About Bitter Root Land Trust:

Founded in 1996, the Bitter Root Land Trust is the only land trust focused exclusively on the needs and challenges of land conservation in the Bitterroot Valley. Since its inception, the Bitter Root Land Trust has grown into a trusted community partner, earning a reputation for excellence in conservation in the Intermountain West. The Bitter Root Land Trust is proud to be an Accredited land trust, initially earning accreditation in 2013. BRLT has completed 55 conservation easements protecting water resources, wildlife habitat, and working lands, while also facilitating several riverfront parks, fishing access sites, and other community-based recreational properties.

About the Position:

The Operations and Finance Director will oversee BRLT’s systems to ensure effective financial practices and efficient internal operating processes that support our mission and strategic goals. This role will be responsible for the overall accounting and financial responsibilities, including budgeting, money management and internal controls. Additionally, this position will lead Human Resources, staff benefits administration, IT systems, and facilitate smooth communication with the Board of Directors and staff. The role will also coordinate with an external bookkeeper who handles all daily and monthly bookkeeping activities.

This role is a member of BRLT’s Leadership Team, which plays a pivotal role in shaping BRLT’s future growth and success as well as managing day-to-day tasks for the organization. This role will help manage relationships with key community partners, contractors, and collaborate across departments to identify opportunities and challenges to the organization. This position ensures best practices outlined in the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards and Practices and Accreditation requirements, and identifies and leads operations and finance goals outlined in BRLT’s annual and strategic plans.

SPECIFIC DUTIES

Accounting / Finance (30%):
▪ Prepare quarterly financial reports for the Finance Committee and Board of Directors.
▪ Manage and review monthly financial statements (income, cash flow and balance sheet); produce variance reports and analytics when applicable.
▪ Track and manage restricted project revenue and expenses and communicate balances across teams.
▪ Lead annual audit process and interface with the external auditor.
▪ Prepare annual form 990 with an external accountant.
▪ Lead annual budgeting process across departments; monitor and analyze variance to budget throughout the year.
▪ Document and maintain internal controls for accuracy and financial reporting integrity.
▪ Analyze & iterate on processes including budgeting, restricted fund tracking, internal controls, and internal communication with accuracy and efficiency.
▪ Lead board and leadership team in long-term financial forecasting for annual budget and strategic planning.
▪ Work closely with Board Treasurer to create monthly Finance Committee agendas and coordinate Finance Committee meetings and materials.
▪ Analyze and share financial data impacting programming and workforce planning.

Human Resources (25%):
▪ Oversee employee time tracking software (Harvest).
▪ Partner with health insurance brokers to select health plans that meet needs of staff and organization’s budget.
▪ Administer benefits for employees including health insurance, retirement accounts, health savings accounts, etc.
▪ Routinely review and update organizational and personnel policies to ensure alignment with industry best practices and land trust accreditation standards.
▪ Lead performance management and HR systems (e.g. professional growth plans, annual reviews), regularly monitoring to ensure support of staff retention and organizational culture.
▪ Conduct annual internal salary audit and report findings to Executive Director.
▪ Complete regular market analysis of pay bands.
▪ Manage hiring processes as needed including development of job descriptions, posting and recruiting, interview process, offers, and onboarding.
▪ With Executive Director, lead annual assessment of strategic plan progress and lead annual reports to the Board.
▪ Create team training and professional development opportunities, such as coordination with the organization’s professional leadership coaches.
▪ Solicit annual feedback from staff in the form of a survey to track satisfaction, morale, needs, and opportunities.
▪ With Executive Director, support workforce planning.

General Operations (15%):
▪ Stay up-to-date on IT best practices, ensuring efficient and secure IT systems and processes.
▪ Manage annual renewals for insurance plans: Commercial Package, General Liability, Directors and Officers, etc.
▪ Prepare and distribute agendas for weekly staff meetings.
▪ Manage BRLT operations calendar and associated tasks.
▪ Regularly review Standards and Practices from Land Trust Accreditation Commission and prepare accreditation materials for the renewal process, and update policies as needed.
▪ Provide thought partnership to staff on operational tasks to ensure BRLT operations support strategic and programmatic goals.

Board Management (15%):
▪ Lead coordination of Executive Committee; collaborate with Board Chair and committee to manage committee charter, annual calendar and tasks, schedule and prepare for meetings. 
▪ Lead coordination of Finance Committee; collaborate with Board Treasurer and committee to manage committee charter, annual calendar and tasks, schedule and prepare for meetings
▪ Lead coordination of Personnel Committee; collaborate with Personnel Chair and committee to manage committee charter, annual tasks and HR related topics, schedule and prepare for meetings
▪ Lead coordination of Governance Committee; collaborate with Governance Chair and committee to manage committee charter, annual calendar and tasks, schedule and prepare for meetings. 
▪ Serve as Board point of contact for day to day operations.
▪ Support annual Board self-assessment and modifications to Board engagement.
▪ With Governance Committee and Executive Director, lead Board onboarding and training sessions for new Board members.
▪ Help facilitate Board professional development/trainings.
▪ Solicit updates from staff for monthly staff report and monthly Board dates/talking points.
▪ Support Executive Director and work with directors on Board meeting agendas and approvals, consolidate Board meeting-related documents into a packet and distribute.
▪ Attend and manage coordination of Board meetings.

