Why This Role Matters NowOver the past year, LEE has strengthened its financial controls, modernized core systems and processes, improved documentation, and built a stronger foundation for forecasting and financial planning. The Vice President, Finance and Accounting will build on that progress by further strengthening accounting and controls, continuing to modernize and automate the finance function, advancing strategic budgeting and financial planning, and developing a lean, high-performing finance team.
Position SummaryThe VP, Finance and Accounting provides strategic and operational leadership for all financial functions of the organization, including its 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and PAC entities. Reporting to the Executive Director and serving on LEE's Leadership Team, this role serves as the primary financial steward and accounting advisor to the Executive Director and the Leadership Team.
The ideal candidate is a mission-aligned, strategic, and hands-on executive with deep technical accounting and controls expertise and strong FP&A capabilities. The Vice President will lead a two-person finance team and move between big-picture strategy and hands-on accounting work. They will have the opportunity to assess the team structure and design a finance function that meets LEE's current and future needs.
Position Location: Remote (U.S.-based)
Travel Requirements: Approximately 10-15%, including Leadership Team retreats and periodic in-person meetings with the Executive Director in New York
ResponsibilitiesExecutive Financial Leadership - 30% - Lead the finance strategy across all LEE entities (LEE, LEE Foundation & PACs) in alignment with industry standard accounting principles and in compliance with IRS standards and federal, state, and local law
- Partner with senior leaders to set long-term financial strategies and goals across all LEE entities
- Serve as a strategic thought partner to the Executive Director and Leadership Team, bringing forward-looking insight, scenario planning, and constructive challenge to organizational decisions
- Partner with the Executive Director on financial reporting to the Board, preparing analysis, materials, and recommendations that support Board oversight and decision-making
- Collaborate with the Leadership Team to develop and monitor resource allocation, forecasts and expenditures supporting the organization's mission and growth initiatives
- Respond nimbly to time-sensitive financial needs from the Executive Director, including funder and Board requests
Financial Accounting & Operations - 30%- Own LEE's accounting function, including the month-end and year-end close, financial reporting, consolidation, intercompany activity, and cost allocation across LEE's entities. Work alongside the finance team and contribute directly to the accounting work to ensure accurate, timely reporting.
- Strengthen, document, and monitor internal controls and a strict segregation of duties to minimize risk, protect assets, and foster a culture of accountability
- Partner with LEE's General Counsel, who leads legal interpretation and state-by-state compliance for LEE's political activity, to translate compliance requirements into appropriate accounting structures and practices. This includes tracking 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) revenue and expenses and documenting inter-entity transfers
- Manage external relationships and audit processes and serve as a point of contact for auditors, consultants, and regulatory bodies
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) - 15% - In alignment with the organizational annual and multi-year strategic planning led by the Partnerships & Infrastructure Team, lead the organization and team-based budgeting process
- Continue evolving FP&A into a forward-looking function that drives strategic decisions
- Refine and own LEE's forecasting model, and build multi-year forecasts and scenario plans that support long-term financial sustainability
- Provide timely and accurate financial analysis, reports, and recommendations to senior leaders and the Board of Directors, including resource allocation, investment options, and risk management insights
- Develop practical financial reporting and dashboards that help Leadership Team members understand and manage their budgets
- Develop and lead LEE's treasury management strategy, including banking relationships, cash management, and recommendations for investing reserves, to ensure LEE's financial assets are optimized across its entities
Team & Organizational Stewardship - 15% - Lead, coach, and develop the finance team, building accountability, strengthening performance, and expanding team members' capabilities over time
- Drive a high-performance team culture that balances high standards of accountability and performance with strong support and coaching
- Assess the team's structure and capabilities and shape roles to meet LEE's current and future needs
- Work alongside the finance team on day-to-day accounting as an ongoing part of the role, contributing directly to the work while coaching and developing the team
Special Projects - 10%- Lead or contribute to team-level, org-wide, or cross-team special projects to accelerate impact as assigned by manager or designee
- Oversee system integrations and automation projects across Sage Intacct, ADP, Ramp, and Paystand, including the integration between payroll (ADP) and the general ledger, to eliminate manual processes and journal entries
- Assess and implement FP&A and reporting tools, leveraging automation and AI where they add value
- Champion the development and implementation of a robust, tech-enabled, and scalable infrastructure to ensure the highest level of financial controls and security
Required Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree or commensurate years of work experience
- If you do not hold a Bachelor's degree an additional 4 years of relevant experience is required.
