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Search Success! Rina Lal Joins Reading Partners as Revenue Accounting Manager!

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Pillar Search & HR Consulting is pleased to announce the successful completion of the search for Reading Partner’s new Revenue Accounting Manager and the appointment of Rina Lal to that role.  Reading Partners mobilizes communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade. Reading Partners works with under-resourced schools and engages volunteer reading partners to work one-on-one with students who struggle with reading.    

Rina joins Reading Partners from Energy Recovery, Inc., where she is the Revenue Manager and earlier was their Senior Revenue Accountant. Prior roles included Senior Revenue Accountant with Leapfrog and Revenue Accountant with i365/Seagate Technologies, General Ledger Accountant with Yoga Journal, and Accounts Payable Supervisor with Restoration Hardware.

Hire the best!  Pillar provides search expertise for exceptional nonprofits and socially responsible for-profits, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to find the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please contact Pillar’s CEO, Cindy Joyce.

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Now Hiring! Revenue Accounting Manager for Reading Partners

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Pillar Search is proud to collaborate with Reading Partners on the hiring of their new Revenue Accounting Manager.  This position will be based at the Reading Partners’ headquarters in Oakland, CA. 

The high level:

The Revenue Accounting Manager is a new role best suited for an experienced accounting professional who is detail-oriented, hands-on, results-driven with proven communication skills and a strong work ethic to work in a challenging, fast-paced, nonprofit environment. This person is responsible for the timely and accurate reporting of all revenue, including, but not limited to: temporarily restricted, government, and unrestricted grants as well as deferred revenue, all private donations, other grant awards, and fee for service (FFS) from school partners. This person is also responsible for ensuring revenue is posted to the GL accurately and documented within the Reading Partners CRM (Salesforce) in full accordance with GAAP. The Revenue Accounting Manager will report to the Controller.

 

If you’re looking to apply your vast knowledge of accounting to help a growing nonprofit help more students learn to read, please read on!

 

About Reading Partners:

Reading Partners mobilizes communities to provide students with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.

Reading Partners knows that reading is the foundation for all future learning, and the ability to read transforms lives and empowers children and communities to reach their full potential. Research shows that students who read at grade level by fourth grade have a greater opportunity to succeed in school and in life.

That’s why they partner with under-resourced schools and engage volunteer reading partners to work one-on-one with students who struggle with reading.

An evidence-based and community-driven organization, they recruit and train volunteers to work one-on-one with students for 45 minutes twice a week, following a structured, research-based curriculum.

The Reading Partners program model works and is backed by evidence-based research which proves that their students make significant gains in reading. On average, Reading Partners’ students more than double their rate of learning while in the program.

 

What you’ll do:

  • Ensure accurate and timely revenue recognition
    • Coordinate the daily operations related to revenue recognition and establish regular and effective communication channels with designated program and development colleagues.
    • Manage the weekly processing of cash receipts and recording of revenue.
    • Prepare detailed revenue analysis, reconciliations and budget-to-actual variance reports.
    • Ensure all revenue and related accounts are posted to the GL accurately and in accordance with GAAP.
    • Perform monthly close tasks associated with revenue including the preparation of various reconciliations, deferred revenue roll forward, monthly revenue journal entries and monthly revenue related analysis.
    • Monitor accounts receivable and ensure timely processing in system to ensure all documentation is in compliance with company policy and all rules/ regulations set forth by our contracts.
    • Assist in preparation of monthly management reports.
    • Maintain and analyze accounting records.
    • Assist with the preparation of accounting schedules, reports and financial statements monthly and as requested by senior leadership.
    • Manage all private and foundation grants and ensure they’re booked according to the conditions stipulated in the contract.
    • Ensures all monthly invoices are submitted to various grants, contracts and governmental agencies as well as all reimbursement invoices.
    • Track all in-kind gifts.
    • Assist in ensuring a constant state of annual fiscal and funder audit readiness through clean and accurate coding, tagging and reporting.
    • Ensure direct expenses tagged to municipal grants/ contracts are allowable and compliant under contract/ grant provision.
  • Partner with Finance/ Accounting colleagues and other business partners
    • Ensure GL records and internal CRM database (Salesforce) are congruent.
    • Work closely with external audit team regarding all quarterly review and annual audit requirements.
    • As needed, may help with bookkeeping operations and assist in the day-to-day delivery of the organization’s main accounting policies, procedures and contracts.
  • Process improvement
    • Regularly audit all current practices to assess their effectiveness and efficiency.
    • Revise current practices to ensure best in class service and performance as it pertains to revenue activities and reporting.
    • Ensure all internal policies and procedures are practical and realistic. Ensure best practices are documented and in full effect at Reading Partners.
    • Assist in process improvements to further streamline revenue tasks and shorten revenue close calendar.
  • Other duties as needed

