• Have you totally mastered the fine line between being a strong leader and a collaborative team player?
• Are you a natural at inspiring any team you work with to be the best they can be?
• Are you incredibly organized with exceptional financial management skills?
• Do you have a proven track record at innovative solutions and developing and implementing financial strategies and accounting practices to meet an ever-changing array of financial and organizational challenges?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, have we got the job for you!

The Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS) has an opening for a Director of Finance beginning in late fall 2021. The Director of Finance will carry out three primary roles – finance expert, an active member of the Executive Team, and leader of the finance function and team. We are looking for an inspiring yet strategic, forward-looking individual to provide high-level financial leadership and to work with our Executive Team and Board of Directors to build an innovative, member-focused organization. We're also looking for someone to be the cautious guardian of RAILS financial operations, keeping an eye on costs and ensuring cash flow is in good shape, but also advising the Executive Director and board to exploit competitive opportunities and to invest for the future.

You'll be joining a team of fun, creative, and dedicated co-workers who are committed to providing the best possible service to our 1,269 libraries of all types across a 27,000 square mile area and to making RAILS the best library system in the country.

Your responsibilities will include

• Ensure all accounting procedures and activities of RAILS are completed in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles established by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board
• Oversee the accounting functions, including establishing, maintaining and ensuring compliance with accounting principles (GAAP), practices and procedures as outlined in the policy and procedures manual. Recommend and implement any necessary/required changes to financial policies and procedures. Stay abreast of emerging accounting issues
• Present financial results and special project reports at both Board of Directors and committee meetings
• Recruit, interview, select, train, supervise, schedule and evaluate accounting staff
• Plan, organize and direct financial accounting, budgeting and reporting functions
• Develop departmental goals and objectives and policies and procedures
• Coordinate the fiscal year-end annual financial audit, including the preparation of audit work papers
• Coordinate and monitor all payroll processing and related financial activities in conjunction with Human Resources
• Interact with any and all staff members in assisting and/or coordinating financial reporting, and all other financial processes to maintain positive customer service and adherence to set policies and procedures. Apprise Executive Director as appropriate of any pending or threatening financial matters
• Additional Key Financial Functions: Maintain proper insurance levels for the organization. Establish and maintain long-term secure record-keeping systems for all financial documentation.

What you'll need

Education -

• The successful candidate must have a Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) preferred
• Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) preferred

Knowledge/Experience -

• Minimum 8 years of related experience
• Minimum 2 years of supervisory experience preferred
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and familiarity with various accounting software packages
• Strong understanding of financial concepts/theory and how it relates to profitability reporting
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite including Word and Excel

Skills/Abilities –

• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• Ability to express ideas clearly when providing oral and written reports and recommendations on administrative, financial, and technical issues
• Ability to work and collaborate with a wide variety of people.
• Must be very detail oriented
• Ability to prioritize, assign, review, and evaluate work
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Ability to multi-task while ensuring meticulous accuracy
• Ability to maintain a productive work atmosphere by behaving and communicating in a positive manner with clients and colleagues while achieving performance expectations

What RAILS offers

• Competitive pay
• A generous benefits package that includes health insurance, a retirement plan, flexible spending accounts, and paid time off
• Comfortable office working environment
• Opportunities for professional development and for participation in professional organizations

  RAILS is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent is a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and organizations achievement as well.

  We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions without regard to differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make individual's unique.