Director of Operations and Finance

Overview

This role is a full-time Director of Operations and Finance position within a fully remote organization. The organization operates at the intersection of solar radiation modification (SRM), climate governance, and international diplomacy, with a justice-centered, globally inclusive, and highly participatory approach.

The Director of Operations and Finance will lead the organization’s financial, administrative, and people functions as a member of the leadership team. The role reports to the Executive Director and works closely with the Managing Director on partnerships and convenings. This position has no direct reports.

Responsibilities

Leadership and Operations

• Serve on the leadership team with the Executive Director and Managing Director, bringing a finance and operations perspective to strategy, resourcing, and hiring decisions.
• Build and strengthen internal infrastructure to ensure organizational standards, processes, and priorities align across administrative, logistical, and operational work.
• Provide the Executive Director with analysis and recommendations on operations resourcing.
• Occasionally represent the organization with vendors, auditors, funders’ finance teams, and partner organizations’ operations staff.

Finance and Budget

• Build and maintain the annual budget for the Executive Director’s approval.
• Prepare forecasts and alternative options when plans change.
• Coordinate with external accounting support: review transactions and deliver monthly financial reports leadership can act on.
• Manage cash flow and the timing of grant receipts against spending.
• Lead the annual audit or financial review process and manage tax submissions.
• Manage accounts payable, including domestic and international payments (e.g., wires, W-8BEN forms, sanctions screening, currency questions).

Grants Administration

• Maintain the grants calendar, including reports, renewals, and compliance deadlines.
• Draft financial sections of grant proposals and reports, including budget narratives.
• Prepare the first draft of grant financial reports for leadership review.
• Track restricted and unrestricted funds against each grant’s terms.
• Maintain funder records and documentation.
• Support any sub-grants or co-funding arrangements with partner organizations.

People and HR

• Run payroll, benefits enrollment and renewals, and onboarding and offboarding using Rippling.
• Keep the organization registered and compliant as an employer in every state where staff live, including payroll tax and state retirement-program requirements.
• Maintain and improve the employee handbook, PTO and leave policies, and the performance review cycle, working with an external HR advisor as needed.
• Support a positive, collaborative, accountable team culture across time zones.

Contracts, Compliance, and Risk

• Draft, track, and renew consultant, fellow, advisor, and vendor agreements, including a standard template and a contracts register.
• Manage insurance, state charitable registrations, and other organizational filings.
• Build and maintain an event and travel operations playbook, including convening budgets, participant payments and reimbursements, visa support letters, travel safety, and emergency contacts for international trips.

Subject-Matter Familiarization (No Prior SRM Required)

Over time, the Director will:

• Learn key concepts in SRM and climate governance.
• Develop situational awareness of global institutions and actors.
• Support more nuanced preparation and coordination as capacity grows.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree and at least 7 years of relevant experience, including running finance and operations for a nonprofit, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience in international nonprofit settings.
• Working knowledge of nonprofit accounting, restricted funds, and grant financial reporting, and experience working with accountants or bookkeepers.
• Experience managing contracts and payments across borders, or a demonstrated ability to learn it quickly.
• Exceptional attention to detail and ability to stay calm under pressure.
• Strong systems thinking and organizational ability.
• Proactive anticipation of the team’s operational needs.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Comfort with remote work and virtual collaboration tools.
• Ability to work U.S. Eastern Time hours.
• Authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred

• Experience with climate, governance, multilateral, diplomacy, or science-policy organizations.
• Experience with multi-state payroll and employer registration.
• Experience setting up or improving systems during a period of organizational growth.
• Experience using Slack, Google Workspace, Rippling, QuickBooks, and Bill.com.
• Familiarity with Asana or similar project management software, and with a CRM such as Attio.
• Master’s degree in nonprofit management, public administration, business, or a related discipline.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary: $120,000 to $140,000 per year, depending on experience.
• Full-time, exempt position.
• Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; flexible paid time off and paid sick leave; paid holidays; and a technology/equipment stipend.

Location, Working Hours, and Travel

• Fully remote organization.
• You may be based anywhere in the United States, but must work U.S. Eastern Time hours.
• Occasional early morning or evening calls may be required due to partner collaboration across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• Travel is occasional, roughly one to two trips a year, some of them international.

Equal Opportunity

The organization is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applicants regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.