 

How you’ll do it:

  • Relationship Development & Communication: You establish great working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including staff, external constituents, as well as board members. You are able to open doors, make connections, tell a compelling story through the use of data, and create pathways to ensure financial sustainability in literacy education within a very competitive market. You are an effective communicator and a natural “connector”, and you have a track record of successfully establishing rapport quickly and maintaining relationships, even at a distance.

 

  • Strategic Leadership & Execution: You develop and design new strategies and approaches to meet goals and then lead implementation of those strategies. You bring a systems perspective to organizational challenges, with the ability to effectively move from vision to strategy to plan to execution while managing multiple work streams and demonstrating exceptional project management instincts. You are creative and are a thoughtful decision-maker. You are comfortable partnering with others to problem-solve, and you use clear and strategic processes in making decisions. In addition, you have professional experience both developing and executing strategy to optimize organizational processes and achieve ambitious goals.

 

  • People Management: You have a track record of leading teams to excellence. You demonstrate a genuine interest in coaching, inspiring, and developing staff toward the successful achievement goals. You are skilled at providing clear direction, guidance and goals, delegating effectively, and providing growth opportunities while supporting progress along the way. Support staff and enable them to build and maintain successful relationships with a wide array of colleagues at a distance.

 

About you!

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

  • Possess robust and relevant job experience in roles with increasing responsibility; nonprofit experience strongly desired
  • Have experience managing a team
  • Display strong analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills
  • Possess detailed working knowledge of GAAP
  • Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills; able to successfully convey accounting concepts to non-accounting colleagues
  • Able to adapt to changing organizational needs and priorities and juggle multiple projects while meeting deadlines
  • Demonstrate strategic and analytical thinking abilities and strong problem-solving skills
  • Exhibit excellent professional judgment
  • Knowledge of financial planning software (e.g. Adaptive, Hyperion, Cognos) strongly preferred; familiarity with Salesforce a plus
  • Boast a deep belief in our mission
  • Root your work in our core values
  • Approach your work with pride and have fun while doing it
  • Actively seek professional and personal growth opportunities
  • Hold US Citizenship or Permanent Resident Status
  • Hold a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or equivalent experience; CPA a plus

 

Bonus points if you:

  • Have experience with federal grant accounting, specifically multiple cost reimbursement grants.
  • Are an AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, or other national service alum/alumna
  • Have experience working in launch or growth phases of organizations

 

What Reading Partners offers:

Reading Partners offers the full package – great benefits, a great place to work and the opportunity to have a glowing and growing career.

  • Reading Partners offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. This is a full time, exempt, salaried position.
  • They offer a rich suite of health, welfare, and lifestyle benefits, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, commuter benefits, referral bonuses, 403(b) option, and more.
  • They offer an exciting and dynamic culture, and commit to investing in and supporting their amazing people to grow their careers with Reading Partners. As such, they provide ongoing professional development opportunities.

 

The other things you need to know:

  • Location:  This position is located at Reading Partners’ National Headquarters in Oakland, CA. No remote work options available.
  • Typical Physical & Mental Demands: Requires prolonged sitting with some bending, stooping and stretching, and eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a keyboard, telephone, photocopier, calculator and other office equipment.  Requires normal range of hearing and eyesight to communicate with volunteers and staff. Also requires flexibility to readily adapt to a changing environment.

 

What’s Next?