Personnel Management (10%):
▪ Supervise external, contracted bookkeeper.
▪ Serve as informational hub for Board and staff.
▪ Assimilate diverse perspectives and facilitate communication between departments to ensure cohesiveness and coordination.

Additional Duties (5%):
▪ Lead by example and be an advocate for BRLT’s Group Agreements.
▪ Be a trusted thought partner for the Executive Director.
▪ Participate in monthly leadership team meetings, staff meetings, periodic organizational trainings, and staff outings.
▪ Attend and represent BRLT at events.
▪ Professional development and networking.
▪ Other duties as assigned.

PREFERRED COMPETENCIES

Preferred Competencies – Skills
▪ Problem Solver – when someone comes to you with a problem, you help figure out a solution.
▪ Horizon Scanner - looks ahead for future opportunities and challenges to prepare the organization.
▪ Direction Setter - strategic thinker and planner who establishes a clear vision and measurable goals.
▪ Catalyzer - tackles unique challenges and opportunities that may overlap with other departments and/or wider organizational impact, you know how to keep projects moving forward and how to bring people along.
▪ Resource Manager- ensures fiscal stewardship of organizational resources.
▪ Team Builder - develops an inclusive environment of camaraderie and collaboration that enables teams to meet & exceed goals.
▪ Coach - embraces opportunities to further the growth and development of others by building and empowering their capacity and skills; seeks ways to understand and motivate based on individual needs.
▪ Communicator - clarifies the outcomes of the work and what progress looks like along the way; delegates as necessary and checks in with a productive cadence.
▪ Loyal Leader - builds trust and empowers staff and Board members.
▪ Emotional Intelligence - leverages self and social awareness to communicate effectively and empathize appropriately; builds relationships, resolves conflicts, and inspires others.
▪ Commitment to and understanding of best practices in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
▪ Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Competencies - Knowledge
▪ Bachelor’s degree in non-profit or business administration, accounting, finance, or similarly relevant field or at least 3 years in a related field.
▪ Expertise in non-profit or business governance, rules, and compliance guidelines and best practices.
▪ Clear understanding of HR compliance and risk management and talent life cycle (hiring, performance, benefits, personnel investigations).
▪ Knowledge of non-profit or business accounting, bookkeeping, financial planning.
▪ Understanding of current best practices in technology for organizational operations.
▪ Familiarity with accounting and non-profit donor management software suites (QuickBooks/Donor Perfect).
▪ Expertise in people management and HR—individually and at the organizational level.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

At 3 Months:
▪ You’re fully onboarded and reducing the operations workload for the Executive Director.
▪ You’ve built rapport with internal and external stakeholders.
▪ You’ve successfully completed the first quarterly financial report and are ready to take ownership.

At 6 Months:
▪ You’re independently managing multiple projects and overseeing deliverables.
▪ You have a full grasp of BRLT financials.
▪ You have a full grasp of BRLT operations and your role within it.
▪ You are building rapport and a foundation of trust both internally and externally with our Bitterroot Valley community.

At 12 Months:
▪ You’re fully autonomous in your role, leading complex projects from kickoff to closeout.
▪ You're a trusted presence across BRLT, known for reliability and clarity.
▪ You’re helping to evolve and scale BRLT’s operations and finances for annual and strategic plans and budgets.
▪ You are modeling BRLT’s Group Agreements and have the rapport to ensure others are as well.

BRLT CULTURE

Basic conditions of employment form the fundamental performance requirements for continue employment. All employees are ambassadors of BRLT and are expected to support and fulfill the organization’s mission, both in the office and out in the community. In addition, it is the employee’s responsibility to read, understand, and comply with all policies and procedures. All employees, regardless of job title, must demonstrate the following minimum requirements for continued employment:

▪ Donor Relationships: Identify key individuals, businesses, foundations, and partner groups to support the work of the land trust.
▪ Quality: Comply with established requirements for job performance methods, procedures, and standards.
▪ Professional Conduct: Comply with established employment policies and practices. Maintain confidentiality of client, member/contributor, and employee information. Accept direction and provide direction cooperatively and positively.
▪ Personal Conduct: Engage in personal conduct that is honest, respectful, courteous, and dignified as well as legal, ethical, dependable, and reliable. Demonstrate appropriate dress and personal hygiene.
▪ Competency: Develop and maintain skills, knowledge, and abilities required for adequate performance of assigned job duties.
▪ Group Agreements: All staff are expected to comply with current group agreements. Willing to work collaboratively in a holistic team environment, attend weekly staff meetings, and actively participate in staff development workshops.

Benefits and Compensation:

This is a full-time, salaried position with competitive salary and benefits and a mission-driven professional team environment. BRLT’s full compensation and benefits package are intended to support our ability to recruit and retain a diverse and talented team and ensure internal consistency and equity. This position offers a competitive salary range of $62,000 - $75,000 commensurate with experience and competency, with robust benefits, including medical, dental, and retirement. For a complete list of benefits visit: https://bitterrootlandtrust.org/about-us/careers/. 

The Bitter Root Land Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer