Finance Director

Summary

Ekō is looking for a Finance Director to join us in our fight for a sustainable, equitable future for all. We win campaigns against corporations prioritizing profit over the health and sustainability of people and the planet. If you are excited about global economic justice, love working in fast-paced, experimental environments and have expertise in international financial management, then this might be the role for you.

The Finance Director will serve on the senior leadership team and is responsible for the fiscal management of the organization with a focus on equity and strategic impact. The Finance Director leads the Finance department including all day-to-day financial operations, assuring timely and accurate reporting on all levels. The ideal candidate is an analytic, problem-solver who can lead a Finance team of two members and external bookkeepers. They will play a critical role in building and streamlining the organization’s financial systems and processes to ensure the long-term financial health, compliance, and sustainability of Ekō.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this role requires excellent project management skills and attention to detail, experience designing and implementing efficient, modernized financial systems and controls, a track record of accurate reporting and analysis and of making strategic recommendations on the financial activities and decisions of an organization.

This position is full-time, remote and can be undertaken by anyone between GMT -5 (East Coast Americas) and GMT +1 (Central European Time, West Africa Time). 

A bit about us

Ekō is a global movement of consumers, investors, and workers standing together to hold corporations accountable for actions that threaten the wellbeing and sustainability of individuals, communities and the environment. We aim to forge a new and sustainable path for our global economy. We are a movement of more than 21 million people, brought together by a global team of 40+ campaigners, fundraisers, product, and operations staff who are passionate about creating a more caring, equitable society.

We are aiming to fundamentally reshape the global economy to put people and the planet over profit, but we know we cannot do it alone. We build partnerships with on-the-ground activists and organisers, and we follow their lead. We innovate, experiment, and embrace professional and organizational growth. We invest in people, and we invest in how we work, because our vision calls on us to build the most effective, global, diverse, and talented team possible.

We highly value a diverse team and an equitable work environment where every member of our team is set up to thrive. We have taken steps to nurture this environment including an Anti-Oppression Leadership Team that seeks to facilitate movement towards an organizational community and practice rooted in love and liberation. We expect all team members to take responsibility for co-creating an equitable work community where everyone is able to do impactful, world-changing work. We recruit and encourage people identifying with marginalized communities to apply.

What you’ll do as part of our team Strategy (40%)

• Advise the Executive Director and other key members of the senior leadership team on matters of financial planning, budgeting, cash flow, and operational fiscal policy;
• Provide strategic financial input and leadership on decisions affecting the organization, such as evaluation of potential partnerships, business challenges, and financial investments;
• Work with the Board of Directors and the senior leadership team to shape the strategy for Ekō;
• Work with the Executive Director, and other staff members, to make recommendations and decisions about sustainable funding sources;
• Ensure funds are being used effectively with a focus on strategic impact and sustainability;
• Provide financial expertise to deepen our shareholder activism work, and other campaigning work, by managing and advising on investments, helping teams prepare for company AGM’s, review company annual reports and interpret company financial data to make strategic campaigning decisions.

Finance (60%)

• Oversee and direct accounting, audit, current and long-range forecasting, and cash flow planning;
• Plan, coordinate, develop and oversee annual operating budget, including team and project budgets;
• Using digital, cloud-based technology, work to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of operational accounting services such as accounts receivable, payroll, accounts payable, and purchasing;
• Develop and deliver timely and highly accurate, consolidated financial reports and analysis to support decision making across the organization. Build the financial literacy of the team in the process;
• Management and tracking of all grants and ensure compliance with funder requirements;
• In conjunction with the Executive Director, formulate and recommend sound fiscal policies, systems, procedures, practices and forms to ensure compliance, control, accountability, transparency;
• Oversees the development of and adherence to internal control policies in a remote working environment;
• Coordinate external audit and ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal government regulations and all regulatory tax filing and audit requirements in the United States and in countries where Ekō has finance, operations and/or staffing presence;
• Manages budgetary relationships with department managers ensuring relevant communication regarding roles, responsibilities, reports, variance analysis, and goals;
• Designs and implements a cash management system, evaluating the need for obtaining credit or investing surpluses;
• Establish and monitor the financial systems, controls and procedures for global compliance and financial risk management and ensure adherence to internal control policies;
• Develop and implement strategies to mitigate or accept risk and remain in compliance with a focus on equity and anti-oppression.

Team Leadership

• Direct the work of the finance team;
• Manage and provide mentorship to finance team members;
• Create a compliant, efficient, collaborative and thriving team environment.

Skills and experiences you’ll need to bring: All roles at Ekō require you to be:

• Dedicated to building a fairer and more sustainable global economy;
• Demonstrable commitment to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive work community;
• Willing to work in a fully remote environment.

And, this role in particular will require you to have:

• A degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business, or Public Administration;
• 5-7 years of aligned professional experience;
• Experience with international nonprofit financial management using US GAAP and IFRS principles;
• Experience leading teams in digital transformation and automation, increasing efficiency within finance departments;
• Experience in using QuickBooks Online, Expensify, Google Drive, and Excel (or similar programs that would allow you to quickly learn the systems Ekō uses);
• Familiarity with nonprofit finance in the US, ideally both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4);
• Have a strong equity lens, understand oppression, and bring anti-oppression principles into all aspects of work;
• Proven leadership skills; ability to influence and engage direct and indirect reports, organization partners and supporters;
• Intellectually curious, strategic thinker with strong sense of ownership; able to handle sensitive information with integrity and maintain confidentiality of information;
• Results-oriented and able to effectively balance big-picture thinking with tactical execution and attention to detail;
• Excellent time management skills, and the ability to navigate working across multiple time zones;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and the ability to communicate complex financial information to various stakeholders;
• Able to work and collaborate effectively across the organization;
• Detail-oriented, analytical, responsible, and self-motivated, and able to multi-task and problem solve;
• Demonstrated commitment to the organization’s mission.

How to apply

For more information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button below. 

Applications close 11:59 pm ET on June, 25, 2023. Applications are only accepted through our website.

Further details Compensation is competitive and will be determined based on a combination of experience, seniority, and where you live. For some context: this position in the UK would pay between £94,000 - £112,000 GBP per year depending on experience and seniority. In other regions, compensation will be adjusted for local currency and local market rates. Ekō's compensation policy is calculated with a focus on equity and where staff can thrive in their local context.

Ekō is a fully remote and distributed team, as such we offer stipends to offset cell phone and internet costs. We offer stipends to set-up home offices or to rent space in a coworking environment. We offer five weeks paid vacation (plus additional sick leave and all major public holidays off and 6 months paid parental leave, contributions to retirement, and the ability to work from home and work with a degree of flexibility outside our core hours of operation. We cover private health insurance premiums for employees and dependents who live in countries without public insurance. We are happy to answer any questions you have about our parental leave policies and other, similar benefits in interviews.

Ekō is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of Ekō to provide equal employment opportunity to all applicants for employment and employees and not to discriminate because of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, personal appearance, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, genetic information, or political affiliation. Equal employment opportunities will be provided in employment, recruitment, selection, compensation, benefits, promotion, demotion, layoff, termination and all other terms and conditions of employment.