Proteus Fund mobilizes donor collaboratives, provides fiscal sponsorship, and makes grants to organizations that advance social justice. Our work lifts up opportunities, gaps, and challenges facing movement organizations — and aligns grantmakers to support the efforts of movement actors to shape narratives and execute on shared advocacy strategies.
About The Organization
Proteus Fund connects philanthropy to the frontlines of social justice. We strive to advance the interconnected goals of racial, gender, queer, and disability justice and an inclusive, fully representative democracy. To do our work effectively and with significant impact, Proteus Fund creates dynamic relationships between progressive philanthropists, movement leaders, and other allies that go far beyond transactional grantmaking. Our trusted position among funders and field actors enables us to support a broad array of strategies to achieve social justice victories. Our donor collaboratives are best-in-class models for bridging responsive philanthropy and cutting-edge social justice movements for deeper impact, aligning resources to address critical needs, and shaping strategy alongside our partners. Through our fiscal sponsorship program, Proteus Fund partners with initiatives which play a powerful role in the larger ecosystem for social change, providing them with tailored and comprehensive organizational support.
Proteus Fund operates and pursues its work based on a set of values synergistic with our vision and mission:
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion;
- Integrity and professionalism;
- Transparency and accountability; and
- Respect and humility.
To date, Proteus Fund, and its affiliated 501c4 organization, the Proteus Action League, have distributed more than $300 million in grants, and provided other essential tools to support activists, advocates, networks, coalitions, and issue-specific campaigns at the local, state, and national level. Proteus Fund is a national organization with offices in New York, NY and metro Boston, MA, as well as remote staff across the country.
Click here to learn more about Proteus Fund and Proteus Action League.
About The Role
What You'll Do
This is an ideal opportunity for an exceptional financial leader with a strategic orientation and a proven track record of strong and effective delivery. Serving as a member of the Senior Management Team and managing a staff of eight, the Chief Financial Officer will oversee all financial strategy and related operations for
Proteus Fund and
Proteus Action League, including the financial management of
roughly twenty donor collaboratives and fiscally sponsored projects. The CFO will be responsible for providing long-term financial planning, strategic counsel and effective financial operations, collaborating closely with all Proteus departments and projects.
Key Responsibilities
Organizational Leadership
- Serve on the Senior Management Team, partnering with senior leadership to execute organization-wide planning, strategies, and risk management.
- Communicate frequently and effectively with the Proteus Fund and Proteus Action League Treasurers, Finance and Investment Committee, Audit Committee, Executive Committee, and the members of both Boards of Directors to ensure all Board members clearly understand the organization's financial management strategies, financial health, and sustainability.
- Provide useful financial insights to help make informed decisions about formulating and executing business strategy and report on both organizations' financial strengths and weaknesses along with sector trends that would directly impact or benefit the two organizations.
- Manage finance-related elements of enterprise risk, guiding the two organizations by analyzing internal and external environments to identify factors which may have negative impacts on the organizations' financial health and develop systems to prevent their occurrence or limit their effects, while focusing on the big picture to identify trends and create opportunities.
Team Development and Management
- Lead the Finance and Donor Services teams, providing strategic direction, strong staff management, coaching, and supervision to direct reports.
- Promote a team-oriented culture of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement that values a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and ongoing education and professional development.
- Create a culture of service excellence; support the finance team to work in partnership with staff across the organization to understand budgeting and reporting, as needed.
Financial Management and Oversight
- Serve as the organizational leader in all areas of finance, budget, and audit management.
- Support the senior management team, Boards, and program/development teams through financial modeling and data-driven analysis.
- Ensure effective cash flow management. Support the President, Treasurers, and Board Chair in managing the organization's board-designated reserve fund, plus investment and asset policies and management.
- Manage the relationship with the investment manager and ensure the investment approach aligns with organizational values.
- Build and maintain business models and forecasting tools that allow for robust scenario planning and real-time decision making.
- Lead the annual budget processes for Proteus Fund and Proteus Action League, including oversight of the development of program and cost-center budgets, and development of the resources, tools, and training necessary for non-finance staff to make informed budgeting decisions.
