Job Openings
Finance manager
• Hybrid (Remote & In-Person)
• Full-time (40 hours/week)
About Guitars Over Guns
At Guitars Over Guns (GOGO), we believe in the transformative power of music and mentorship. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we’ve spent over 15 years empowering students in under-resourced communities across Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York to overcome adversity and find their unique voices. Our professional musician-mentors inspire young people to dream big, lead boldly, and achieve greatness, one chord and one connection at a time. Organization-wide, we’re making waves with a $7M budget that’s helped us impact over 11,000 lives since 2008. Join us in creating a legacy of leaders through music, passion, and purpose..
About the Role
As Guitars Over Guns continues its expansion, the Finance Manager will be instrumental in evaluating the effectiveness and fit of current financial processes and systems against strategic growth goals. This is an exciting opportunity for an entrepreneurial and operationally focused individual to shape the financial infrastructure of a growing social impact organization and ensure that Guitars Over Guns achieves its mission of empowering youth through music and mentorship.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and serving as a member of the Leadership Team, the Finance Manager will lead Guitars Over Guns’ financial operations as the organization continues to grow. With a budget of nearly $7M and a staff of 35 employees and over 100 independent contractors, the Finance Manager will play an integral role in ensuring that Guitars Over Guns has the financial infrastructure necessary to fulfill its mission. As a part of supporting the organization’s growth, this role demands both tactical and strategic expertise, contributing to the financial priorities outlined in the current strategic growth plan.
The Finance Manager will be responsible for overseeing and directing the financial and accounting operations and payroll administration for Guitars Over Guns. This role is a hands-on position that also carries key management responsibilities, driving accurate financial reporting and ensuring the availability of financial data for managers, grantors, and Board of Director reporting. Key responsibilities include financial data entry and modeling, reporting and analysis, grant reporting, managing accounts payable, payroll, month-end close, year-end audit, and tax filings. This position provides broad exposure to all areas of finance and accounting, along with interaction with the Board of Directors.
This position will be based at Guitars Over Guns’ headquarters in Miami and may require travel to other locations as needed.
Essential Functions
- Oversee all aspects of financial management for Guitars Over Guns, ensuring finances are managed according to established accounting policies, procedures, and Board directives.
- Collaborate with the COO and Leadership Team to develop the annual financial and capital budget, manage budgets, projections, and variance analyses. Investigate financial discrepancies and resolve outstanding items.
- Synthesize external market assumptions and internal business assumptions to create forecasting models to inform our short and long-term growth opportunities.
- Recommend and implement performance benchmarks, providing periodic reports and analyses.
- Supervise the Bookkeeper in daily accounting tasks, including accounts payable, biweekly payroll administration, government grant vouchering, and monthly reconciliations.
- Oversee reconciliation procedures between Finance and Development Departments for donations and grants to ensure accurate, timely reporting.
- Evaluate, recommend, and implement improvements to financial, operational, and administrative internal controls.
- Develop departmental financial reporting and analysis; work with department managers to optimize resource use.
- Manage expense budgets, ensuring accurate cost allocation by department, category, fund, and activity.
- Manage cash and investments following established policies, and develop improved cash forecasting models
- Master and manage accounting systems (A/P, A/R, inventory, etc.), driving system improvements with vendors and internal staff.
- Oversee financial system upgrades to align with revenue and program tracking systems.
- Complete month-end close activities, including journal entries, reconciliations, and financial reporting to the Leadership Team and Board of Directors.
- Partner with external auditors for year-end audits, ensuring compliance.
- Oversee preparation and timely submission of tax filings (990s), and payroll tax filings.
- Participate in agency and program staff meetings, as well as relevant professional development seminars or conferences.
- Demonstrate competencies in areas such as equity mindset, communication, growth mindset, change management, strategic thinking, and leadership development.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Business Administration required.
- 5-10 years of relevant experience required; public accounting experience preferred.
- CPA or CMA designation preferred.
- Experience with nonprofit accounting and 990 preparation required.
- Experience with grant reporting at city, state, and federal levels is a plus.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong organizational and time management skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with Salesforce is a plus.
- Proficiency in Adobe PDF and Google Suite (Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, and Drive).
- Excellent accuracy and attention to detail.
- Experience with enterprise resource planning accounting systems, check runs, invoicing, and bank reconciliations.
- Understanding of accounting controls and willingness to learn and improve processes.
- Ability to work well in an open office environment with team members.
- Demonstrates curiosity, creativity, optimism, adaptability, and perseverance.
