Director of Finance & Operations

OVERVIEW

Mercy Street exists to cultivate mutually transforming relationships with inner-city youth through Christian mentorship. We accomplish our mission through: Sports, Mentoring, Leadership, After-school, and Summer Camp programming serving students and families in West and South Dallas. Our vision is to create a multicultural, multiethnic, multigenerational movement of God’s people that work together for His glory and the good of the city and beyond.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Finance and Operations provides senior leadership for Mercy Street’s financial stewardship, administrative systems, facilities, fleet, risk management, contracts, vendors, capital projects, and internal operations.

The Director serves as the primary internal leader responsible for ensuring that Mercy Street’s financial information is accurate, timely, understandable, and useful for organizational decision-making. This individual manages Mercy Street’s relationship with its outsourced accounting firm and translates financial reports into practical recommendations for the President & CEO, executive leadership team, Finance Committee, and Board of Directors.

This position combines strategic leadership with hands-on oversight. The Director must be able to understand nonprofit financial statements, manage budgets and cash flow, strengthen internal controls, oversee complex operational functions, and build systems that support Mercy Street’s continued growth.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, nonprofit management, operations, or a related field.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible finance, accounting, business, or operations experience.
• Experience managing organizational budgets and financial reporting.
• Working knowledge of nonprofit accounting and restricted funds.
• Demonstrated experience managing staff, contractors, or vendors.
• Strong analytical and project-management skills.
• Ability to explain financial information to nonfinancial leaders.
• Excellent judgment, integrity, discretion, and attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Commitment to Mercy Street’s Christian mission and values.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• CPA, CMA, MBA, or related advanced credential.
• Experience leading nonprofit finance.
• Experience managing an outsourced accounting firm.
• Experience with audits, Form 990, grants, restricted funds, and capital campaigns.
• Experience overseeing facilities, fleet, contracts, insurance, and risk.
• Experience presenting to a Board or Finance Committee.
• Experience with a multisite youth-development, church, education, or community organization.

KEY RESULT AREAS

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL

• The Manager is first and foremost considered to be a Minister of the Gospel. This position furthers Mercy Street’s religious mission by:
• Following Jesus Christ and setting an example for others through their lifestyle.
• Exhibiting a passion for sharing the Gospel with others.
• Being willing and able to explain the message of the Gospel to kids and families of Mercy Street.
• Being willing and able to counsel, shepherd, and disciple kids and families of Mercy Street in a manner consistent with the Bible.
• Being willing and able to explain Mercy Street’s beliefs and Statement of Faith in person or over the phone to kids and families of Mercy Street.
• Being ready, willing, and able to lead or contribute to distinctly Christian activities (including, but not limited to, worship or staff chapel).

FINANCIAL LEADERSHIP AND PLANNING

• Lead Mercy Street’s annual organizational budgeting process.
• Develop annual budget assumptions, templates, deadlines, and instructions.
• Partner with executive leaders and department directors to develop realistic departmental budgets.
• Prepare multiyear financial forecasts and scenario analyses.
• Maintain an annual and rolling cash-flow forecast.
• Monitor operating cash, reserves, receivables, pledges, restricted funds, and capital commitments.
• Identify emerging financial risks and recommend corrective actions.
• Help leadership evaluate the financial implications of new programs, staffing decisions, capital projects, and organizational expansion.
• Support financial planning for Mercy Street’s annual operating budget and comprehensive campaign.
• Help establish financial sustainability targets, including reserves and days cash on hand.

FINANCIAL REPORTING AND ANALYSIS

• Review monthly financial statements prepared by the outsourced accounting firm.
• Analyze income statements, balance sheets, cash-flow reports, budget-to-actual results, and departmental financial reports.
• Investigate unusual balances, misclassifications, variances, or transactions.
• Produce clear monthly financial dashboards for organizational leadership.
• Present financial information in language understandable to nonfinancial leaders.
• Prepare financial reports for the President & CEO, Finance Committee, and Board.
• Monitor financial trends and provide forward-looking analysis rather than only reporting historical results.
• Ensure leaders receive timely information to make responsible decisions.

OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTING-FIRM MANAGEMENT

• Serve as Mercy Street’s primary liaison to its outsourced accounting firm.
• Establish expectations for monthly closing, reconciliations, financial reporting, grant accounting, and response times.
• Review the quality and accuracy of the firm’s work.
• Coordinate corrections, follow-up questions, and reporting improvements.
• Ensure payroll, accounts payable, accounts receivable, general-ledger activity, and reconciliations are completed accurately.
• Ensure the accounting firm properly records restricted contributions, capital gifts, grants, pledges, and program expenses.
• Hold the firm accountable for agreed-upon deliverables and deadlines.
• Evaluate whether Mercy Street is receiving appropriate value from the accounting relationship.

INTERNAL CONTROLS AND FINANCIAL POLICIES

• Develop and maintain strong internal financial controls.
• Maintain appropriate separation of financial duties.
• Establish and monitor purchasing, check-signing, expense-approval, credit-card, reimbursement, deposit, and cash-handling procedures.
• Protect Mercy Street against fraud, misuse of resources, and financial errors.
• Review financial and operational policies annually.
• Ensure all employees understand their financial responsibilities.
• Investigate and immediately escalate suspected fraud, misuse of funds, or significant control failures.
• Ensure financial records are properly maintained and securely stored.

RESTRICTED FUNDS, GRANTS, AND DONOR COMPLIANCE

• Ensure that donor-restricted contributions are used only for their intended purposes.
• Maintain clear reporting on restricted and unrestricted funds.
• Partner with Development to review gift agreements, grant requirements, pledges, and donor restrictions.
• Confirm that grant expenses are allowable, documented, and properly recorded.
• Monitor grant reporting deadlines and financial-reporting requirements.
• Prevent restricted capital funds from being used for ordinary operations without written donor authorization.
• Coordinate with Development and the accounting firm when gift restrictions require clarification.
• Maintain documentation supporting the use and release of restricted funds.

AUDIT, TAX, AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

• Coordinate Mercy Street’s annual independent audit.
• Organize schedules, supporting documents, confirmations, contracts, and staff responses.
• Work with the outsourced accounting firm and auditors to resolve questions and proposed adjustments.
• Coordinate preparation and review of Form 990.
• Track audit findings and ensure corrective actions are completed.
• Maintain compliance calendars for financial, insurance, contractual, and regulatory obligations.
• Support the Board’s Finance and Audit Committees.
• Ensure records are organized and continuously audit-ready.

DEPARTMENTAL FINANCIAL PARTNERSHIP

• Meet regularly with department leaders to review financial performance.
• Help program leaders understand budgets, spending, staffing costs, and financial forecasts.
• Develop useful cost analyses, including:
  • Program cost
  • Cost per participant
  • Staffing cost
  • Transportation cost
  • Facility cost
  • Expansion cost
• Partner with the COO on program budgets and operational readiness.
• Partner with the Senior Director of Development on revenue projections, pledges, grants, and campaign reporting.
• Partner with the VP of People & Culture on payroll, benefits, compensation, and staffing forecasts.
• Train managers in financial stewardship and budget accountability.

FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

• Provide leadership for Mercy Street’s facilities portfolio.
• Supervise and evaluate the contracted Facilities Manager.
• Establish preventive-maintenance schedules.
• Maintain a centralized work-order system.
• Coordinate inspections, repairs, janitorial services, utilities, security, and facility vendors.
• Monitor the safety, appearance, accessibility, and readiness of all properties.
• Develop annual and multiyear facility-maintenance and replacement plans.
• Ensure buildings are prepared for programs, community activities, rentals, events, and staff use.
• Identify deferred-maintenance risks and recommend priorities.