- If you hold an Associate's degree an additional 2 years of relevant experience is required.
- 10+ years of progressive finance and accounting experience, including
- Senior finance leadership (e.g., CFO, VP or Director of Finance, Controller) with significant accounting responsibility in an organization with a budget of at least $15M
- Deep, hands-on accounting expertise, including ownership of the close, financial reporting, audit, and nonprofit accounting
- Experience managing accounting for an organization with two or more legal entities, including consolidation, intercompany activity, and cost allocation
- Track record of strengthening internal controls and segregation of duties and addressing control gaps or audit findings
- Experience with budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and financial analysis for senior leaders; candidates with strong accounting leadership and meaningful exposure to FP&A will be considered
- Experience leading the implementation or integration of a cloud ERP or core financial system, including the change management to drive adoption
- Strong people management experience with a player-coach mindset, including a willingness to contribute directly to the work while mentoring and developing staff
- Mission-driven, entrepreneurial and collaborative mindset, and a commitment to ethical financial management and transparency
- A flexible partner who balances strong controls with helping the organization move forward, and is comfortable with shifting priorities and time-sensitive requests
- Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance leaders and collaborate effectively within a geographically dispersed team
- Alignment with LEE's mission, core values, and theory of change
Preferred Qualifications:- CPA strongly preferred; MBA a plus
- Hands-on experience with Sage Intacct, ideally in a multi-entity environment with integrations
- Experience with 501(c)(3)/501(c)(4) or political action committee accounting
- Experience leading FP&A, including selecting or implementing FP&A or reporting tools
- Experience with treasury management and reserve investment strategy
- Experience leveraging AI-enabled analytics and reporting tools
- Experience leading a remote team
Benefits and PayCompensation for the Vice President, Finance and Accounting role is based on years of relevant work experience and location. Compensation in 100% COLA tier locations (e.g., Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix) ranges from $167,800-$220,000. Sequential COLA tiers increase starting pay by approximately 5%, up to our highest COLA tier in cities like New York where starting pay begins at $201,360. Learn more about compensation here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n1Y79fAcqIVEaXVykwoxp1vh3NR4VBH0SwiZ4y4jpdA/edit?tab=t.0
LEE offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision coverage for spouses, families, and domestic partners where LEE covers up to 85% of premium costs; 100% employer-paid basic life and AD&D insurance and short and long-term disability insurance; a retirement package with 5% employer match; parental leave benefits; home office setup fund; ongoing virtual work benefits for phone and internet; generous paid time off and an organization-wide winter break between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. For more information, please review LEE's Careers website: wearelee.org/who-we-are/careers/#:~:text=Time%20Regular%20Staff-,Care%20For%20Your%20Health,-We%20cover%20up
Application Submission:LEE reviews applications on a rolling basis, encourages early submissions, and will invite applicants whose experience aligns with the role to an initial conversation. Questions can be directed to LEE's Talent team. For additional information, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions section on LEE's Careers website: https://wearelee.org/who-we-are/careers/.
Physical Requirements & Work Demands: - This position is primarily a sedentary role working with colleagues based around the country using remote technologies.
- The person in this position will need to have the ability to travel to in-person meetings in various U.S. cities.
- Occasional evening and/or weekend work is required.
The statements in this description represent typical elements, criteria, and general work performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required for the job.
