Salary Range: $110,000-$124,000

Work Schedule and Location: Hybrid Schedule – Tuesday and Thursday in-person at the corporate office and M/W/F remote. 

Position Description: The Director of Finance & Accounting is responsible for the strategic leadership and operational excellence of Make-A-Wish Illinois’ financial functions. This role oversees accounting operations, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, audit coordination, compliance, and cash management for our nonprofit organization. The Director ensures accuracy, transparency, and stewardship of financial resources while serving as a key advisor to the COO, Board Finance Committee, and Investment Subcommittee. The Director leads and develops the accounting team, advances financial systems and automation, strengthens cross-departmental financial management, and ensures that financial operations align with organizational strategy, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities Qualifications:

Financial Leadership & Strategy

• Serve as the organization’s senior financial leader responsible for aligning financial operations with strategic and long-range planning objectives.
• Provide financial analysis and data insights to guide organizational decision-making, resource allocation, revenue forecasting, and capital planning.
• Partner with the COO to strengthen forecasting, scenario planning, and financial sustainability.
• Support the Finance Committee and Investment Subcommittee through preparation of materials, dashboards, analysis, and investment monitoring.
• Represent the Finance function as a collaborative partner across departments.

Accounting Operations & Financial Reporting

• Oversee day-to-day accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, deposits, credit card management, and wish-card administration.
• Lead monthly close and produce timely, accurate financial statements, dashboards, cash flow reporting, and variance analysis.
• Ensure adherence to GAAP, nonprofit accounting standards, and internal policies.
• Advance automation and workflow improvements (e.g., payment automation, project codes, API/EDI integrations, NetSuite optimization).

Cash Flow, Asset Management, & Internal Controls

• Manage cash flow, liquidity, and banking relationships to support organizational operations and long-term stability.
• Maintain a comprehensive internal control framework that prevents fraud, minimizes risk, and strengthens financial governance.
• Conduct periodic internal reviews of financial controls, credit card usage, and system permissions.
• Monitor and support investment administration in partnership with external advisors.

Audit, Tax, & Compliance

• Lead the annual external financial statement audit, internal audit processes, Form 990 preparation, and all federal/state/local compliance filings.
• Ensure payroll compliance in partnership with HR and the payroll system (Paylocity).
• Maintain compliance with grants, restricted funding, donor intent, and public and private funding requirements.

Budgeting, Forecasting, & Financial Planning

• Lead the organization’s annual budgeting process, including timeline creation, tools, training, and department budget support.
• Develop multi-year forecasts, scenario models, and rolling projections for revenue, expenses, and cash.
• Partner with department leaders to improve budget literacy, accountability, and timely financial decision-making.
• Provide expense modeling and wish-granting cost analysis to support strategic decision-making.

Financial Systems & Technology

• Serve as the chapter’s content expert for the enterprise accounting system (NetSuite) and point of contact for enhancements, reporting, permissions, and integrations.
• Collaborate with Data & Evaluation and Technology team members to improve dashboards, data quality, internal reporting, and cross-system data flow.
• Evaluate and implement technologies that improve efficiency, transparency, and data accessibility.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Accounting & Finance team to ensure strong performance, career growth, and operational excellence.
• Foster a culture of learning, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Build cross-functional financial literacy through training and partnership.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field required.
• CPA strongly preferred.
• Master’s degree is a plus.

Experience & Skills

• 7+ years of progressive accounting/finance experience, with at least 4 years in a senior or management role; nonprofit financial management experience strongly preferred.
• Minimum 3 years supervising and developing an accounting/finance team, with demonstrated strengths in performance management, cross-functional collaboration, and leading teams through change or growth.
• Demonstrated expertise in nonprofit GAAP, internal controls, risk management, and financial compliance.
• Proven experience managing budgets of $10M+ and leading complex nonprofit audits, including preparation, coordination, and resolution of audit findings.
• Strong experience with NetSuite preferred; experience with Salesforce, Paylocity, credit card management platforms (e.g., Ramp), and payment automation systems a plus.
• Proven success implementing process improvements, automation initiatives, and/or financial system upgrades.
• Experience with grant accounting, restricted funds, and compliance for private and public funding sources.
• Strong analytical, communication, and business partnership skills, with the ability to translate financial data into actionable insights.
• Experience in financial strategy, planning, and analysis within a nonprofit organization preferred.

Additional Attributes

• Ability to lead through change and support a culture of data-driven decision making.
• Ability to focus on the tasks and details relevant to the position and the organization, while also switching quickly between functions.
• Ability to exercise excellent independent judgment and take ownership of decisions.
• Ability to think on a broad, system-level relative to the scope of the position.
• Ability to work independently and self-manage to achieve goals while being a strong team player.
• Ability to organize, meet deadlines, and delegate appropriately.
• Ability to cope with and embrace change, risk, and uncertainty.
• Ability to develop strong relationships within a collaborative setting that values diverse opinions; enthusiasm for helping drive change as MAWI becomes a more data-driven organization.

Work Schedule and Location: Hybrid Schedule – Tuesday and Thursday in-person at the corporate office (200 W. Monroe, Suite 1801, Chicago, IL 60606) and M/W/F remote. Business needs may dictate occasional need to adjust the hybrid schedule, and team members are expected to be able to accommodate the organization’s physical presence needs as part of their hybrid work agreement.

Other: Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Activities and Working Conditions: The physical demands and working conditions described here are representative, but not exhaustive, of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• This position is typically performed in an interior, environmentally controlled office setting. The duties of the job require extended periods of time being stationary and manipulating a computer (keyboard, monitor, mouse), and other standard office equipment including, but not limited to printer, fax, calculator, copier, telephone and associated computer/technology peripherals.
• At times this job will require an ability to lift up to 30 pounds.