About The Festival Center

The Festival Center is a faith-based community organization located in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. The Festival Center provides event space, community programming, and administrative infrastructure that supports justice-rooted organizations and grassroots leaders across the region.

In 2025, FCs annual operating budget is approximately$1.3 million, and the organization manages the financial and administrative activity of20 community-based groupsthrough itsfiscal sponsorship program.

Position Summary

The Finance Director is responsible for leading the Festival Centers financial strategy, oversight, and day-to-day financial operations, including budgeting, reporting, compliance, audit readiness, and fiscal sponsorship accounting systems. This role serves as a key partner to the Executive Director and leadership team, ensuring strong internal controls, clear financial reporting, and an efficient, service-oriented financial experience for both Festival Center staff and fiscally sponsored organizations (FSOs).

The ideal candidate is highly organized, proactive, adaptive, and collaborativesomeone who can hold both the details and the big picture, communicate clearly with non-finance colleagues, and bring strong nonprofit accounting experience, including familiarity with fiscal sponsorship. They are also deeply grounded in values of social justice and excited to support a community hub that is building relationships, collaboration, and collective care in our turbulent time.

This candidate will also be someone who can manage a complex accounting structure and invest the time to develop and implement practical, common-sense systems that keep the organization aligned with its fiscal goals.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Financial Leadership & Strategy

• Oversee the Festival Centers day-to-day financial operations and reporting,ensuring accurate tracking, sound internal controls, and timely financial information to support organizational decision-making.
• Work closely with the Executive Director and leadership team on budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning,helping maintain financial stability and visibility throughout the year.
• Prepare clear, reliable financial reports for the Board,and support finance-related questions as they arise.
• Maintain and improve financial systems, templates, and workflowsto ensure efficient processes across Festival Center operations and the fiscal sponsorship program.

Accounting Operations & Cash Management

• Oversee all financial operations, including project, program, and grant accounting.
• Oversee accounts payable and disbursements for both the Festival Center and fiscally sponsored organizations (FSOs), primarily throughBill.com, checks, debit cards, and recurring payments.
• Ensure proper documentation, coding, and internal controls for all disbursements.
• Record and verify deposits received by check and through donor platforms for FC and FSOs, ensuring deposits are made to the correct bank accounts and funds.
• Monitor organizational cash flow and manage weekly fund transfers between FC and FSO accounts as needed.
• Maintain accurate accounting records and ensure data integrity in all systems.

Payroll & Human Resources Finance Support

• Manage payroll enrollment and updates throughGusto.
• Process payroll and related liabilities (taxes, workers compensation) for FC and FSOs on a semi-monthly basis.
• Coordinate with external vendors and consultants for payroll, health insurance, and retirement plan administration.
• Oversee staff benefit enrollments and contributions, including retirement contributions.

Budgeting, Reporting & Financial Analysis

• Lead the Festival Centers annual budgeting process in collaboration with staff leadership and present the budget to the Board of Directors.
• Produce and present financial reports for:
  • Board of Directors (bimonthly)
  • Finance Committee meetings (monthly)
  • Leadership team and internal stakeholders (as needed)
• Provide timely, accurate financial analysis to support planning, fundraising, and decision-making.
• Maintain oversight of invoicing and receivables within the accounting system, updating invoices as needed.

Fiscal Sponsorship Financial Management (20 FSOs)

• Serve as the primary financial point of contact for fiscally sponsored organizations regarding accounting, disbursements, payroll, reporting, and compliance processes.
• Apply fund accounting principles to ensure accurate tracking of restricted and designated funds across multiple organizations.
• Reconcile fiscal sponsorship activity monthly, ensuring net income balances reconcile to bank balances.
• Prepare and distribute monthly financial reports for each FSO (balance sheet, profit & loss, and profit & loss by donor), typically by the15th of the following month.
• Partner with the Executive Director and Community Engagement Strategist in evaluating fiscal sponsorship applications.
• Collaborate with the Community Engagement Strategist to support onboarding/orientation of new FSO leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve fiscal sponsorship systems, templates, and workflows to strengthen service and sustainability.

Audit, Tax, Compliance & Risk Management

• Lead annual audit and IRS Form 990 preparation, ensuring timely completion and review of results.
• Oversee reconciliation of multiple accounts, including bank accounts, investment accounts, loan accounts, and annuity accounts.
• Prepare tax-related reports and submissions to DC government agencies as required.
• Support compliance with required business licenses and registrations.
• Assist in managing organizational insurance-related matters (property, liability, etc.) in coordination with leadership and vendors.

Donor & Development Finance Support

• Reconcile financial contributions in the accounting system with the donor management system in collaboration with the development team.
• Prepare donor financial reports as needed for the Festival Center and fiscally sponsored organizations.
• Attend donor meetings when requested, supporting financial clarity and trust-building.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of progressive financial management experience, ideally in a nonprofit setting
• Demonstrated experience managing budgets, financial reporting, and month-end close processes
• Experience working with multiple funding streams (restricted/unrestricted), grants, and fund accounting
• Experience supporting audits and annual tax filings (990 preparation support)
• Strong attention to detail, excellent judgment, and high integrity with confidential information
• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-financial colleagues
• Comfort managing multiple priorities across FC operations and fiscal sponsorship needs
• Proficiency with common accounting tools and systems; willingness to learn FCs current platforms (Bill.com, Gusto, etc.)
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with a small team, with a willingness to pitch in as needed and support shared goals.
• Based in the DMV area and able to work in-person at the Festival Center office at least two days per week.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience working directly withfiscally sponsored organizationsor in a fiscal sponsorship program
• Experience managing a complex chart of accounts and multiple bank accounts
• Familiarity with donor platforms and donation reconciliation workflows
• Familiarity with nonprofit platforms such as Salesforce and Monday would be helpfu
• Experience working collaboratively with a small staff and vendors
• Experience supporting a justice-oriented, community…