- Willingness to work extended hours during busy periods (calendar and fiscal year-end).
- Belief in the organization’s mission of empowering youth through music, mentorship, and artistic expression.
Work ENVIRONMENT
- Open office environment.
- Manual dexterity required for using a computer, mouse, and phone.
- Primarily sedentary work.
- Close visual acuity (with correction) needed for reading work documents, papers, and a computer terminal.
- Other physical and mental abilities necessary for success in this role include verbal intelligence for clear communication, general intelligence for understanding moderately complex financial and legal matters, and numeric intelligence for advanced arithmetic.
Benefits
Guitars Over Guns offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include: Health insurance at no additional cost; 401(k) with 3% employer match (eligible after 6 months of employment); Paid Time Off (PTO) structure as well as 18 federal & cultural holidays off per year; parental, medical, and bereavement leave; Hybrid in-person and remote workplace.
Compensation
Salary range, $75,000 – $90,000 based on experience
TO APPLY: Please send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Finance Manager” in the subject line.
Program Director - Miami
• Hybrid (Remote & In-Person)
• Full-time (40 hours/week)
About Guitars Over Guns
Guitars Over Guns Organization (GOGO) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides music education and mentorship by pairing students from vulnerable communities in Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City with professional musicians. Our goal? To help them overcome challenges, discover their voice, and unleash their potential as future leaders. Since 2008, we’ve positively impacted over 10,000 students, boosting academic achievement and engagement.
About the Role
GOGO Miami is seeking a Program Director (PD) to lead the day-to-day operations of the Programming Department, directly managing three Programs Managers (PMs). Each PM manages 6-8 program sites, each site with two to five professional teaching artists, who we refer to as “mentors”. Annually, we operate 29 program sites county-wide and serve ~1,000 youth.
The PD reports to the Regional Director and serves on Miami’s Senior Leadership Team. They are accountable for the highest quality implementation of our after-school, community-based and summer programs. The ideal candidate is a problem solver who likes change and innovation while controlling the big picture. We are looking for an innovative “outside the box” thinker who is undaunted by failure.
Position Priorities
- Student results: Responsible for implementing and upholding program design that ignites results, including artistic skill development and social emotional learning (SEL) growth
- Mentor recruitment and hiring: Oversee the mentor recruitment, onboarding, and placement process
- Partnership management: Building and maintaining relationships with school leaders
- Student experiences and events: Setting a vision for and activating team members to execute major student events over the course of the year, including our annual Music Video Project, student field trips, and student showcases
- Data management: Maintain data-driven approach to improving program and student outcomes; ensure GOGO survey tools are implemented with fidelity
- Grant reporting: Maintain internal Guitars Over Guns and external donor systems with foundation partners and ensure grant reports are accurate and timely
- Program observations and coaching: Conduct weekly site visits and observations during after school hours. Leverage data to support PM created coaching plans for mentors and site teams. Guide each program site to ambitious musical outcomes
- Site Coordinator (SC) meeting management: Facilitate bi-weekly meetings with SCs to ensure alignment and program excellence across all sites (SCs are team leads at each site)
About You
- Passionate about the arts and community impact
- High degree of discernment around quality music instruction and performance
- 3+ years of management experience including overseeing team projects
- Able to manage multiple projects and deadlines at once
- Technologically savvy; comfortable using and learning new software
- Risk-taker, socially poised and motivating team builder
- Positive response to pressure
- Quick decision making in response to changing conditions
Desired Experience
- Prior musical experience as a performer
- Prior experience in arts administration or the education field
- Knowledgeable about systemic barriers facing youth of color and youth from low-income backgrounds
- Prior experience with Salesforce, Asana, and Google Workspace
Work Demands
- Willingness to work some weekends and evenings as needed based on program schedules, events, and partnership opportunities
- Able to travel independently to various programming sites around Miami frequently during work hours
- Complete a Level II background check through Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Benefits
Guitars Over Guns offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include: Health insurance at no additional cost; 401(k) with 3% employer match (eligible after 6 months of employment); Paid Time Off (PTO) structure as well as 18 federal & cultural holidays off per year; parental, medical, and bereavement leave; Hybrid in-person and remote workplace.
TO APPLY: Please send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with “Program Director, Miami” in the subject line.
Mentor (Rolling Application)
Our mentors come from different walks of life and artistic paths, all connected by their love for the arts and a passion to pay it forward. They are Guitars Over Guns’ heart and soul, implementing and customizing our comprehensive curriculum that uses arts-based mentoring as a powerful intervention tool for young people.
