Director of Finance

Who We Are

Collective Energy develops solar+storage projects that help community health centers and other nonprofits nationwide lower energy costs and keep essential services running during outages with energy storage. We bring together financing for projects through a mix of clean energy tax credits, federal and state grants, and mission-driven capital (loans and PRIs). As our projects and portfolios grow, we’re building the financial foundation to expand that work.

Who You Are

We’re looking for an experienced finance leader to own our finance function.

 This is a hands-on role with meaningful influence in an early-stage company. You’ll evaluate financial structures, deliver reliable reporting, and help build a scalable company. We want someone who is mission-driven and has also experience in the same or comparable fields, who brings practical judgment, rolls up their sleeves to create the strategy, and turns recommendations into action, while serving as a key thought partner to the CEO and executive leadership.

You’ll manage outsourced bookkeeping and coordinate specialist advisors. This position has no direct reports, but the right candidate will help build the team as we grow.

What You'll Do

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Fiscal Leadership & Financial Operations

• Drive Annual Planning & Budgeting: Lead the organization's annual budgeting process in close partnership with the CEO, developing dynamic budgets at the organizational, project, and departmental level.
• Proactive Forecasting & Decision Support: Develop rolling monthly and quarterly financial forecasts; analyze variances, surface strategic insights, and deliver executive-level reporting to leadership 
• Oversight of External Accounting Partners: Partner with external bookkeeping and accounting service provider to ensure smooth, accurate day-to-day operations, including A/P, A/R, payroll, month-end close, and reconciliations. Help select, and onboard internal team.
• System & Process: Continually evaluate and enhance financial systems, workflow automation, and internal controls to support growth and evolving operational complexity.

Grant Management

• End-to-End Grant Ownership: Take accountability for understanding and ensuring all funder and financing terms, serving as the primary authority on allowable spending, compliance, and reporting across state, federal, and foundation grants and contracts.
• Proposal Financial Strategy: Lead the financial design and narrative development for grant applications across state, federal, private foundation, and corporate donors.
• Fund Tracking & Compliance: Monitor grant spending and allowable costs to keep programs on budget and fully compliant with funder terms.
• Funder Reporting: Produce timely, accurate financial reports for grantors in compliance with donor requirements.
• Audit-Ready Documentation: Maintain structured, accessible financial records for all grant agreements to ensure seamless compliance and reporting at all times.

 Financial Governance, Compliance, Audit Readiness, and Portfolio Management 

• Audit Leadership & Execution: Serve as the primary lead for external audits - including federal Single Audits under Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200 / FAR Part 31) - managing audit preparation, documentation gathering, and the resolution of any audit findings.
• Risk Mitigation & Control Environment: Maintain a proactive, year-round internal control environment and updated fiscal policies to safeguard organizational assets and maintain an impeccable audit posture. Oversee begin-construction and safe-harbor documentation, placed-in-service deadline tracking, prevailing wage and apprenticeship records, domestic content, prohibited foreign entity (PFE) material-assistance requirements and recapture tracking.
• Financing: Structure and execute project financing with leadership and financing partners, including capital stacks that combine tax credits and other grant funding; review term sheets and transaction documents with advisors.
• Tax & Tax Credit Management: Work with outsourced tax firm to prepare and submit relatively complex multi-entity returns with multiple SPVs. Own ITC and other tax credit submissions and compliance, including credit transfers and Direct Pay (elective pay) elections, and work with specialist advisors on buyer diligence, tax credit insurance, and bridge financing against expected credits.

What You Bring

• 6+ years of progressive finance experience, including hands-on project finance or finance. leadership in commercial solar, storage, or comparable energy development. Adjacent. infrastructure experience is relevant where responsibilities closely match.
• Proven multi-funder grant accounting experience, managing budgets across state and federal grants, or foundations
• Hands-on experience using class, division, or customer/project fields to cleanly manage expense allocations by program and funder.
• Familiarity with federal grant compliance mechanisms, including Single Audits under Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200).
• Experience managing project economics, multiple entities, and construction/long-term financing.
• Fluency with modern cloud-based finance tech stacks (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Ramp) and a passion for automating and streamlining manual workflows.
• Experience at high-growth startup delivering results in a growing entrepreneurial business with a small team and outside advisors.
• Exceptional communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex financial data, forecasts, and accounting nuances for non-financial stakeholders.
• Strong command of U.S. GAAP, financial statements, and project accounting; able to review technical work and own the numbers.
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills.
• Detail-oriented critical thinker and problem solver, with strong communication skills and sound business judgment.
• Preferred: clean energy project finance, tax credit transfers (ITC); audit preparation; federal/state grant accounting (including 2 CFR 200); managing multiple sets of books, experience implementing automation in finance workflows.
• CPA and/or MBA preferred.

What We Offer

Base salary of $150,000–$200,000, plus an annual performance bonus and profit-sharing plan. Placement within the range depends on relevant experience and qualifications. 

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, vision, and 401k 
• Competitive paid time off
• Flexible work schedule/ remote work

Collective Energy is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. Individuals who require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in order to participate in the search process should notify us.