Finance Director, MN/ND/SD

About this role

What We Can Achieve Together:

As the Finance Director, MN/ND/SD, you will serve as a senior finance leader for the Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (MNDK) Chapter and direct the financial management and strategic priorities of MNDK. You will also serve as a trusted advisor to conservation, philanthropy, operations, and leadership within MNDK. This includes leading financial planning, forecasting, reporting, analysis, internal controls, and stewardship activities that support informed decision-making and long-term financial sustainability.

You will supervise finance staff and partner closely with conservation, philanthropy, operations, and leadership to deliver strategic financial guidance, high-level analysis, and informed decision support. Working in collaboration with the Great Plains Division Finance Director, you will advance division-wide financial priorities by implementing consistent processes, ensuring effective stewardship of financial resources compliant to organizational policies and regulatory requirements, strengthening financial management practices, and fostering collaboration and operational excellence across MNDK and the Great Plains Division.

Other responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

•Serve as thought leader and finance partner to BU Leaders in developing MNDK's financial strategy, conservation ROI modeling, financial health metric monitoring, and capital structure & liquidity planning.
•Deliver high-quality financial reporting, complex analysis, campaign development and support, scenario modeling, and recommendations that enable informed decision-making and support long-term financial sustainability.
•Identify financial risks and opportunities, evaluate alternatives, and develop recommendations to strengthen financial performance, optimize resource allocation, and achieve organizational objectives.
•Coordinate the delivery of finance services across MNDK while maintaining strong partnership and responsiveness to the needs of the business units within this scope.
•Supervise, coach, and develop finance staff supporting MNDK establishing priorities, promoting collaboration, and fostering professional growth and accountability.
•Serve as an active member of the leadership team, participating in leadership team meetings, staff meetings, retreats, and other forums to provide financial insight, support decision-making, and foster collaboration across the business unit.
•Ensure effective stewardship of financial resources through strong internal controls, compliance with organizational policies and processes, donor requirements, regulatory standards, and generally accepted accounting principles, as applicable.
•Ensure accuracy, integrity, and effective management of financial data, processes, and controls to support decision-making.
•Partner with philanthropy, conservation, operations, leadership and other functional teams to provide financial guidance for fundraising initiatives, grants, contracts, campaigns, and strategic projects to enable maximum impact and minimal resource restriction.
•Provide guidance on relevant financial topics, such as expense reporting, to MNDK staff.
•Support governance activities by serving as a financial resource to state leadership, Boards of Trustees, Finance Committees, and other stakeholder groups, as appropriate.
•Oversee financial aspects of contracts, agreements, and other business transactions, ensuring compliance with organizational policies and sound financial practices. Partner with conservation, philanthropy, and leadership on innovative financing solutions for land protection and other large transactions.
•Provide strategic financial leadership on budgets for fundraising proposals for public and private donors, in collaboration with conservation, philanthropy, and the finance enablement team. Review and approve finance reports on grants from private funders.
•Partner with the Division Finance Director to implement division-wide financial strategies, strengthen processes and controls, promote consistency across the Great Plains Division, and drive continuous improvement.
•Build and maintain trusted partnerships across MNDK, fostering collaboration, financial accountability, and shared ownership of financial outcomes.

This is a remote position located within the Great Plains Division (Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas) with a strong preference for residents of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Regular travel (up to 20%) and in-person attendance at key staff meetings, leadership retreats, board meetings, Finance team meeting, and other key events are required.
We’re Looking for You:

Are you an experienced finance leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, stewardship, and mission-driven impact? Do you prioritize building relationships and strong partnerships? This is an opportunity to serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders, support conservation outcomes through strong financial insight, and help build consistent, effective, and sustainable finance practices across a geographically dispersed team.

What You’ll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field and 7 years related work experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience leading financial services and initiatives across multiple organizational units, business units, or stakeholder groups.

• Experience developing budgets, performing high-level financial analysis, recommending actions, and providing partnership to leadership.

• Experience working with computer and information management systems, Excel spreadsheets and databases for financial analysis, fiscal management, and/or financial reports.

• Experience recruiting, supervising, and developing staff.

• Experience in developing, directing, and implementing multiple projects.

• Excellent verbal and written communications skills,…