Job Description

Organizational Overview:

Fairmount Park Conservancy brings parks to life. We work with the City of Philadelphia and its communities to steward our parks and nurture our shared environment, cultural resources, and public health. We lead capital projects and historic preservation efforts, foster neighborhood park stewardship, attract and leverage investments, and develop innovative programs throughout the 10,200 acres that include Fairmount Park, six other watershed parks, and more than 130 neighborhood parks and gardens around the city. 

Position Overview:

The Director of Finance is the senior finance leader responsible for delivering strong financial planning, forecasting, and analysis across the Conservancy’s programs, operations, and multi-year capital projects. This role serves as the primary architect of the Conservancy’s financial planning systems, building models, tools, and reports that enable data-driven decision-making. The position partners closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and leaders across capital projects, development, communications, and public programs to ensure accountability and support long-term financial sustainability. Highly analytical, strategic, and collaborative, this role translates complex financial information into clear insights that guide organizational strategy.

Responsibilities:

Financial Planning & Forecasting

Lead annual budgeting for operations, capital projects, programs, and park properties.

Develop rolling forecasts, multi-year projections, and scenario models for leadership and the board.

Identify financial risks and opportunities; recommend strategies for sustainability.

Maintain and enhance tools for budget tracking, variance analysis, and dashboards.

Financial Analysis & Decision Support

Analyze revenue, expenses, cash flow, and departmental performance.

Provide financial insight into program, operations, and capital project leaders.

Evaluate contracts, grants, and donor-funded initiatives.

Model staffing costs, growth scenarios, and new initiatives.

Capital Projects & Restricted Funds

Build and manage multi-year capital project budgets.

Track spending, commitments, and funding sources; ensure compliance.

Forecast project cash flow and funding needs.

Strengthen project-level budgeting, reporting, and cost allocation systems.

Grants, Contracts & Donor-Funded Initiatives

Model grant budgets and multi-year funding implications.

Support grant reporting, reimbursement requests, and donor materials.

Ensure accurate revenue recognition and restricted fund tracking.

Reporting & Communication

Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for leadership and the board.

Prepare materials for Finance and Investment Committees.

Communicate financial insights clearly to non-financial stakeholders.

Coordinate and lead the annual audit process, consult with external auditors, and the finance committee of the board of directors.

Systems Improvement

Enhance financial systems, tools, processes, and policies.

Improve project accounting, cost allocation, and data integrity.

Support long-term modernization of financial systems and analytics.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with program and capital leaders on budgeting and forecasting.

Work with HR and operations on staffing and compensation modeling.

Provide training on budgeting, financial tools, and financial literacy.

Implement a contracts management system.

Qualifications & Core Competencies:

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business, Public Administration, or related field.

At least 8 to 10 years of overall professional experience; ideally 6+ years of broad financial and operations management experience.

Progressive experience in financial planning, analysis, or budgeting in nonprofit, government, or mission-driven settings.

Strong financial modeling, forecasting, and analytical skills.

Proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets and familiarity with accounting or budgeting systems.

Experience with complex budgets involving grants, contracts, and restricted funds.

Excellent communication skills with diverse audiences.

High mindfulness and strong analytical and collaborative abilities.

Systems/process improvement mindset.

Mission-driven approach.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with capital project budgeting or multi-year project management.

Background in nonprofit finance, philanthropy, and government contracts.

Knowledge of project accounting and restricted funds.

Experience with Sage Intacct accounting software.

Master’s degree (MBA, MPA, MPP) or CPA.

Experience with government or public–private partnerships.

Compensation:

The salary range for this position is $130,000 – $160,000. Additionally, Fairmount Park Conservancy offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, and vision, as well as life, disability, and retirement.

 Anti-Discrimination Policy:

The Fairmount Park Conservancy does not discriminate based on ethnicity, race, gender, or sexual orientation and encourages all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Tags

Similar Jobs