Director of Finance, Grants & Operations

About CURYJ

Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ) is an Oakland-based nonprofit dedicated to unlocking the leadership of young people to dream beyond bars. Through restorative justice, leadership development, violence prevention, and systems change, CURYJ partners with communities most impacted by incarceration to create lasting change.

We're seeking a mission-driven finance leader who believes strong financial stewardship is essential to advancing our mission.

Position Summary

The Director of Finance, Grants & Operations serves as CURYJ's senior financial leader and a trusted advisor to the Executive Director and Managing Director. This role oversees all finance and accounting functions while serving as the financial owner of CURYJ's government and private grant portfolio. The Director partners closely with the Managing Director on organizational planning, resource allocation, and designated operational priorities.

This is a highly hands-on leadership role. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable developing financial strategy and personally managing accounting, grant financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, compliance, and operational processes.

The Director is responsible for strengthening CURYJ's financial systems, developing the finance and grants team, and providing clear analysis and recommendations that support organizational decisions and long-term financial sustainability.

This position offers a unique opportunity to build and strengthen the finance function of a growing organization while helping maximize the impact of CURYJ's programs through strong financial leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Financial Leadership & Organizational Planning (Approximately 20%)
• Lead CURYJ's annual and multiyear budgeting and financial planning, aligning resources with program priorities, staffing needs, and organizational goals.
• Advise the Executive Director and Managing Director on the financial implications of program growth, staffing decisions, and significant organizational commitments.
• Assess program costs and financial sustainability, identify needs for unrestricted support, and recommend approaches to building reserves and long-term financial stability.
• Anticipate organizational financial risks, including expiring grants, funding concentration, and reimbursement delays, and recommend timely responses.
• Lead regular budget and forecast discussions with program leaders, helping them understand financial information and make informed decisions.
• Present financial results, scenarios, and recommendations to executive leadership and the Board of Directors to support planning and oversight.
• Grant Financial Management (Approximately 35%)
• Serve as the financial owner of CURYJ's grant portfolio by: Developing grant budgets during proposal development in partnership with program and development staff.
• Reviewing proposed grants and contracts before acceptance to assess staffing and administrative costs, reimbursement terms, cash flow implications, and any need for unrestricted financial support.
• Preparing monthly, quarterly, and ad hoc financial reports for funders and overseeing grant financial closeout.
• Preparing reimbursement requests and supporting documentation and monitoring grant receivables to support timely collection.
• Developing and maintaining personnel allocations across multiple grants
• Preparing grant budget modifications and amendments.
• Forecasting grant spending, remaining balances, and revenue throughout each grant's lifecycle.
• Developing strategies to recover allowable program and administrative costs, improve reimbursement timeliness, and strengthen grant financial performance while meeting funder requirements.
• Serving as CURYJ's primary financial resource for grant-related matters.
• Supervising and developing the Grants Manager, establishing clear responsibilities, performance expectations, and grant management workflows.
• Finance & Accounting (Approximately 40%)
• Lead the organization's finance and accounting function by: Owning the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of CURYJ's accounting records in QuickBooks and Jirav, including hands-on responsibility for transaction coding, journal entries, reconciliations, and general ledger maintenance.
• Producing monthly financial statements and management reports, interpreting variances and trends, and recommending actions to leadership.
• Leading the month-end and year-end close process, establishing clear deadlines and review procedures.
• Preparing and updating financial forecasts and cash flow projections to support organizational planning.
• Monitoring organizational cash flow and financial performance.
• Leading audit readiness and the annual audit process, managing relationships with external auditors and tax preparers, and overseeing timely tax filings, regulatory reporting, and resolution of audit findings.
• Establishing and implementing financial procedures, reporting standards, and internal controls, and exercising approval authority within approved budgets, delegated limits, and established separation of duties.
• Leading the transition from outsourced accounting services to an effective internal finance function, including transfer of financial records and institutional knowledge, documentation of procedures, and clarification of staff responsibilities.
• Supervising and developing the Finance Manager, including oversight of payroll and routine accounting functions, clear delegation, review of work, cross-training, and performance management.
• Select Operational Oversight (Approximately 5%)
• Provide limited oversight of designated operational budgets, vendor relationships, and administrative systems in partnership with the Managing Director.
• Oversee HR administration, including benefits, onboarding, and employment compliance.
• Coordinate relationships with IT vendors, software providers, and technology purchasing.
• Oversee facilities, vendor relationships, leases, and maintenance.
• Identify opportunities to improve organizational systems and operational efficiency.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible nonprofit financial management experience, including demonstrated responsibility for leading a finance function or department.
• Significant experience managing government grants and contracts and restricted private grants.
• Experience preparing organizational budgets, financial statements, forecasts, and cash flow analyses.
• Experience coordinating annual financial audits and managing any resulting corrective actions.
• Strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting principles and GAAP.
• Experience using QuickBooks Online or comparable accounting software.
• Experience advising executive leadership or boards and translating financial information into clear recommendations.
• Experience assessing program costs, grant cost recovery, and organizational financial sustainability.
• Experience transitioning accounting functions from an outsourced provider to an internal finance team.
• Experience supervising and developing finance or grants staff.
• Demonstrated ability to strengthen financial procedures, internal controls, and team workflows.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Commitment to CURYJ's mission and values.
• Who Will Thrive in This Role

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys building systems, solving problems, and balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution. The successful candidate is collaborative, confident, and comfortable leading difficult financial conversations with diplomacy and professionalism. They are willing to ask thoughtful questions, make recommendations, and partner with program leaders and executive leadership to balance mission priorities with sound financial stewardship.