If you are interested in joining the Reading Partners team, kindly submit your resume, as well as a cover letter describing your interest in Reading Partners and how your past experience has prepared you for this role. Please include your salary needs.  Send both documents to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

Reading Partners respects and honors the diversity in their workforce, and they are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Congratulations to Year Up and Tony Williams!

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Pillar's Search Success

Pillar Search is pleased to announce the placement of Tony Williams as Associate Director of Partner Relations with Year Up Los Angeles.

Year Up is an award-winning national 501(c)3 organization striving to close the Opportunity Divide by providing urban young adults ages 18-24 with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Through a one-year intensive training program, these young adults complete a unique combination of rigorous, hands-on technical and professional skills training, college credit, and corporate internships.

Tony will manage existing partner relationships, facilitating day-to-day interactions between Year Up, interns and corporate partners to create mutually beneficial business relationships. Tony will be responsible for connecting top corporations in need of talent with high-potential urban young adults.
Tony joins Year Up from The Posse Foundation, where he has held the role of Career Program Manager and, prior to joining the organization as an employee, was an Advisory Board Member. Before joining The Posse Foundation, Tony was a Broker with Marsh in Chicago. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he held several leadership roles.

Hire the best! With personalized service and proven results, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides retained executive search services for exceptional non-profits and socially responsible for-profit firms. A woman-owned business, Pillar is based in Boston, MA, and works on the national level. To learn more about how Pillar can assist with your search needs, please contact Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

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New Search Announcement! WildAid’s Managing Director of U.S. Operations

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Pillar's New Search

GetAttachment (4)

 

Pillar Search is pleased to have been selected to partner with WildAid on their search for the new role of Managing Director, U.S. Operations.

 

ABOUT WILDAID

Founded in 1999, WildAid is an international organization based in San Francisco, CA. WildAid’s mission is to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes. WildAid envisions a world where people no longer buy wildlife products such as shark fin, elephant ivory and rhino horn.

While most wildlife conservation groups focus on protecting animals from poaching, WildAid works to reduce global consumption of wildlife products by persuading consumers and strengthening enforcement.

With an unrivaled portfolio of celebrity ambassadors and global network of media partners, WildAid leverages nearly $200 million in annual pro-bono media support. Their message reaches up to 1 billion people every week.

WildAid’s strategy for achieving this goal is to reduce demand for these products using their slogan When the Buying Stops, the Killing Can Too.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Managing Director – Programs (MDP) in his absence, the Managing Director – US Operations (MDUS) will primarily be a manager, overseeing all US staff. The MDUS will assess and ensure organizational performance in areas both internal and external: non-programmatic fundraising, finance/accounting, human resources, information technology and organizational communication, against the annual budget, work plan, and strategic plan.

The MDUS will be responsible for recruiting and hiring all US staff and managing their well being. S/he will bring her/his experience and talent to bear on improving the global organization infrastructure to accommodate continued growth and geographic expansion. S/he will plan and lead the organizations non-programmatic fundraising and non-programmatic organizational communications strategy and should have extensive experience in both areas. Currently funding is mainly foundation and high net worth individual driven. The organization raises approximately $10 million annually.

The MDUS serves as counsel on short- and long-term fundraising, financial, staffing, and administrative decisions. S/he will set goals, monitor work, and evaluate results to meet departmental and cross organizational objectives. The role also includes oversight of WildAid’s headquarter operations and international administration and fundraising, as well as maintaining close professional relationships with staff in all locations to facilitate innovative and effective policies and procedures. They will negotiate and manage external vendor relationships such as legal counsel, insurance, technology providers, and facilities.

The MDUS will have the depth of financial experience to ensure compliance with audits, as well as regulatory and government requirements. This individual will collaborate with the Controller to oversee investment and asset management, the annual budgeting process, and ensure that multi-year financial modeling is consistent with strategic plans.

Finally, the MDUS will oversee HR strategies for recruiting, retaining, and training WildAid’s global workforce. The strategies will ensure the alignment of HR systems, compensation and benefits, and implementing a performance management system with the goals of the organization. S/he will also play a key role as champion of WildAid’s values-based positive culture.

