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Senior Manager of Operations

The Center for Research Libraries (CRL), an international consortium of university, college, and independent research libraries collectively building, stewarding, and sharing a wealth of resource materials from all world regions to support inspired research and teaching, seeks an experienced, collaborative, and accomplished Senior Manager for Operations.  

 

Reporting to the President, the successful candidate will have oversight responsibilities for the day-to-day operational management of the financial, facilities, contract management, and investment fund activities of the Center for Research Libraries. The Senior Manager for Operations manages a team of accountants and one facility engineer, and will have opportunity to present to CRL Board of Directors, and the CRL Budget and Finance Committee, to ensure sound management of CRL’s administrative functions.    

 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Accounting and Fiscal Stewardship: 

  • Actively contributes to the development of the CRL business model, in collaboration with the CRL President, Executive Leadership Team, and CRL Board of Directors.  
  • Develop sophisticated reporting (narratives, financials, dashboards, etc.) to communicate financial results to Board of Directors and membership 
  • Sets clear objectives and measures for financial performance of the organization. 
  • Oversees and directs the annual process for the preparation of the annual budget. 
  • Leads efforts to develop and execute the CRL investment strategy to manage CRL’s financial assets, including cash strategy and investment portfolio, in line with industry standards and best practices. 
  • Oversee all accounting and finance functions of the organization including timely completion of monthly closing process, preparation of related financial statements, and reconciliation of accounts 
  • Ensure all fiscal practices meet the highest standard of integrity and comply with generally accepted accounting principles and other industry standards 
  • Implement financial policies and procedures that maintain an effective internal control environment with proper segregation of duties 
  • Continually work toward promotion of efficiency and effectiveness of all finance functions, via process and workflow improvements; including investment in and implementation of technology to support automation 
  • Negotiate and manage all banking and vendor relationships, and oversee investment, asset, and contract management  
  • Supervise annual audit preparation and participate in the preparation of annual 990; serves as liaison during all audit phases 
  • Provide accounting and financial related assistance to other departments, including participation in training staff on fiscal procedures and budget management as needed 
  • Provide monthly department budget reports to management 
  • Analyze monthly, quarterly, annual and multi-year financial statements and communicate trends and emerging issues as necessary 
  • Analyze budget variances and work cross functionally to address any significant differences 
  • Oversee grant fiscal management and reporting, verify billable and staff time costs 

Facilities: 

  • Provides leadership and oversight for the management of the CRL facility, including relevant staffing and management of outside consulting services related to facility management.   
  • Responsible for commissioning, analyzing and managing contracts for services by using a formal bid process for facility maintenance. 
  • Oversees the creation, maintenance and continuous upgrade of building infrastructure via supervision of the relevant CRL facilities staff. 
  • Creates annual facilities plan and budget 
  • Oversee procurement, building and operations related activities, including space planning 
  • Procures and manages all facilities related insurance policies for the organization 
     

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Manages staff in the CRL departments of Budget and Accounting and Facilities Management. 

 

QUALIFICATIONS 

The Senior Manager for Operations will be a seasoned and mature leader with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance or Economics from an accredited university.  A CPA or advanced degree is a plus.  Candidate must have minimum of 5 years of broad finance experience, with at least 3 years in financial leadership positions in a foundation or not-for-profit organization. The position requires demonstrated experience gathering and evaluating financial information and making actionable recommendations to President, senior leadership, and Boards of Directors. Ideal candidate must also have experience working with independent audit firms and possess an intimate knowledge of GAAP and foundation and nonprofit accounting practices and standards. Other requirement include understanding of government contracting, foundation grants and managing complex revenue streams.  Experience working with financial systems and managing finance (accounting, budgeting, and reporting) for a complex nonprofit with multiple funding sources.  Experience in oversight of investments is also required. 

 

  • A minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting/Finance, a CPA and/or MBA would be a plus. 
  • At least 5-10 years’ experience as Controller or equivalent, preferably in a nonprofit organization 
  • Experience in a senior financial management role, partnering with executive leadership, resulting in the development and implementation of creative financial management strategies. 
  • Experience working with investment managers and Board Investment Committee. 
  • Experience with 403(b) plans and the IRS requirements. 
  • Significant experience in or knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) nonprofit accounting, including sophisticated fund and grant accounting, compliance, and reporting. 
  • Experience with administration of employee benefits   
  • Solid experience supervising staff and working collaboratively in a management team environment 
  • Experience with finance and accounting software packages. 
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills. 
  • Demonstrated leadership ability, team management, interpersonal skills and good judgment 
  • Self-starter who demonstrates the highest standards of integrity 
  • Excellent analytic and abstract reasoning, problem-solving and organizational skills. 
  • Strong communications skills and the ability to effectively communicate complicated financial information to audiences of non-experts. 
  • Strong business partner who has successfully negotiated favorable terms with vendors, suppliers, government agencies and others 

SALARY AND BENEFITS:   

  

$90,000 minimum salary. Actual salary will depend on qualifications and experience. CRL offers excellent benefits, including health and retirement plans. Flexible work arrangements, including flex-time and telecommuting, are possible. The Center for Research Libraries is committed to fostering an organizational culture that fosters excellence and innovation through teamwork, continuous learning, and the foregrounding of diversity, inclusion, and equity in all aspects of our work.   

 

APPLICATION PROCESS:  

  

To be considered for the position, please submit a cover letter discussing your interest in this position and relevant skills, experiences, and achievements you bring to the position, as well as a current CV, to resumes@crl.edu no later than Friday, August 13 (include the title of the position in the subject line).   

  

CRL is committed to actively promoting the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion as key components for serving our members and advancing our global mission. As such, CRL is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws regarding recruitment, hiring and employment and is dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at CRL are based on organization needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. CRL will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.