Position: Vice President, Finance & Operations

Location: Remote (all candidates should be based in the United States)

Employment Type: Full-time, Salaried, Exempt

Compensation Range: $135,000/year – $175,000/year DOE

Level: VP

Reports To: President & COO

Manages: Sr. Manager, Finance; Manager, Operations

Supported By: Operations dept.; Program teams, Development team

Education/Experience Preferences: Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent professional experience preferred

Start Date: ASAP, open until filled

We Are DigDeep

The DigDeep Right to Water Project is a WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) organization committed to closing the water access gap for the 2 million + people in the U.S. who still don’t have a tap or a toilet at home.

DigDeep believes access to clean water is a human right. We run several nationally recognized programs that empower communities to build their own water and sanitation systems. We won the 2018 US Water Prize for our Navajo Water Project, which has brought clean, running water to hundreds of Native families across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. DigDeep launched the Appalachia Water Project in 2020, in McDowell County, WV. It has since brought clean, sustainable running water to hundreds of families in Southern West Virginia through public - private partnerships with the McDowell County PSD and East Logan PSD in Wyoming County. In addition to clean running water, the project is installing septic systems and connecting households to centralized sewer. The AWP is now expanding into neighboring states of Kentucky and Virginia to continue its quest of clean water for every Appalachian family. Our water projects expanded in 2022 when we launched our Colonias Water Project. This project works to bring clean, running water to the residents living in communities along the Texas-Mexico border. The Texas colonias are largely unincorporated, low-income communities that fall just outside city limits and often lack basic infrastructure. Our work began in Cochran colonia near El Paso. DigDeep partnered with residents, housing nonprofits, and county officials to innovate a new model for public-private-partnership that brings these basic services to families for the first time. Now we're getting the water flowing in 5 more communities.

The Opportunity

DigDeep is looking for a collaborative, organized, and strategic working leader to join our team as the Vice President, Finance & Operations (VPFO). Reporting to the President & COO, the VPFO is responsible for overseeing the financial, accounting, and operational functions of the organization. This role ensures accuracy in financial reporting, compliance with regulations, and the implementation of quality assurance processes while also providing strategic oversight of key operational areas, including purchasing, contracting, IT and asset management. The VPFO plays a critical role in supporting executive decision-making, optimizing business operations, and ensuring financial and operational efficiency across the organization. Additionally, this role will oversee and manage a small operations team, ensuring effective collaboration and a high-performing workforce.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management & Accounting Oversight

Lead the development and implementation of financial strategies to support organizational growth and sustainability
Oversee day-to-day budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, and reporting processes
Ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial statements in compliance with GAAP and relevant regulations
Lead the month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring timely and accurate reporting
Provide financial analysis and insights to support executive leadership in strategic planning
Manage cash flow, investments, and financial risk assessment
Collaborate with program and development teams to align financial planning and reporting with organizational goals
Oversee the annual audit process and liaise with external auditors and financial institutions
Manage banking relationships, investments, and risk management strategies

Operational Oversight

Provide strategic management and oversight for purchasing, contracting, and asset management, ensuring cost-effectiveness and operational efficiency
Develop and implement procurement strategies, ensuring optimal supplier selection, contract negotiations, and compliance with company policies
Oversee contracting processes, ensuring legal and financial due diligence, risk mitigation, and alignment with business objectives
Work closely with IT contractor to ensure technology infrastructure supports business needs, security, and operational efficiency
Collaborate with department heads to streamline operational processes and drive business efficiencies.
Ensure effective resource allocation across departments, balancing cost control with organizational impact and performance objectives

People Management & Leadership

Lead, mentor, and develop the Finance & Operations team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement
Establish and track performance metrics to enhance team efficiency and effectiveness
Promote cross-functional collaboration and clear communication within the Finance & Operations department and across the organization
Provide leadership in change management and process improvements to optimize financial operations

Quality Assurance & Process Improvement

Implement and maintain quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy and efficiency in financial reporting
Continuously evaluate financial workflows, identifying and implementing process improvements
Leverage technology to optimize financial systems and reporting capabilities
Identify and mitigate financial risks through proactive controls and compliance measures

Skills, Qualifications, & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field (Master’s or CPA preferred)
10+ years of progressive leadership experience in finance and operations
Expertise in nonprofit accounting, financial planning, and compliance
Experience managing audits, legal compliance, and risk assessment
Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders
Proven ability to drive strategic initiatives and operational improvements

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. As the organization continues to evolve, duties or tasks may change without impacting the overall job description.

Competencies

Change Management: Strategic orientation, focus on driving positive change within the organization. Thinking on a global level/ community impact. Providing opportunities for organizational growth. Oversees progress of multiple directives and understands strategy enough to independently adapt where necessary. Ideates towards positive change via understanding of team and uses this knowledge to collaborate with C-Suite on strategic direction.
Influence: "Manages at the border": understands the interplay between internal action and external impact. Collaborate with C-Suite on strategic direction, promote adoption amongst functional area. Predominantly considerate of company growth needs.
Innovation: Uses understanding and forward thinking to devise responses and solutions to future situations in functional area and cross-functionally. Makes innovative decisions based on both sound reasoning and intuition. Encourages and promotes exploration of new ideas and creative thinking in self and others. Displays open mindedness and is willing to try new approaches. Adapts readily to changes and needs.
Leadership: Lead functional area and cross-functional processes independently. Garners buy-in and support from senior team. Directs and provides guidance to, and leads team through long-term strategic plan for the division, as it relates to the organization. Engages with internal and external stakeholders to ideate a vision, strategy, and goals for functional area. Develops creative initiatives focused on recognizing the various dimensions of diversity to encourage inclusiveness in the workplace. Fosters an environment that promotes trust and cooperation among staff, community members and leaders, partner organizations, and the public. Collaborate on creative diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and promote adoption and implementation. Seeks a consensus within organization leaders.
Personal Development: Continual development of self, through both internal and external resources. Become a better leader through feedback, consistent collaboration, coaching, and mentoring/coaching more junior employees. Developing predominantly for benefit of overall organization and cross functional processes. Keeps up-to-date on current research and technology in one’s work focus and identifies and pursues areas for development and training that will enhance job performance. Takes actions to prepare for own future development, identifies long-term development needs and plans to create opportunities to bridge them. Anticipates future needs of their functional area and cross-functionally, and identifies opportunities to learn new things for current and future needs in one’s role.
Strategic Planning: Influences organizational status quo in order to effectively improve alignment with its goals. Establish directives with leadership with consideration to both functional and cross-functional area capabilities and organization goals. Revises direction of functional area when out of alignment with company goals. Ensures functional area objectives and performance are consistent with strategic plan. Sources information from direct-reports and cross-functional specialists, integrates into strategic approach and direction.

Skills and Qualifications

We want to hear from you if you have:

Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent professional experience required
At least 10 years of applicable professional experience required
Proficiency in MS Office Suite, Google Workspace, Quickbooks Online required
Experience with Slack, Asana, Zoom, Expensify preferred
Experience and/or willingness to use data collection platforms (e.g., such as mWater)
High computer literacy, and tech savviness required
Able to focus in the face of pressure, deliver against timelines and not be intimidated by tasks/time limitations
Organized, trustworthy, dependable, and detail oriented
Experience/Willingness to work across various cultural contexts and communicating across cultural differences
Willingness to travel, including but not limited to: Navajo Nation (AZ/NM/UT), West Virginia, Texas, DigDeep HQ, and additional locations as needed
Understanding of data security, and privacy, best practices preferred

DigDeep

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Vice President, Finance & Operations