- Establish and strengthen internal processes required to manage the fiscal health of the organization, such as monthly revenue reconciliation and monthly monitoring and reporting.
- Ensure the integrity, accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness of all financial reports with an eye towards ease of understanding and accessibility for both finance and non-finance staff.
Accounting, Compliance, and Financial Operations
- Oversee the annual audit process for financial statements and the creation of the annual Form 990 tax returns; coordinate proper filing of tax returns with IRS and various state governments.
- Manage relationships with banking partners, serving as the primary organizational bank signatory.
- Lead key compliance efforts with IRS rules, plus other federal and state finance regulations.
- Ensure c3/c4 compliance, including management of the cost-sharing arrangement between Proteus Fund and Proteus Action League, adherence with (h) election limits, and management of reporting.
- Complete state campaign finance reports, where required, for lobbying and election-related activities.
- Manage state business and charitable registrations and reporting.
- Oversee the various insurance policies of both organizations, coordinating coverage with insurance brokers to maintain proper coverage for all policies and minimizing risk across the organization.
Who You'll Work With
You will report to the
President and Chief Executive Officer. You will supervise a
Controller and the
Donor Services Manager, and an overall team of 8. You will frequently collaborate with other members of the
Senior Management Team, including the Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Programs, and Vice President of People and Culture, as well as the Treasurers of the Boards.
Required Skills And Experience
- At least 15 years of nonprofit financial management experience, with at least 5+ years in a senior leadership capacity; track record leading finance in a non-profit organization with multiple entities (i.e.: 501c3 and 501c4)
- Experience managing teams of 5 or more; demonstrated success building a positive, results-oriented culture and creating structures to support the high-level performance of a diverse team guided by principles of fairness and equity
- Experience partnering with an executive team and knowledge of working with a Board
- A demonstrable capacity for analytical and strategic thinking and ability to integrate a high-level vision with a tactical execution
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with an ability to prioritize, negotiate, and work with a variety of internal and external stakeholders
- Knowledge of and experience with management of an investment portfolio, including working with and engaging external investment providers
- Demonstrated ability to communicate financial information in a way that is understandable and accessible to non-finance stakeholders
- Demonstrated skill at navigating complex organizations and strong collaborative and people skills
- Ability to embrace and communicate Proteus' vision and goals, reflecting a dedication to social justice, equity, and inclusion
- Advanced degree, preferably in accounting, finance, or other business / operations focus area; in lieu of degree requirement, applicable work or life experience may be considered. CPA strongly preferred.
Additional Details
Hybrid Work Environment
Proteus Fund is a national organization with offices in New York City and metro Boston, and staff throughout the country. The CFO role is hybrid in New York City or remote from any location between Boston and Washington D.C., with regular travel to NYC, where the CEO and Executive Office are based. In addition, there are two in-person board meetings, two in-person senior management team retreats, and a full staff retreat each year, as well as occasional travel for conferences and professional development.
Compensation
The starting salary for this role is $200,000 – $240,000 and is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to: geographic location, skill set level, years of previous/applicable experience, and Proteus Fund's commitment to ensuring pay equity within the organization. The recruiting team will share more details regarding salary bands based on the candidate's specific geographic location as well as the other factors noted above. Salary is one part of the total compensation that Proteus Fund provides to employees.
Health and Safety Protocols
Please note, in an effort to maintain and safeguard staff's health, well-being, and safety, Proteus Fund expects all employees to follow the necessary health and safety protocols related to flu, COVID-19, and other communicable diseases. This includes adhering to any government or organizational guidelines, staying home when experiencing symptoms, and utilizing sick time to support wellness.
Equity at Proteus Fund
Proteus Fund believes that one of the greatest strengths of an organization is the rich diversity of its staff and board, and is committed to providing equal employment and promotional opportunities based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual orientation/affectional preference, age, national origin, ethnicity, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under the law. Proteus Fund's policies and practices are to reflect Proteus Fund's commitment to nondiscrimination in all areas of employment.
