Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. ITHAKA is a mission-driven organization that expands access to knowledge and education through services including JSTOR, Portico, and Ithaka S+R. The Finance Systems & Process Lead will own and improve core financial platforms and processes, drive automation and governance, and lead finance systems projects from business case development through implementation and adoption.
Responsibilities
- Own configuration, user access, master data, integrations, and operational health across Acumatica, Ramp, Adaptive Insights, Vertex and other Finance-owned technologies, including future finance systems
- Proactively monitor and resolve sync errors, data mismatches, and workflow failures
- Maintain system documentation, change logs, and productive vendor relationships; coordinate upgrades and new feature rollouts
- Provide expert-level support to Finance and Operations staff; triage issues quickly and correct their root causes
- Continuously evaluate Finance and cross-functional processes for improvement opportunities to reduce manual effort and error risk—take action to initiate improvements
- Partner with Finance and business stakeholders to evaluate current approaches, using evidence to develop alternatives and clear recommendations to improve outcomes
- Ensure improvement recommendations are supported with business justification to build alignment and appropriate prioritization of all opportunities
- Drive continuous improvement by navigating competing priorities, gaining support for recommended priorities and maintaining focus on delivering meaningful business outcomes
- Design and implement automation to eliminate manual effort; create high-level workflow solutions and engage the right technical or functional partners to finalize and build them
- Ensure financial systems support audit readiness, internal controls, and data governance standards
- Maintain documentation for integrations, configurations, and key workflows; support annual audits and ad-hoc reviews
- Partner with Finance leadership on system-level controls for expense management, AP/AR, and tax compliance
- Develop business cases that articulate expected value, resource requirements, implementation approach, and success measures to support prioritization and investment decisions
- Drive finance systems projects from problem definition through implementation and adoption—with clear owners, execution needs, and expected timelines at every stage
- Identify and engage the right stakeholders at the right time; neither building in isolation nor over-socializing every decision
- Exercise sound judgment about when to work through an issue independently and when to escalate
- Communicate project status, risks, and trade-offs clearly to Finance leadership, engaging leadership early enough in the process to effect change
Skills
- 5+ years of hands-on experience with ERP, spend management, bill pay, and financial planning systems in an operational or ownership capacity
- Direct experience with at least two of: Acumatica, Ramp, Adaptive Insights, Vertex, or comparable platforms
- Demonstrated track record of initiating and completing process improvements—not just documenting or recommending them
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and lead organizational change without direct authority
- Evidence of pushing back on stakeholders productively: successfully advocating for a better approach even when it was initially unwelcome
- Strong analytical and communication skills; able to build a case, present trade-offs, and influence decisions across levels
- Self-directed: comfortable owning work end-to-end with limited oversight, while keeping leadership appropriately informed
- Familiarity with API integrations, workflow automation, or low-code tools (e.g., Power Automate, Zapier, or native ERP automation)
- Accounting or finance background sufficient to understand how system configurations affect financial reporting
- Experience supporting systems implementation or migration projects in a Finance context
- ITHAKA is not currently considering candidates who require any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) to work in the United States
- At this time, we're not considering candidates who are unable to work and reside in the continental U.S
- Salesforce experience is a plus
- Experience in a nonprofit, SaaS, or dual-model organization preferred
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- An employer-paid 10% retirement contribution
- Paid parental and caregiver leave
- 22 days of paid time off
- 11 paid holidays
- Up to 12 sick days
- Wellness benefits
Company Overview