is performed at home until a reduction in COVID-19 cases or a vaccine is widely available. Once either occurs, as specified by the Management Team, Black Visions is held in a standard office environment which requires occasionally lifting such articles as file boxes or heavier materials with help from others and/or lifting and carrying light objects frequently. A job in this category may require walking or standing to a significant degree or may involve sitting most of the time with long periods of computer work and heavy phone usage. Flexibility to work outside normal business hours that include evenings and weekends and work extended hours to accomplish requirements of the position.
SALARY/BENEFITS/OTHER INFORMATION
- This position is an employee of Black Visions, a fiscal sponsee of TakeAction Minnesota
- Salary range $70,000-$80,000 commensurate with experience
- Full health and dental benefits and retirement package, as well as extensive paid time off policy and investments in personal and professional development
TO APPLY:
Please submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@blackvisionsmn.org. Please label email: DFO– YOUR NAME. All files should be shared as docx or PDF.
This position will remain open until the right candidate is found.
