The Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) leads the Finance, Accounting, Treasury, and control activities of Company. The CFO reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), reports out to the Board Treasurer and Finance Committee, and is an integral part of the organization’s Leadership and Executive Teams. The CFO develops and implements policies and procedures for the financial administration of the organization.
The CFO manages a team that currently includes two Directors of Finance, two Associate Directors of Finance, two Accounting Managers, and one Financial Systems Manager (who has a strong “dotted line” reporting relationship to the Director of Data and Technology). The team in southern California is approximately 50% larger than the team in northern California.
The CFO position requires strong, well developed technical finance and accounting skills, adeptness and savvy with complicated finance and accounting structures and processes, and the ability to successfully and effectively lead the financial function while “connecting the dots” of a multi-business line, fast growing, complex organization.
Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership
- Provide strategic input and leadership on decision-making affecting the organization and share responsibility for overall policy development and management as a member of the Leadership and Executive Teams. This includes all aspects of the organization, including strategy, business operations, human resources, programs, culture and racial equity. Examples include future-looking efforts on behalf of Company, i.e., what strategies, approaches, technologies should the organization’s leadership be considering that it is not already Provide clear-eyed analysis of existing business lines and suggestions on how to improve them.
- Serve as advisor to the CEO, COO and Board of Directors (“Board”) on financial matters.
- Work closely with the CEO and the Board to build and strengthen the financial health and operations of the organization.
- Provide support to the CEO and the Board to facilitate the development of long-term goals and objectives of Company.
- Maintain and communicate through words and actions commitment to the mission, vision and values of Company, as well as commitment to develop and sustain effective working relationships with internal and external constituencies, and commitment to work collegially in a culturally diverse environment.
Finance and Accounting
- Serve as strategic thought partner to the CEO, COO, CPO, and Board on organizational matters from finance and accounting, business planning, budgeting and forecasting perspectives.
- With the Directors of Finance, ensure the finance and accounting needs of Company are clearly articulated so that financial expertise and support structure is provided in a timely manner and serves the needs of the organization efficiently and effectively.
- Provide general oversight of all accounting responsibilities, including accounts payable and receivable, grants and contributions, budgets, accounting systems, financial and internal controls, and financial and tax reporting.
- Prepare and manage the organization’s annual budget, which includes the related entities.
- Oversee multiple audits on the organization and related entities.
- Prepare and present financial and budget reports to the Board on the overall financial condition of Company, and progress of and proposed revisions to the annual budget. Coordinate all activities for the Finance and Audit Committee meetings, including setting the agendas, preplanning meetings with Finance and Audit Committee chairs, external auditors, and drafting reports and memos. Plan and prepare the meeting agendas, reports and materials for the quarterly board meetings.
- With the other officers and key staff (CEO, COO, CHRO and CPO, data team), ensure compliance with all laws regarding corporate governance.
- Optimize use of finance and accounting business tools such as Sage Intacct, Adaptive Insights, Paycom, MineralTree, and AssetEdge, as well as inter-operability with other software systems such as Salesforce, Paycom, Yardi and Apricot Case Management. Plan for future software improvements.
- Develop risk management policies and procedures in collaboration with other key internal and external stakeholders.
- Critically analyze and assess business opportunities and their financial viability.
External Relations
- Represent Company to funding partners and financing providers, such as county and local governments, private foundations, and commercial banks. With diplomatic yet clear communication, and a customer-service orientation, work very closely with key funders around topics large and small: advances, invoicing and coding and billing issues.
- Ensure positive and collegial relationship with the external auditors, leading and managing the audit compliance process with internal staff.
Management and Mentoring
- Provide management of and mentoring to all Finance and Accounting staff, ensuring management skills training at lower levels as warranted.
- Ensure less experienced, less technically proficient staff receive training and skills development to excel in their positions.
- Promote organization-wide financial literacy and fiscal management mindset for all staff across all functional areas.
- Ensure constructive feedback loops to staff encouraging their continued professional development and continuous learning.
