About the Wallace Foundation
The Wallace Foundation, an independent research foundation based in New York City, traces its origins back more than half a century to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, founders of The Reader’s Digest Association. Our work is grounded in our mission to help all communities build a more vibrant and just future by fostering advances in the arts, education leadership, and youth development. A set of core values guide how Wallace staff work together and with our partners. The foundation strives to do excellent work in service to and with others. Together, we aspire to create an engaging and inclusive work environment based on mutual trust and respect, and driven by equity, diversity, transparency, collaboration, and continuous learning.
For more information on The Wallace Foundation and to see examples of our work, please visit https://www.wallacefoundation.org.
The Wallace Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to maintaining a diverse workplace where differing perspectives are a source of strength.
The Opportunity
The Director of Finance and Data Strategy is a newly created position. The profile describes a strategic leader responsible for overseeing the organization’s financial operations, processes and workflows, data infrastructure, and systems integration. This role combines expertise in data strategy, financial management and process optimization, to streamline operations, enhance reporting capabilities, and support strategic decision-making across the foundation. The Director will collaborate with the CFO and other units to ensure financial and operational excellence, leveraging technology and data to drive continuous improvement.
This position reports to and collaborates closely with the CFO and is a member of the Finance and Operations team.
Responsibilities
Financial Operations and Process Optimization
● Review and document financial operations and related processes, identifying areas for development and improvement.
● Collaborate with the CFO to develop and implement financial operations strategies that streamline workflows and optimize systems and tools.
● Ensure financial operations align with organizational goals and best practice.
Data Strategy and Infrastructure Management
● Develop and implement a comprehensive data strategy to enable efficient access and reporting across the organization.
● Build and maintain a robust data infrastructure platform, ensuring seamless data flow across systems.
● Create dashboards and reports to support organizational decision-making and performance monitoring.
● Partner with IT and external vendors to manage system integrations and enhance data accessibility.
● Identify areas for financial operations process and application improvement, conducting research on potential platforms and tools.
● Lead the implementation of new financial systems, including training administrators and end-users.
● Collaborate with organizational units to understand finance and financial systems’ needs, delivering tailored solutions.
Advanced Financial Planning and Analysis
● Oversee financial planning processes, including annual and long-range planning, budgeting, forecasting, and monthly re-forecasting.
● Conduct scenario planning and ad-hoc analysis to support organizational stakeholders.
● Develop financial models to support long-term initiatives and strategic goals.
● Provide ad hoc budgeting and financial planning support to grantees and partners.
Qualifications
Experience
● 8-10 years in finance-related roles, with a track record of leadership and impact.
● Demonstrated experience in rolling out systems and process changes across teams and organizations. Systems reviews and implementations, preferably in a nonprofit setting.
● Sectors: nonprofit (required); endowed organizations or significant balance sheet reserves (strongly preferred).
● Grants Management Systems (preferred).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
● Advanced proficiency in Excel, Power Query, and Power BI; experience with Airtable is a plus.
● Strong analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex data into actionable insights.
● Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
● Commitment to accountability, transparency and delivering high-quality customer service.
Education
● A bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, data science, or a related field is required. CPA designation preferred.
Compensation, Benefits and Work Schedule
The salary range for this position is $233,377 to $259,308.
A snapshot of our competitive benefits package includes a choice of health insurance plans and a healthcare reimbursement account, a new stand-alone mental health benefit, 403(b) retirement plan with 15% employer contribution upon eligibility, and a community service matching gifts program recognizing employee volunteer hours with a financial contribution to a qualifying nonprofit organization.
The foundation’s regular in-person schedule is Tuesday-Thursday with the flexibility to work remotely on Monday and Friday.
Contact
Interested and qualified candidates should send their resume and cover letter to Courney Keegan by email: courtney@clarityrecruiting.com