FLEET AND TRANSPORTATION OVERSIGHT

• Supervise and evaluate the part-time Fleet Manager.
• Maintain an accurate inventory of vehicles.
• Ensure registrations, inspections, insurance, and maintenance records remain current.
• Establish preventive-maintenance and vehicle-replacement schedules.
• Monitor fleet condition, availability, safety, and operating cost.
• Ensure unsafe vehicles are immediately removed from service.
• Coordinate vehicle repairs and vendor relationships.
• Partner with People & Culture to ensure drivers meet licensing, background, and training requirements.
• Support transportation planning for afterschool, summer camp, sports, and special events.

VENDOR AND CONTRACT MANAGEMENT

• Maintain a centralized list of vendors and contracts.
• Review contract terms, expiration dates, insurance requirements, and performance expectations.
• Establish bidding and purchasing procedures.
• Obtain competitive quotes when appropriate.
• Coordinate contract renewals and terminations.
• Prevent employees from making unauthorized commitments on behalf of Mercy Street.
• Confirm that vendors working around children meet organizational safety requirements.
• Evaluate vendor performance and recommend changes when necessary.

INSURANCE, SAFETY, AND RISK MANAGEMENT

• Coordinate Mercy Street’s organizational risk-management program.
• Maintain appropriate insurance coverage.
• Serve as the primary administrative liaison for insurance claims.
• Maintain certificates of insurance and required documentation.
• Partner with People & Culture and program leaders on incident-reporting systems.
• Coordinate emergency-response and business-continuity planning.
• Monitor financial, facility, fleet, cyber, contractual, and operational risks.
• Develop risk-mitigation plans and track corrective actions.
• Escalate serious safety, legal, insurance, or reputational risks immediately.

CAPITAL PROJECTS

• Coordinate the administrative and financial oversight of capital projects.
• Develop project budgets, financial reports, payment schedules, and cash-flow plans.
• Track contracts, invoices, commitments, change orders, and remaining project funds.
• Ensure capital expenditures are appropriately approved and documented.
• Partner with Development to provide accurate campaign and project information.
• Ensure restricted capital gifts are used according to donor intent.
• Support relationships with architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, and project managers.
• Identify and report cost overruns, delays, funding gaps, and contractual risks.

ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

• Develop and maintain Mercy Street’s annual operating calendar.
• Document standard operating procedures.
• Improve administrative workflows across departments.
• Establish clear service standards for internal operational support.
• Coordinate organizational technology, equipment, and administrative systems as assigned.
• Create dashboards that track work orders, fleet readiness, contracts, projects, and operational risks.
• Build systems that reduce organizational dependence on the President & CEO.
• Ensure operational decisions are documented with clear owners and deadlines.

EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

• Serve as a member of the Leadership Team.
• Participate in strategic planning and organizational decision-making.
• Provide candid advice to the President & CEO.
• Present recommendations rather than merely identifying problems.
• Collaborate with Programs, Development, and People & Culture.
• Model Mercy Street’s values of being Christ Centered, Humble, Unified, and Present.
• Protect confidential financial, employee, donor, and organizational information.
• Develop staff and establish healthy accountability.

DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY

May Approve

• Routine expenses within approved budgets and delegated limits
• Routine maintenance and repairs
• Vendor assignments consistent with policy
• Fleet repairs within the approved budget
• Operational procedures
• Requests and workflows involving the outsourced accounting firm
• Routine contract renewals within delegated authority
• Administrative processes and internal systems
• Corrective actions related to routine financial or operational deficiencies

Must Consult the President & CEO Regarding

• Significant unbudgeted expenditures
• Use of organizational reserves
• New debt or borrowing
• Material contracts
• Major capital commitments
• Cash-flow emergencies
• Significant insurance or legal exposure
• Financial-policy changes
• Gifts carrying unusual restrictions
• Material audit findings
• Suspected fraud or misuse of resources
• Matters likely to affect Mercy Street’s public reputation

HOURS, COMMITMENT, AND COMPENSATION

• This is an on-site position
• This is a full-time role

• Compensation is commensurate with experience, education and skills