Senior Manager, Finance

AIR's Corporate Finance Office is seeking a Senior Manager, Finance, to join its forward-thinking and supportive team. The Corporate Finance Office is a dynamic workplace with a clear mission to develop and maintain a service-oriented organization aligned with business objectives.

The Senior Manager, Finance will provide strategic financial oversight across multiple programs, ensuring fiscal integrity, regulatory compliance, and alignment with business goals. This role encompasses budgeting, financial analysis, and performance reporting. This role partners with program directors, project managers, and cross-functional teams to deliver insights that support decision-making and drive program success.

Reporting to the Director of Program Finance, this role will play a critical role in safeguarding the financial health and sustainability of the organization's initiatives. If you're looking to grow your impact and be part of a mission-driven organization, we invite you to bring your skills and perspective to AIR.

This position offers hybrid work flexibility from AIR's Crystal City, VA or Rockville, MD offices, with occasional travel required for meetings, training sessions, and conferences.

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance to solve some of the most urgent challenges in the U.S. and around the world. We advance evidence in the areas of education, health, the workforce, human services, and international development to create a better, more equitable world.

Responsibilities

Budget Management

• Develop, monitor, and manage program budgets, ensuring alignment with organizational financial objectives, identifying variances, and recommending timely corrective actions to maintain fiscal discipline.
• Partner with program teams to deliver accurate financial forecasts and insights, supporting strategic planning and long-term sustainability through collaborative budget preparation and regular expenditure tracking.

Financial Reporting

• Deliver accurate, timely financial reporting and analysis for assigned programs, offering actionable insights and strategic recommendations to program leadership while ensuring compliance with internal policies and external funding requirements.
• Collaborate with the broader finance team to maintain precise accounting of program revenues and expenses, supporting transparency, audit readiness, and alignment with organizational financial standards.

Program Support

• Collaborate closely with program directors and project managers to provide strategic financial guidance, ensuring alignment between programmatic goals and financial realities.
• Serve as a key liaison between program and finance leadership, facilitating regular discussions to address financial concerns, share updates, and align on budgeting strategies and priorities.
• Lead financial training and capacity-building efforts for program staff, enhancing financial literacy, promoting best practices, and fostering a culture of accountability and informed decision-making.
• Effectively manage change by identifying opportunities for improvement, engaging collaborators, and implementing sustainable solutions.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 3-4 finance professionals, fostering a collaborative, high-performance culture through regular feedback, clear communication of goals, and tailored professional development opportunities.
• Champion change by guiding the team through transitions with clarity and support, ensuring alignment with evolving organizational priorities.
• Promote a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, encouraging team members to think creatively, streamline processes, and contribute to the evolution of best practices within the finance function.

Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure full compliance of program financial activities with internal policies and external regulations by maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant standards (e.g., FAR, CAS, Uniform Guidance, ASC 606) and proactively identifying and mitigating financial risks.
• Support audit readiness and financial transparency by preparing accurate documentation, offering clear explanations during reviews, and reinforcing strong internal controls across program operations.

Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time based on business needs.

Qualifications

Education, Knowledge, and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field, with at least 9 years of relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of 5 years of financial management experience, ideally within a program- or project-based environment.
• Demonstrated experience in budget development, financial analysis, and reporting, with familiarity in compliance and regulatory requirements (within a non-profit sector considered a plus).
• Advanced credentials such as an MBA or CPA strongly preferred but not required.

Skills

• Effective communicator with the ability to engage across all organizational levels and different backgrounds, particularly in virtual and remote environments.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively, adapting seamlessly to team dynamics and project needs.
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, consistently meeting or exceeding deadlines.
• Exceptional analytical and strategic problem-solving abilities, with a proven track record of driving data-informed financial decisions.
• Meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy in financial reporting, forecasting, and compliance, ensuring high standards of integrity and reliability.
• Proficient in using standard Microsoft 365, including OneDrive, SharePoint, Excel (advanced), Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Working knowledge of financial systems and analytical tools, including Costpoint 8+, Cognos, and Power BI, with hands-on experience in leveraging these platforms for reporting, forecasting, and data-driven decision-making.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the U.S. on a full-time basis. Employment-based visa sponsorship (including H-1B sponsorship) is not available for this position. Depending on project work, qualified candidates may need to meet certain residency requirements.

American Institutes for Research is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.

AIR adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo reference and background checks.

AIR maintains a drug-free work environment.

ACCESSIBILITY NOTICE:If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process due to a physical or mental disability, please send an email to Taliba Boone attboone@air.orgor call 202.403.5000.

Fraudulent Job Scams Warning & Disclaimer:

AIR is aware of individuals falsely presenting themselves as AIR representatives. Fraudulent job scams seek to extract sensitive information or money from victims. To protect yourself, please be aware that AIR recruitment will only email you from an "@air.org" domain. Please take extra caution while examining the email address, for example jdoe@air.org is correct and jdoe@aircareers.org is not a legitimate AIR email address. If you are unsure of the legitimacy of a communication you have received, please reach out to recruitment@air.org.

If you see a job scam, or lose money to one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. You can also report it to your state attorney general. Find out more about how to avoid scams at ftc.gov/scams.

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