 

KEY PRIORITIES 

The MDUS will examine the current operational systems in place, apply global best practices and strategize with the CEO to improve efficiency and implement solutions to support the organization as it continues to scale. They will build a cohesive team that includes necessary expertise in donor relations and fundraising, finance and accounting, technology, human resource and administrative support services that work collaboratively to advance WildAid’s mission. Specific duties within key areas include:

Fundraising/Donor Relations

  • Development: Work closely with the CEO and the MDP to meet aggressive fundraising goals; drive the execution of annual development plans for foundations, high net worth individuals, special events & other alternative sources of income.
  • Coordination: working internally and externally to ensure that all program, development, and communication initiatives are aligned and well-coordinated.

Human Resources

Manage and oversee the human resource function for WildAid, including:

  • Recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits administration and performance management.
  • Design an execution of systems to develop, motivate, and retain top talent.
  • Create a more unified team across departments and offices.

Management

  • Work plans and operations: Together with the CEO and MDP, develop and implement coordinated country and program strategies and work plans for non-programmatic staff, and monitor progress against metrics and milestones.
  • Board of Directors: working with the CEO, provide staff support and guidance to WildAid’s Board and act as staff liaison to relevant board committees.
  • Office leadership: Effectively execute standardized policies and procedures across regional offices in the San Francisco headquarters and country offices.
  • Risk management and legal activities: implement letters of agreement, contracts, leases, and other legal documents.
  • Information technology: ensure the ongoing 
maintenance and updating of information systems and infrastructure, including hardware, software, and necessary applications.
  • S/he will manage the non-programmatic budget and the following direct reports: Major Gifts and Events Planner, Development Assistant, Controller, Communications Manager, Administrator Associate, and Social Media Manager.  SF-based Video Editor, Video Producer, Climate Campaigner, US Campaigner (open), US Media Manager (open) will also be managed as well from a human resources aspect, but these positions will fall under the Managing Director – Programs in terms of direction.

Financial Management and Oversight

Working with the Controller, manage and oversee all financial and business planning activities, including:

  • Lead and support organizational budgeting process, including development of an annual operating plan with programmatic milestones and targets/deliverables linked to budgets.
  • Direct and administer all financial planning and provide overall financial oversight and monitoring.
  • Support and advise the CEO in decision-making and review and analyze financial reports and ensure that relevant financial data is presented to the CEO and Board of Directors.

 

KEY COMPETENCIES AND IDEAL PROFILE

WildAid seeks a passionate, experienced team player, who is deeply committed to WildAid’s mission to end the illegal wildlife trade. This individual will have senior management experience in fundraising, human resources, operations, and finance/accounting and have an understanding of nonprofit budget models. The successful candidate will have worked with senior-level stakeholders, such as a Board of Directors, leadership teams, and country directors, to secure commitments and manage execution against shared objectives

Since WildAid is a global organization undergoing rapid growth, the ideal candidate will share best practices for creating the proper infrastructure, systems, and processes to allow for sustainable expansion. Ideally, candidates will have spent part of their career working in the area of international conservation.

The successful candidate will be a pragmatic, action-oriented leader who will enjoys working in an entrepreneurial environment. The MDUS will think strategically and creatively; this leader will need experience identifying problems and implementing solutions and best practices. S/he will be a big picture thinker, but will also possess a strong work ethic and ability to act as a hands-on manager when necessary. This individual will show sensitivity and the ability to establish respect, credibility and trust with regional office staff and in multicultural settings. The successful candidate will be comfortable with ambiguity and excited by the opportunity to work in a dynamic, nimble, start-up-like environment. The MDUS will need to remain organized and calm when under pressure.

 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

The candidate should have a minimum of 15 years related work experience in relevant positions of increasing scope and responsibility and possess excellent management and people skills, and personal qualities of integrity, credibility, and a commitment to WildAid’s mission. An ability to fundraise on a large scale is required. Proven experience working for an international and/or nonprofit organization in a similar capacity is highly desired. A Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field is required. An advanced degree in business, finance, or a related field is preferred.

 

APPLICATION PROCEDURE 

WildAid is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. For immediate consideration, please address a cover letter and resume to Cindy Joyce, Pillar Search, at cindyjoyce@pillarsearch.com.