View or download a PDF of the job description here.

Position Title:            Finance Manager
Schedule:                   Part-time, 25-30 hours per week, non-exempt. Hybrid role, with roughly 75% of hours on site. Hours run a littler heavier around monthly close, and heaviest around the annual audit (as scheduled in the Fall), budget preparation in February, and our two fundraising events (early December and the last weekend of April).
Location:                    1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Compensation:         $45 – $55/hour
Reports to:                 Executive Director

About Gamble Garden

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is a 501(c)(3) non-profit historic home and 2.5-acre public garden in Old Palo Alto. Our mission is to maintain and enhance the property as a community resource for horticultural education, inspiration, and enjoyment. Gamble Garden offers free access to its garden, a robust volunteer program and calendar of activities, and rental opportunities for the community. The organization is undertaking the Horticulture Hub Project, a capital project that will provide an updated greenhouse, nursery, and staff spaces, a new classroom for horticultural education, and ADA restrooms.

Position Summary

The Finance Manager owns the financial operations of Gamble Garden. This is a hands-on role, which means the same person enters the transactions and prepares the audit, builds the budget and reports against it, and answers to the Finance Committee monthly and operating committees quarterly. The Finance Manager works closely with the President, Treasurer, Executive Director, and Committee Chairs.

Key responsibilities

Financial Records

• Maintain and reconcile all receipts, payables, asset purchases, and sales to produce QuickBooks financial statements.
• Process income from various sources, including unrestricted and restricted gifts, boutique and plant sales, ticket sales, classes, and grants.
• Pay all bills in a timely manner and ensure proper authorization and documentation.
• Classify facility rental income appropriately.
• Process the monthly close and prepare monthly financial reports
• Prepare the annual budget in collaboration with the Executive Director.
• Ensure timely filing of all required tax and regulatory reports, including sales tax, raffle reports, and workers’ compensation filings.
• Prepare work papers for the annual audit, maintain source document files, and coordinate with the auditor/public accountant.
• Manage and update inventories for computer hardware, fixed assets, and leasehold improvements.
• Track Horticulture Hub Project costs, contractor draws, and restricted campaign gifts against the project budget, and report on them to the Executive Director and Finance Committee.

Office Administration

• Ensure all insurance policies, including workers’ compensation, are up-to-date and paid promptly.
• Coordinate and submit payroll for full- and part-time employees, ensuring proper tax payments and reporting.
• Manage employee benefits, including medical insurance and the 403(b) retirement plan.
• Maintain positive relationships with staff involved in the cash control cycle to ensure seamless financial operations.

Volunteer Support 

• Build strong relationships with Committee Chairs to ensure adherence to Gamble Garden’s financial procedures for expense reimbursements and accounts payable.
• Attend monthly Finance Committee meetings; take and distribute meeting notes.
• Support the Treasurer and Investment Committee Chair with financial records and reporting as needed.
• Provide financial information to donors upon request.

Qualifications and Skills

Essential Knowledge and Experience

• Experience with general ledger bookkeeping, coding transactions, and preparing financial statements in accordance with GAAP.
• Proficiency in banking processes, reconciliations, accounts payable, and receivables.
• Strong understanding of QuickBooks Online (minimum of 5 years), including classes, reports, and filters.
• Familiarity with Word, Excel, email, and general office equipment.

Preferred Knowledge and Experience

• Experience with a donor or fundraising database. Gamble Garden uses Blackbaud’s eTapestry.
• Experience working or volunteering for nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations.

Skills and Abilities

• 5+ years of experience in financial management and/or bookkeeping roles.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to work with clients, donors, volunteers, vendors, and the public.
• Discretion in handling sensitive or confidential information with sound judgment.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines.

Physical Requirements:

Work is primarily indoors with outdoor exposure on occasion. Ability to occasionally lift or push up to 10 lbs.

Compensation & Benefits : $45-$55 per hour

• Benefits: 11 paid holidays; up to 3 weeks of accrued PTO.
• Medical, dental, and 403(b) retirement plan are offered. Eligibility is subject to plan terms and confirmed at offer.
• You’ll work alongside a genuinely kind, collaborative staff in one of the most beautiful and serene garden settings in the Bay Area, an environment that supports focus, care, and doing thoughtful work well.

To Apply

Complete the online application. You will be asked to upload a resume and answer a few questions in place of a cover letter. We will review applications as they arrive beginning November 10, and the position is open until filled. If you need an accommodation at any point in this process, please contact (650) 329-1356 or jobs (at) gamblegarden.org.

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. Reasonable accommodations will be made for qualified individuals with disabilities.