Finance Director
Full-Time / Exempt · Little Falls, MN · Reports to: Executive Director
Our client is a nonprofit community action agency rooted in Little Falls, MN, with a mission that runs deep: engaging the entire community to listen to and partner with low-income individuals and families as they move toward prosperity. Their programs span Head Start early childhood education, weatherization, CSBG community services, and more — and the people who lead them have been doing this work for years, even decades.
The leadership team is cohesive, humble, and collaborative. They lead with a servant mentality — not because it’s written on a wall somewhere, but because it’s how they actually show up for each other and for the families they serve. If you’ve been looking for a place where the culture matches the mission, this is it.
The current Finance Director is preparing her retirement and looking for someone to step in and pick up the role. She will transition into an accounting support role and personally mentor whoever steps into this seat, giving you a real runway to learn the systems, the programs, the people, and the pace of this organization before taking full ownership.
This is a rare chance to inherit a well-run finance function and make it your own, with the full support of leadership and a mentor who knows every corner of it.
You’ll own the financial operations of the agency — all of it. This is a hands-on leadership role that requires both the ability to manage daily financial operations and the strategic perspective to advise program directors and executive leadership. You’ll be the financial backbone of an organization running multiple federal and state grants simultaneously.
- Ensure compliance with fiscal law, GAAP, OMB circulars, and state and federal grant requirements
- Develop and implement accrual-based financial policies and procedures
- Prepare and present detailed financial reports to the Board, auditors, and funding sources
- Maintain separate accounting records for each program and grant
- Ensure accurate and timely posting of all journals and ledgers
- Serve as the primary point of contact for the annual audit — coordinate all financial records with outside CPA firm
- Ensure compliance with Head Start Program Performance Standards and federal fiscal regulations
- Lead the annual budget process — compile, analyze, and present financial information
- Maintain all agency bank accounts and monitor cash flow
- Approve and maintain controls in cost allocation systems
- Partner with Program Directors on their budgets and meet regularly on monthly expenses
- Recommend operating budgets for Board submission; leverage financial resources for maximum impact
- Ensure compliance with OMB circulars, grant requirements, and record retention policies
- Assist in budget preparation for grant applications
- Partner with grant leads on monitoring, reporting, and closeout
- Oversee timely submission of payroll taxes, benefit premiums, retirement contributions, and workers’ comp
- Manage payroll processing in Paylocity
- Enforce internal control procedures to safeguard agency assets
- Day-to-day use of MIP Fund Accounting software
- AP processing through Microix (integrated with MIP)
- Payroll administration through Paylocity
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel especially)
- Lead and develop fiscal department staff
- Provide financial forecasts and recommendations to management
- Contribute to agency strategic planning and new program development
- Build strong working relationships with Program Directors across the agency
You don’t just balance the books — you understand that every number represents a family, a program, a community outcome. You’re technically sharp and personally warm, someone who can walk into a room of Program Directors who aren’t finance people and make them feel supported, not talked down to.
- Deeply experienced in nonprofit finance, including fund accounting and multi-source grant budgeting
- Knowledgeable about OMB circulars, federal grant compliance, and Head Start regulations (or eager to get up to speed quickly)
- A clear communicator who can translate complex financial data for non-financial audiences
- Self-sufficient and calm under pressure — audit season doesn’t rattle you
- Collaborative by nature, with strong relationship-building instincts
- Genuinely mission-driven — you find purpose in the work, not just the numbers, and approach colleagues and program directors with the same care the organization extends to the communities it serves
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, fiscal management, or related field
- 5+ years of accounting experience, including management or supervisory responsibility
- Nonprofit budgeting experience
- Multi-funding source budgeting experience
- Fund accounting experience
- Strong working knowledge of OMB circulars and federal grant compliance
- CPA or CPA candidate
- Experience with Head Start or federally-funded community action programs
- Hands-on experience with MIP Fund Accounting software
- Experience with Paylocity and/or Microix
- Salary: $100,000 – $115,000 (commensurate with experience)
- 403(b) with up to 5% match
- Generous PTO
- Health insurance
- Dental, vision, and life insurance
- Voluntary benefits through MetLife
This organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
