Finance Specialist, NatureVest

Description

About Us:  Founded in 1951, the Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable.  One of our core values is our commitment to diversity. Therefore, we strive for a globally diverse and culturally competent workforce. Working in 72 countries, including all 50 United States, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter. NatureVest is the impact investment unit of The Nature Conservancy. NatureVest’s mission is to create and transact investable deals that deliver conservation results and financial returns for investors. Our vision is based on the conviction that capital markets, businesses and governments must invest in nature as the long-term capital stock of a sustainable, equitable and more efficient economy.   Position Summary  The Financial Specialist will provide specialized finance/accounting support to the NatureVest team, colleagues, and partners around the world to advance our conservation strategies. The Specialist will provide support on all major financial operations within the NatureVest team. The Specialist reports to the Director of Finance & Operations for NatureVest and supports a geographically dispersed team of 20+ staff. This position will work closely with project managers within the NatureVest team, as well as Legal and Finance colleagues at the Conservancy. This position will be based in Charlottesville, VA.   Essential Functions The Specialist will provide support on all major financial operations within the NatureVest team. This includes but isn’t limited to: expense approvals, invoice management, journal entries, annual budgeting, monthly financial tracking/reports, contract administration, donor proposals/reports, bank account management, and accounts payable. The Specialist will procure financial reports for NatureVest project managers. The Specialist administers and maintains finance/accounting activities in accordance with TNC policies and procedures and best practices in financial management. It is expected that 10-20% of the role will also support other operational functions and special projects.   Responsibilities & Scope 

• Ensures TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met.
• Reinforces consistency in the organization's financial and operational policies and procedures.
• Provides support in all aspects of transaction level financial management including expense approvals, transaction adjustments, journal entries, and invoices.
• Provides and analyzes monthly financial statements for the team’s project managers and management team.
• Provides oversight on the team’s related entities and bank accounts.
• Manages processes for contract drafting and administration, including adherence to internal procedure and compliance.
• May provide support on the annual budget, philanthropic donor reports, and award management.
• Designs user friendly templates to enhance data consistency and facilitate analysis for decision making.
• Ensures financial coding accuracy and adjusts coding when needed.
• Performs detailed review and analysis of contracts, invoices, expense reports, and transaction data for the business unit.
• Supports financial processes as they relate to contracts and data management for annual budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.
• Acts independently on assigned tasks and exercises sound judgement based on analysis and experience.
• Ensures data quality and consistency aligned with business unit goals and TNC.
• Proactively manages day-to-day core tasks and relationships.
• Coordinates and tracks project-level deadlines for financial reporting to include coordination with various operating units.
• Ensures TNC policies and procedures, financial standards and legal requirements are met.
• Reinforces consistency in the organization's policies and procedures and provides support related to relevant field.
• May manage special projects and/or requests that address key financial or operational issues.
• Strong organizational skills, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Discretion and sensitivity handling confidential information.
• Excellent “customer service” skills and focus.
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop productive working relationships with a wide range of people in an unstructured environment.

  Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field and 3 years' related experience or equivalent combination.
• Experience with GAAP and fund accounting principles, practices and regulations.
• Experience using accounting and financial reporting systems.
• Experience balancing multiple concurrent priorities, projects, and deadlines.
• Experience generating reports, analyzing, and interpreting/manipulating data.
• Experience with Microsoft Excel.

  Desired Qualifications 

• Multi-lingual skills and/or multi-cultural experience appreciated.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills.
• Excellent communication skills

Additional Info

How to Apply  Visit https://careers.nature.org and search for position number 47408, submit resume (required) and cover letter separately using the upload buttons. All applications must be submitted in the system prior to 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 22, 2019. The direct link for the position is here. Click “submit” to apply for the position or “save for later” to create a draft application for future submission. Once submitted, applications cannot be revised or edited. Failure to complete required fields may result in your application being disqualified from consideration. If you experience technical issues, please refer to our applicant user guide or contact applyhelp@tnc.org.   The Nature Conservancy is an Equal Opportunity Employer Our commitment to diversity includes the recognition that our conservation mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of people of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and culture. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority and we encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, protected veteran status or other status protected by law.