A WINNING MINDSET
Your gears are always turning, trying to figure out how to make things better. You see opportunities for improvement wherever you look and know how to get buy-in from others to make it real. You’re a systems thinker who knows how to manage scale without defaulting to counterproductive bureaucracy. You look beyond today’s problems and see the big picture. You’re all about the end-user experience being awesome.
Sure you’re a “numbers person,” but you also understand that it’s people that make the magic happen. Accountants have feelings too. You’re a strong leader of teams and know that it’s critical for your people to have a sense of purpose, feel valued and enjoy their work and our culture.
You’ve got healthy levels of humility and humor and seem to be suffering from ego-deficiency syndrome. You recognize that no one is an expert in everything and you enjoy constantly taking in new information. To call you a “continuous learner” is an understatement. And you’re a big believer in the idea that humor and fun make everything better.
Ambiguity Change Growth New challenges Not only do these not scare you, they are squarely in your wheelhouse. You thrive in an entrepreneurial environment. You’re resourceful and at ease with ambiguity and rapid change. You possess a positive, can-do attitude, and are adept at identifying creative solutions that turn challenges into opportunities. You can handle many important responsibilities at once and you’re rigorous about prioritization.
Qualifications
Candidate Qualifications and Experience
Education: Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent work experience. A graduate degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or Financial Management is preferred. CPA license with prior audit experience is strongly preferred.
Experience: Minimum of seven years in a senior financial management role working as a member of a leadership team in a nonprofit environment; experience in nonprofit regulations and accounting required.
Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and manage in a team-oriented, collegial, and consensus-based office environment required.
The emotional intelligence, energy, intellectual range and care in judgment that are necessary to be an effective advisor to the CEO, Executive and Leadership Teams, and the Board on individual decisions and on the overall quality of operations of Company required.
Experience working with a board of directors, including presenting at board meetings, and directing the efforts of the Finance and Audit Committees strongly preferred.
Experience in contracts and grants management, property management and development, including financing, construction, and regulatory compliance strongly preferred.
Competencies and Attributes
The successful candidate will have:
- Demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, stewardship and integrity in executing the role and have demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to make well-reasoned decisions as part of a leadership team and in the best interests of the organization for the present and future.
- The relevant technical knowledge to lead the financial function of this complex organization.
- A proven track record of creating high-functioning teams, motivating people and holding them accountable.
- Demonstrated well-developed organizational skills and attention to detail, the ability to prioritize work effectively and adjust to multiple demands.
- A solid understanding of performance metrics and professional development.
- Skills and experience balancing staff and funders’ needs, or analogous parties.
- Strong team, project, and change management skills.
- A sense of mission and humility.
- A great sense of humor!
The successful candidate will be:
- A strategic thinker with a vision for the financial function within a complex organization, able to make or advise upon difficult decisions, weighing complexity, trade-offs, and different points of view with skill, humility, humor, and – when required – firmness and persuasiveness.
- A seasoned financial leader capable of both big-picture thinking and directing tactical implementation as well as “connecting the dots” of disparate areas of BC operations.
- Adaptable and able to meet the demands of an organization with a complex underlying financial and operational structure in a fast-paced environment and frequent growth.
- Thinking and acting proactively in a multi-task environment while demonstrating effective interpersonal skills when interacting with staff, Board, and external constituents. Areas include technological literacy with management information systems; ideally, will have experience with at least one successful financial system evaluation, selection, and implementation; and knows how to leverage technology for the benefit of the finance and administrative functions of the organization.
- A good listener and proficient in oral and written communication skills to appeal towards a variety of audiences and proactively communicate with the CEO and board members when appropriate, and have the ability to present complex financial concepts and data to various stakeholders.
- Highly motivated, with the ability to partner effectively, and build internal teams.
- Able to persuade, inform, and educate team members toward new ways of operating.
- Calm and unflappable in times of stress and pressure, and consistently patient with colleagues who are less financially knowledgeable; committed to ongoing professional development and training to department team members to enhance and develop their technical skills and understanding.