GOGO Mentors are professional musicians and performing artists who bring a high caliber of artistic expertise to the classroom. They are excited about serving their community, passionate about introducing youth to the power of music and the arts, and committed to being a steadfast, guiding presence in the lives of our students. The Mentor role is a year-long position, and mentors will be assigned a school site within our partner school districts. Each school site meets twice per week during after-school hours. Additional hours may include special activities, such as field trips.
We accept mentor applications year-round on a rolling basis in all four of our regions of operation (Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City). Applicants will be notified when they are being considered for an opening.
Job Description
☑ Mentor must have the ability to perform and teach at least one of the following: piano, vocals, drums, guitar, bass, rap, creative writing, spoken word, songwriting, music production, or visual art.
☑ Serve as a role model for students in the musical craft of their choice, which includes learning techniques as well as stage presence and performance.
☑ Implement Guitars Over Guns’ provided Positive Youth Development (PYD) activities, strategies, techniques, and tools.
☑ Manage a classroom of students with a team to align with programmatic and student goals.
☑ Create lesson plans to guide students and teammates through the day. This can include bringing materials for student learning.
☑ Maintain a program structure that supports student learning and shares power with students.
☑ Communicate with students as an advocate and ally, depending on the specific goals and objectives negotiated with the mentee.
Roles & Responsibilities
Application Instructions
Click on your city of residence below to apply!
Mentor (WELLNESS)
Guitars Over Guns Organization (GOGO) is a nationally recognized, award-winning nonprofit that is challenging the perception of what is possible for youth who experience the power of music-based mentorship. We place teams of professional teaching artists in after-school and community-based programs to provide a powerful combination of music education and mentoring at no cost to youth from vulnerable communities in Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.
Position overview
GOGO is seeking a Wellness Mentor (WM) for the 2024-2025 school year. The Wellness Mentor promotes greater participant well-being by creating safe, brave and supportive spaces for participants.
Wellness Mentors support participants in exploring and achieving goals, increasing healthy coping strategies, and encouraging responsible decision-making through a positive, strengths-focused, trauma-informed approach.
The Wellness Mentor reports to the Director of Mental Health and Wellness. The ideal candidate is a mental health professional, who takes initiative and who is able to work well independently and on a team.
Key Responsibilities
The Wellness Mentor is accountable for the highest quality implementation of our M-Power Mental Health Program.
- Group Facilitation: Facilitate Opening Circles during sessions, including group discussions and activities that connect participants’ life experiences with their artistic experiences
- Individual Wellness Coaching: Engage in 1:1 coaching conversations with participants focused on identifying obstacles, and developing healthy coping skills and wellness goals to improve their overall social-emotional development and wellness
- Crisis and Case Management: Support participants during crisis/red flag situations as needed,
Documentation and Data Management: Maintain participant progress notes, create skill-based action plans to support participants in achieving wellness goals, and assess all participants using the CGAS (Children’s Global Assessment Score)
Necessary Qualities
The Wellness Mentor is accountable for the highest quality implementation of our M-Power Mental Health Program.
- Maintain a safe, brave and respectful environment for students to discuss their challenges and goals
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team with participants, mentors, and school staff
- Strong interpersonal skills, strengths-based, trauma-informed, healing-centered approach
- High degree of discernment around confidentiality and disclosure
- Excellent communication (in-person and online)
- Growth mindset with a desire to continually update their knowledge and skills, and embody coaching best practices
- Quick decision making in response to changing conditions or crisis
- Technologically savvy; comfortable learning new software
- Organized, dependable, and reliable
- Passionate about mental health and wellness
Desired Experience
- Associate or bachelor’s degree in psychology, sociology, counseling, or health and behavioral sciences or related field
- 2-3+ years workings with youth, especially youth of color
- Knowledgeable about systemic barriers facing youth of color and youth from low-income backgrounds
- Prior experience in mental health field
- Prior experience facilitating groups
- Prior experience working on a team
- Prior experience with Google Workspace, desired but not required
Work Demands
- Ability to commit to the Wellness Mentor position for one academic year
- Willingness to work some weekends and evenings as needed based on program schedules, events, and partnership opportunities
- Able to travel independently to various programming sites
- All Guitars Over Guns contractors are required to complete a Level II background check through Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Miami and through Chicago Public Schools and After School Matters in Chicago
- Completion of the YMHFA Certification and other additional trainings (paid)
Application Instructions
Click on your city of residence below to apply!