The Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) is seeking a full-time, non-residential Director of Operations & Finance to join and help lead OAEC’s staff at a time of great programmatic success and growth – and at the time of our 20th Anniversary!
OAEC is a non-profit educational and advocacy institute working in the areas of ecology, permaculture, watershed restoration, horticulture, the arts, and social justice activism. OAEC is located on an 80-acre site including organic gardens, a wildlands preserve, a retreat facility and an intentional community 65 miles north of San Francisco in western Sonoma County, California (www.oaec.org).
Job Summary
The Director of Operations & Finance is a new position at OAEC responsible for OAEC’s Financial Management, Human Resources, and Operations. S/he will supervise and support the Managers of each Operations Department: Administration, Kitchen, Facilities, Garden/Orchards, Events, IT and Housekeeping. The Director of Operations & Finance will be accountable to the Executive Director for successful management of her/his work plan.
The Director of Operations & Finance will participate in staff governance via regular meetings with the Executive Director, the Staff Executive Council, and the all-Staff Collective around overall management of OAEC’s programs, operations and budgets.
Responsibilities of the Director of Operations & Finance (100% FTE):
1. Management of all OAEC Human Resources, including: (25% FTE)
a. New Hire processes; orientation of new staff; coordination of ongoing training for all staff as required or recommended by federal, state or local governmental entities.
b. Staff contracts.
c. Payroll.
d. Benefits, including health insurance, cafeteria plan, workers compensation, and others.
e. Peer Review Process management.
f. Conflict Resolution support for the OAEC staff, including assisting any staff member needing support in the appropriate use of OAEC’s conflict resolution policies and processes.
2. Management of OAEC’s Financial Operations, including: (20% FTE)
a. Supervising, training and overseeing the OAEC Bookkeeper.
b. Producing, with the Executive Director, OAEC’s annual budget by integrating budget proposals from all of OAEC’s Programs and Departments.
c. Financial Reporting of budgeted-to-actual to each of OAEC’s Departments and Programs.
d. Spending Control for OAEC’s Operations Departments – managing expenditures within, and approving expenditures outside of, each department’s annual budget.
e. Managing of the investment of OAEC’s reserve funds (Abacas Wealth Management).
3. Supervision of all OAEC Operations Departments (Administration, Facilities, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Garden/Orchards, Events, and IT Departments), including: (20% FTE)
a. Convening and facilitating regular meetings with the Managers of each Operations Department, as well as several sub-groupings of Operations Departments, to coordinate the optimal and integrated operations of the OAEC site and facilities.
b. Supporting the managers of each operations department to deliver a timely annual plan for their department, including goals, budget, and staffing plans, and to help each Manager make their departments work effectively and efficiently.
c. Acting as the initial point person for problem solving support for the Managers of OAEC’s Operations Departments (budget, staffing, personnel, and other issues).
4. Participation in Routine Communication with the Executive Director in organization-wide financial management, planning, coordination, problem solving, engagement and management of the Board of Directors, etc. (10% FTE)
5. Management of OAEC’s Tax, Insurance and Legal Filings, including: (5%)
a. Annual state and federal tax filing processes.
b. New and annual financial and organizational audits.
c. The long-term Lease with Sowing Circle (the residential community of land owners).
d. Insurance policies.
e. Annual filing of all routine and extraordinary legal documents with local, state and federal agencies.
6. Supervision of the OAEC Office Manager (5% FTE)
7. Participation in Collective Governance, including regular staff meetings, ad-hoc committee processes, Peer Review, etc. (5% FTE)
8. Serving on the Staff Executive Council (5% FTE)
9. Negotiating Terms of Off-site Groups Renting OAEC’s Facilities (2.5% FTE)
10. Management of all OAEC Fiscal Sponsorships, including (2.5% FTE)
a. Legal, tax, financial, programmatic and liability monitoring and compliance.
b. Financial reporting for each project.
c. Refining contracts with each project.
d. Refining OAEC’s criteria and orientation processes for new project.
Qualifications for the Job:
• An interest in, passion for, and commitment to supporting the efficient operation of a beautiful, landbased non-profit organization and training center dedicated to a socially just and ecologically restorative transition in economy and culture.
• Minimum of five years of director-level experience in financial management.
• Minimum of five years of director-level experience managing human resources and/or organizational management, including supervision of staff in multiple departments.
• Experience with and excellent aptitude for recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training and managing a diverse staff.
• Experience with managing tax, legal, insurance and other regulatory compliance requirements for a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation (“non-profit”).
• Proven ability to effectively and harmoniously work with a diverse group of people.
• Excellent conflict resolution skills.
• Deep fluency in Apple computer systems, Microsoft Office, digital accounting systems (Quickbooks), database management (NonProfitEasy), cloud-based servers and calendars, as well as other basic computer software to write documents, manage budgets and budget reporting, schedule staff, and communicate regularly with departmental managers.
• Highly self-motivated, with the ability to work independently while managing one’s own hours.
• Ability to receive and provide constructive feedback and make changes to align with and contribute to OAEC’s values and culture.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task and work with many other staff and residents.
• Experience with, understanding of, and a strong desire to be a part of a self-governing staff and collectively-managed organization.
• Experience administering the logistics of a land-based organization is preferred.
OAEC is committed to equal employment opportunities. We do not discriminate based on an individual’s race, sex, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or on any other basis prohibited by law.
Compensation
This is a full-time (40 hours/week average), non-residential position. Salary is $55,000 per year. OAEC offers four weeks of paid vacation, eight paid days of flexible holidays, and a Cafeteria Plan, but does not offer paid health insurance. Staff can participate in OAEC courses and events free of charge, use the OAEC facilities (pond, hot tub, sauna, etc.), harvest produce from our gardens, and eat meals at OAEC when working.
To Apply
Please refer to www.oaec.org for background on OAEC and our programs. We are accepting applications until 5:00 pm, Friday, July 11, 2014. Early application is encouraged.
Qualified applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and list of current references to OAEC’s Executive Director at oaecjobs@oaec.org. We encourage the submission of additional attachments of writings and/or digital media that show us the quality and breadth of your previous work as related to this position. Resumes without cover letters will not be considered. Please do not contact OAEC directly with questions or inquiries, but refer to this Job Announcement and to the OAEC web site for information (www.oaec.org). Thank you.
