Senior Director, Finance & Operations

Think of Us · Washington · $150,000–$180,000 (stated in the posting)

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About Think of Us

Think of Us (TOU) is transforming the child welfare system into one where young people and families can heal, develop, and thrive. We drive purpose-driven work aligned with meaningful systems change, powered by data and the insights of lived experience. Our focus is on prevention, keeping families strong before crisis, and on building kinship-first systems so children grow up with people they know and trust. Through bold collaborations with leaders and innovators across the public and private sectors — from Presidential Administrations to local providers — we identify leverage points and co-create solutions that re-architect child welfare for the future.

Here’s what this looks like:

• Built the Lived Experience Engine into the largest dataset of its kind (51,000+ voices), powering AI tools and shaping reforms
• Partnered with California to launch the Kinship Accelerator in 8 counties, backed by $150M and a budget increase from $317M → $896M
• Drove a national kin-first shift: 39 states (plus 5 tribes) adopting kinship standards, unlocking $3B for families
• Operate one of the largest direct resource networks, connecting 1,827 families to $28M+ in support 

Our team members share a commitment to driving systems change through creative problem-solving, obsessive curiosity, and a love of quickly driving innovative, measurable, and impactful results. 

Position Overview

Location: Hybrid, Washington, DC (2-3 days in-office weekly)
Reports To: Chief of Staff, Acting VP Strategy & Operations
Direct Reports: Director, Finance
Category: Full-time, Exempt

We are seeking a seasoned and mission-aligned Senior Director of Finance & Operations to lead and strengthen the organization’s finance and business operations infrastructure.

This is a pivotal leadership role for someone who brings both strategic insight and strong operational ownership. As the senior-most internal finance and operations leader, you will guide the organization’s financial strategy and stewardship while also ensuring the day-to-day financial and operational foundation of the organization is disciplined, scalable, compliant, and effective. This is not a “lead from a distance” role—you will be expected to work comfortably across both executive-level strategy and hands-on operational leadership, with visibility into the details that drive organizational performance, accountability, and sustainability.

In practice, this is a player/coach role. You will sit with the executive team on enterprise strategy and partner with our fractional CFO to translate big-picture, organization-wide financial needs into concrete implementation and execution plans for the finance and operations team. You will also roll up your sleeves alongside the Director, Finance to get the work done.

As we build the organization’s finance capacity, you will need to be dynamic and nimble, flexing fluidly between high-level strategy and hands-on execution as each moment requires.

You will work closely with the Chief Operating Officer, executive leadership team, external partners, and Finance Committee to strengthen budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cash flow management, compliance, operational processes, and organizational decision-making. The role oversees core finance and operational functions, including financial planning and analysis, grant and revenue management, audit readiness, internal controls, contracts, financial operations, and cross-functional systems that support organizational effectiveness.

This role is highly collaborative and deeply cross-functional. You will partner with leaders across the organization to build financial clarity, strengthen operational discipline, improve financial literacy, and ensure the organization’s systems and infrastructure can support continued growth and impact. This is a powerful opportunity for a builder-minded leader to shape how Think of Us operates, plans, invests, and scales in alignment with its mission and values.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Set the vision for a forward-looking, mission-aligned finance function that supports strategic decision-making, financial sustainability, operational effectiveness, and organizational growth.
• Serve as the organization’s senior-most internal finance leader—partnering closely with the Executive Leadership Team, Finance Committee, and external partners to align financial strategy with organizational priorities and programmatic goals.
• Lead the development and implementation of integrated budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, and financial planning models that support both long-term strategy and day-to-day execution.
• Act as the bridge between strategy and execution: partner with the fractional CFO to convert enterprise-level financial direction into implementation and execution plans, and work shoulder to shoulder with the Director, Finance to operationalize them, flexing between strategic and hands-on work as the organization’s finance capacity matures.
• Lead from within the work - not above it - by staying hands-on with budgeting, modeling, financial analysis, and scenario planning; you understand the numbers because you’ve built them, not just reviewed them.
• Create and use  financial modeling, sustainability planning, cost allocations, revenue analysis, and risk assessment to proactively inform organizational decisions, evaluate tradeoffs, and surface opportunities.
• Translate complex financial information into actionable insights, dashboards, reports, and presentations for diverse internal and external audiences, including leadership, staff, board members, funders, and partners.
• Bring a builder’s mindset to continuously strengthen financial systems, planning tools, and reporting processes so they are scalable, accessible, and aligned with organizational needs.
• Leverage technology, automation, and AI-enabled tools to increase organizational capacity, improve forecasting and reporting visibility, and support more informed decision-making across the organization.

