iNaturalist is looking for a Director of Finance and HR to support its growth. This person will lead all aspects of the organization’s administrative functions. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who can operate highly independently to help lead an important environmental nonprofit through a growth phase. 

iNaturalist is one of the world’s largest biodiversity platforms—powered by millions of community scientists and supported by expert naturalists, researchers, and conservation organizations. With hundreds of millions of observations and 400,000+ active monthly contributors, iNaturalist data informs conservation decisions, accelerates biodiversity research, and inspires people everywhere to connect with nature.

Founded in 2008 and operating as a nonprofit committed to open data, iNaturalist blends crowdsourcing, machine learning, and community science to help people understand, document, and protect biodiversity. Our vision: a world where everyone can discover, understand, and help sustain life on Earth.

We are an independent 501(c)3 charity with sound finances and a diversified funding model.

About the Job

The Director of Finance and HR performs all aspects of the organization’s administrative functions for a nonprofit with a $6 million budget and a team of roughly 20 people. This includes: 

• Accounting, including handling the annual financial audit 

• Budgeting

• Payments

• Cash Management 

• Payroll

• Recruiting

• Employee Onboarding and Offboarding

• Benefits Administration

• Insurance 

This is a hands-on position. One part-time accounting associate reports to it. The position reports to the Executive Director. 

About the Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have 10+ years experience in a finance role, including at least 2 years experience in a nonprofit financial position and at least 3 years in a departmental leadership position. The candidate will have good working knowledge of GAAP, non-profit fund accounting, and basic HR law. They should be highly fluent in the use of spreadsheets and data analysis. This position regularly interacts and partners with other parts of the organization, such as with Development on grant administration, so teamwork, flexibility and interpersonal skills are essential. Experience with NetSuite and/or Gusto is a plus, but not required. 

Being an active user of iNaturalist and/or having a keen interest in nature is also a plus. So is having a good sense of humor. 

Candidates must have a college diploma. An MBA or other graduate coursework is highly desired. Candidates must be fluent in English, both written and verbal. Candidates must have the flexibility and communication skills to work and learn remotely and effectively utilize collaboration tools such as Slack and Google Workspace . 

This is a full-time position. The salary is $143,596 per year, non-negotiable, plus a generous benefits package. The position is 100% remote, though some infrequent travel may be required, including one annual offsite retreat. 

Why Join Us?

Impact: Play a pivotal role in a mission-driven organization dedicated to biodiversity conservation and community engagement.

Innovation: Working with a team of developers building cutting-edge technology that empowers millions of people to make a positive impact on nature.

Growth: Be part of a growing organization with opportunities for personal and professional development.

If you are passionate about biodiversity, technology, and working with other talented colleagues to achieve meaningful impact, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity.

Why it’s Great to work at iNaturalist 

 A mission that matters. 

With species going extinct daily, the need to protect and document biodiversity has never been more essential. iNaturalist has become the go-to data source to measure biodiversity conservation and protection. 

A great team.

Smart, hard-working nature lovers make up our small team. We live in countries all over the world but come together each day to further our mission. For this position, to facilitate collaboration across time zones, we require that you be a resident of and eligible to work in the lower 48 states (i.e., not Alaska or Hawaii). 

Flexible work. 

We are a virtual team, and most of this position’s work can be performed from home or wherever you are comfortable. You’ll even get some funds to set up your office and a monthly stipend to defray some of the costs. Some travel to meetings and events will  be required. 

Competitive pay.

The salary for this full-time position is $143,596 per year, non-negotiable. 

Great benefits.

We offer a pretty awesome benefits package, including medical, dental, vision and life insurance, plus an employer-funded health reimbursement account and employee-funded flexible spending accounts. There is a 401k plan with a 5% match. This position is eligible for unlimited personal time off, and unlike some tech companies, we really mean it – everyone is expected to take a minimum of three weeks a year off. Eligible new parents get up to 12 weeks of paid leave and an additional 18 of unpaid. 

Skills

Required Experience

• Deep understanding of nonprofit accounting, in compliance with GAAP standards and IRS requirements, including working with external auditors and filing 990s.

• Familiarity managing Human Resources in the context of a small team, including managing external benefit providers.

• Developing and monitoring organizational and program budgets, including preparing financial reports for presentation to the board of directors.

• Strong communication skills and comfort collaborating in a distributed, mission-driven team

• Ability to work independently and also manage 1 direct report

• Fluency with Spreadsheets

Nice to Have

• Experience using NetSuite

• Experience managing HR with Gusto

• Comfortable working with Google Suite, Slack, and other cloud-based collaboration tools

How to Apply & Timeline

Click the Start Your Application button to apply. Instead of a traditional cover letter, you’ll answer a short set of questions designed to assess your experience and interest. Responses are initially reviewed (by real people, not AI) without names and independently in order to reduce bias. Demographic information (optional) is used only in aggregate reporting.

The application will close on January 15. However, we may close it after receiving 175 applications. In this case, we will notify anyone who has started the application that they have 48 hours to complete it.

Initial Application Review: December/Early January

Written Follow-Up: January

Interviews: Rolling interviews as we find excellent candidates

Offer: January–February

Ideal Start Date: February-March