Movement Sustainability Commons

Co-Director of Finance and Human Resources

January 2025

About Movement Sustainability Commons

Movement Sustainability Commons (“the Commons”) began in 2019 as a joint project of Resist, Inc. (“Resist”) and the Center for Economic Democracy, Inc. (“CED”), and is currently housed at Resist.

Mission: Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the Movement Sustainability Commons nourishes and sustains people and groups working for justice, economic democracy and liberation. We do this by offering affordable, high quality services, practices, spaces and pathways that support both interdependence and self-reliance for community self-determination.

Vision: We aspire to co-create an off-ramp to the non-profit industrial complex that frees people and groups to work cooperatively with emergence, imagination and a focus on living their purpose and sharing their gifts.

More about the Commons can be found here.

Position Title: “Co-Director of Finance and Human Resources”

Position Hours: 32-40 hrs/wk

Position Description

Movement Sustainability Commons operates as a Worker Self-Directed Non Profit (WSDN), which combines the best of traditional non-profit structures with the best of a cooperative structure. We are seeking to hire a Co-Director of Finance and Human Resources, who will join our Coordinating Team of Commons-wide directors. The position works closely with another Co-Director of Finance and Human Resource staff member.

Our staffing approach blends traditional position lines, and as a result we have flexibility to find the best candidate for our team. The position will take on about one-half of the responsibilities below. The exact roles will depend on the candidate's gifts, experience, and interests. The remaining responsibilities will be assigned to current staff members. We are open to candidates who only possess finance experience or HR experience.

Possible Finance Responsibilities:

Collaborate with Co-Director to track organization’s finance practices and analyzes our performance against any identified risks
Ensure the financial health of the organization, compliance with all legal requirements, including insurance, tax registrations, solicitation licensing, and entity management
Record financial transactions in systematic and accurate manner including processing invoices & reimbursements and coding organization credit cards
Collaborate and communicate with fiscally sponsored projects and offerings to resolve outstanding Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable
Prepare timely and detailed reports on financial performance on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis for the organization and all of its fiscally sponsored projects and offerings
Manage W-9 collection and file annual 1099
Support preparation of audit materials and 990 form
File annual State taxes and Reports
Co-lead organization’s participatory budget process with the Sustainability Circle
Support fiscally sponsored projects on grant applications and grant tracking

Possible HR Responsibilities:

Manage weekly payroll, state payroll taxes and setup appropriately in Gusto
Ensure the health of all human resource systems
Onboard and offboard new employees
Administers medical, dental, HRA, and retirement benefits
Develops and implements processes to support the organization's people needs
Engages the organization in process for evaluating and modifying compensation and benefits policies in a values aligned way that centers people
Reviews and modifies policies and practices to maintain compliance under federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations, and recommended best practices
Strengthen and manage all benefits - retirement, health insurance specifically - and personnel manual
Work with fiscally sponsored projects and offerings to document any specific exceptions to our policies
Work closely with the Circle of Elders to ensure all employee conflicts are resolved in a timely and value aligned manner.

Organizational Responsibilities would also include:

Participates in and occasionally leads weekly Commons coordinating team meetings
Participates in mutual support and accountability processes, including an annual 360 evaluation and bi-monthly individual feedback
Participates in and supports Movement Sustainability Commons organizational work as needed

Desired Qualifications

The Commons is committed to finding a candidate with the right mix of commitment and experience (both traditional and nontraditional) and shared values. We strongly encourage people from communities most impacted by systems of oppression and from the communities we work with to apply.

Additionally, we are looking for candidates who have:

Excellent written and oral communication skills
An ability to think strategically and creatively
A commitment to movements for justice and liberation
An ability and interest in working collaboratively as part of a non-hierarchical collective
Commitment to and participation in movements for justice and liberation
Commitment to continual self-development and personal and collective healing
Excitement about regularly giving and receiving feedback
Experience with managing multiple projects
Experience working under deadlines and proactively communicating with others when any barriers to meeting those deadlines arise
Experience working with donors, grassroots organizations, and communities of color.
Understanding of GAAP and Nonprofit Accounting
Experience with Quickbooks Online, Gusto, Ramp, Network for Good
Experience leading an organizational audit process with an accounting firm
Experience with state tax filings and reporting
Experience with Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable
Experience with payroll and benefits administration
Experience with grant tracking and managing restricted funds

Schedule

Our work schedule is flexible. We are currently working in a hybrid structure, with in person gatherings happening in Boston. Most of the coordinating team works 9am-5pm ET. Minimally, this position will be required to attend monthly in person Coordinating Team meetings. One day of in office work per week is preferred, to supervise and coordinate accounts payables and receivables. However, we are open to offering a fully remote work environment for the right candidate.

Salary and Benefits

All employees of Movement Sustainability Commons were paid using the same pay scale that starts at $87,476 for full time employment in year 1, and increases 5% annually for 5.5 years. The position has flexibility of 32 to 40 hours weekly, depending on the preference of the candidate, with salary prorated accordingly. This position is eligible for all benefits listed below.

Movement Sustainability Commons offers generous benefits for employees including:

100% of health and dental coverage, whether individual or family
An employer paid health reimbursement account to cover out of pocket medical expenses
Unlimited Paid Time Off, with a minimum of 30 days a year (including individually and organizationally chosen holidays, sick leave, and vacation)
Additional paid time off for parental or bereavement leave
Staff members may use paid time to attend local political demonstrations with sensitivity to the needs of the organization
Immediate bond for any staff member arrested on a misdemeanor charge for participating in a political activity which may include nonviolent civil disobedience
Currently we are in transition from offering a 403(b) employer match retirement benefit to a non stock market retirement benefit.

Physical Demands/Work Environment

The physical demands described for this position are that of a typical office environment. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. Ability to sit and/or stand for extended periods of time in front of a computer screen is an essential aspect of the position. There may be a need to lift and/or move materials or equipment.

Regarding COVID-19: Movement Sustainability Commons considers the health and safety of our employees of the utmost importance. Subject to state and local laws, our policy requires that all employees performing any in-person work are fully vaccinated and remain up to date with COVID-19 vaccine boosters based on eligibility per CDC guidance. Certain exemptions may be requested and will be considered.

To Apply

Please submit a cover letter and resume on Idealist. We will accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. We hope to have a start date in Spring 2025, ideally April/May 2025.

An interesting read that informed this posting: “7 LIBERATORY SIGNS THAT MADE ME APPLY FOR MY JOB”

Equal Opportunity Employment

Movement Sustainability Commons, a project of Resist, Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly encourage people directly impacted by structural oppression including people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ folks to seek employment with us. We do not conduct criminal background checks on candidates.

Resist Inc.

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