Operations, Governance & Compliance

• Oversee and continuously strengthen key organizational operations, including:
  • Finance: accounting oversight, accounts payable, payroll coordination, expense reimbursement processes, corporate card administration, banking relationships, and revenue and grant administration.
  • Organizational Operations: procurement, policy and procedure governance, compliance and regulations oversight.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, monthly close processes, reconciliations, cash flow visibility, and maintenance of financial records, schedules, and supporting documentation.
• Ensure TOU remains in compliance with grant management, spending, reporting, tax, audit, and regulatory requirements while aligning financial and policies and operational practices with organizational priorities and values.
• Support organizational audit readiness and oversee audit, tax filing, internal controls, and compliance processes in partnership with internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee financial and operational governance processes related to contracts, fiscal sponsorships, vendor management, insurance, document retention, and business continuity planning.
• Build and implement operational systems, workflows, and financial controls that strengthen accountability, improve visibility into organizational spending and revenue, and support efficient, scalable operations.
• Ensure financial systems, coding structures, and operational processes are consistently maintained, well-governed, and aligned with organizational reporting, compliance, and decision-making needs.
• Provide oversight of organizational operations beyond finance, including policy and practice, contracts and procurement management, and vendor management, and partner with other verticals (for example People, Program, and Technology) to strengthen their operational maturity, document core processes, and raise the consistency and quality of how the organization runs.

Team Management & Organizational Enablement

• Manage and mentor a small but high-performing Finance team, creating clear priorities, strong team practices, professional development opportunities, and a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Lead change management and organizational adoption of financial operational processes by increasing financial literacy and developing practical tools, training, workflows, and partnership models for budget owners and team leads.
• Partner cross-functionally to operationalize systems and processes, including budgeting, procurement, reporting, time tracking, and resource planning tools, ensuring strong adoption and day-to-day effectiveness across the organization.
• Foster a collaborative, learning-oriented environment that values transparency, inclusion, curiosity, and shared ownership of organizational resources and operational outcomes.
• Support organizational planning and execution by helping teams strengthen operational discipline, improve coordination, and align resources with organizational priorities and impact goals.

About You

We recognize that candidates may not meet every listed qualification. Research shows that individuals from underrepresented groups are more likely to opt out of applying if they don’t meet 100% of the criteria. If you believe you meet many of the criteria and can succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply — we want to learn about your unique strengths and experiences.

• You bring 10+ years of experience in nonprofit finance and budgeting, with a track record of leading and strengthening the Finance function at an organizational level.
• You’re passionate about using finance as a strategic tool and designing models and systems that help teams plan better, spend smarter, and stay aligned with impact goals.
• You’re a builder and systems thinker who enjoys creating clarity from complexity.
• You bring operational range beyond finance, with experience overseeing policy and practice, contracts and procurement, and helping other teams mature their processes, not just the finance function.
• You have experience leading financial compliance, grant budgeting, and audits, and know how to integrate these needs into user-friendly internal systems.
• You thrive in fast-growing, evolving organizations and adapt quickly to new challenges, using change as an opportunity to learn, innovate, and increase impact.
• You are comfortable navigating ambiguity and strengthening systems, processes, and organizational accountability in lean, fast-moving environments, balancing operational discipline with the flexibility needed to support continued growth and impact. 
• You approach your work with humility and curiosity, and you’re committed to building practices that are fair, transparent, and aligned with the organization’s mission.
• You’re solutions-oriented and energized by solving problems—whether it’s improving a budgeting template or implementing a new time tracking tool.
• You have an active learning mindset when it comes to technology, especially in leveraging AI—you explore, apply, and adapt AI tools to streamline financial modeling, scenario planning, and grant budget narratives.
• You balance the use of AI with critical thinking and financial rigor, applying it as one of many tools to strengthen planning, performance, and decision-making.

Compensation & Benefits

At TOU, we believe that taking care of our people is foundational to the impact we aim to make. Our compensation philosophy is rooted in transparency and a holistic understanding of people’s needs. We believe fair, market-competitive pay is essential to attracting and retaining the exceptional talent needed to achieve our ambitious goals. As a not-for-profit organization, we design our compensation packages—including both salary and benefits—with care and in alignment with our financial sustainability. 

The annual salary for this role is $150,000–$180,000. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.

TOU’S benefits go beyond the basics. They’re designed to support your well-being, growth, and sense of purpose at work and beyond. From comprehensive health coverage to professional development support and meaningful time off, our benefits reflect our commitment to nurturing a workplace where people can thrive, both personally and professionally.

Health & Insurance

• 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees; 50% for dependents.
• Access to Talkspace for confidential therapy and mental health support.
• Short-Term Disability, Life, and AD&D Insurance included.
• Optional Long-Term Disability and Supplemental Life Insurance.
• Health Care and Dependent Care FSAs available.

Financial Benefits

• 401(k) Plan for pre-tax retirement contributions.
• Work-from-home setup stipend to optimize your workspace.

Paid Time Off

• Flexible PTO policy, plus sick leave and paid leaves of absence.
• 8 company holidays, plus three organization-wide seasonal breaks.

Learning & Development

• TOU values continuous learning and invests in the professional development of its employees in alignment with organizational needs based on role, performance, business needs, and Company policies.
• Regular organization-wide learning sessions on relevant and reflective topics.

Application Instructions 

As part of your application,  please submit a resume outlining your skills and experiences relevant to this role.

Please note: We do not accept phone inquiries about this position in order to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process for all applicants.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Think of Us is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome and value applicants of all backgrounds, knowing that diverse perspectives strengthen our work with children, youth, and families. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and for applicants’ religious practices as required by law.

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