Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Location: Washington, DC (Hybrid)
Reports to: CEO
Position Overview
A mission driven international advocacy non-profit organization is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the organization’s global finance and information technology functions. This role is both highly strategic and deeply hands-on, requiring a leader who can set vision and direction while also engaging directly in execution, problem-solving, and day-to-day decision-making.
The CFO reports directly to the CEO and partners closely with the Senior Vice President, the Executive Committee, and other senior leaders which includes the company's country leaders and department heads. The CFO plays a critical role in aligning financial strategy and operational execution with the organization’s mission, ensuring that systems, people, and resources are effectively positioned to support impact globally.
The CFO is responsible for overseeing our successful participation in independent financial audits in each of our countries as well as a consolidated international audit. The financial system supports grant reporting and expense allocation, as well as the financial aspect of funding proposals and grant compliance The CFO manages the financial system to ensure operational integrity, sound governance, transparency and compliance with US GAAP standards and all country laws and regulations where there are operations.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Strategy & Execution
- Lead the development and execution of the global financial strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities
- Directly oversee and actively engage in annual budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes
- Review and refine financial models, budgets, and reporting to ensure accuracy, clarity, and usability
- Establish and maintain a strong financial and operational control environment, including compliance, audit readiness, and timely escalation of financial and operational risks across all offices
- Provide clear, actionable financial insights, performance reporting, and decision support to the CEO, executive leadership, and the Board
- The CFO assists the CEO and Board of Directors in financial planning, forecasting and assessment
- Serve as the senior decision-maker for complex finance and accounting matters, including technical accounting, accounting policy, and other cross-functional issues that require clear ownership and direction
- The CFO is responsible for managing cash and investments
- Step in as needed to troubleshoot financial issues, close gaps, and support the team during peak periods
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead and develop a high-performing, globally distributed team, balancing delegation with active engagement,
- Establish clear ownership and decision rights across departments and country offices, institutionalizing processes and governance to enable scalability
- Directly manage 6 direct reports, including senior-level finance and IT professionals
- Manage a global network of financial leaders across 11 country offices (called Office Administrators or Directors of Finance and Administration)
- Provide hands-on support and coach leaders and teams to strengthen independent judgement, issue resolution, and technical problem-solving beyond routine processes
- Support the Global Controller with oversight of the network of Office Administrators/Directors of Finance in local country offices
- Foster a culture of accountability, responsiveness, critical thinking, and continuous improvement
- Provide strategic and operational oversight of Global Operational Services, including IT, grants and budgets, and risk management related to finance and IT
- Identify inefficiencies and directly lead efforts to streamline processes and improve execution
- Partner with teams across the organization to solve operational challenges in real time
Information Technology & Systems
- Lead the development and execution of IT strategy, ensuring systems effectively support organizational goals and global operations
- Drive system effectiveness by identifying and reducing redundancies, improving integration, and streamlining the overall technology landscape
- Partner closely with IT leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to prioritize and implement system improvements
- Ensure strong data governance, cybersecurity practices, and appropriate controls across enterprise systems
Grants, Budgeting & Operational Effectiveness
- Oversee budgeting and operational planning, ensuring strong alignment with organizational priorities and financial strategy
- Ensure accurate, timely and decision-useful financial reporting to leadership and the Board, ensuring accountability, and performance tracking across teams
- Support the development of tools and processes that improve visibility into organizational performance
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or other advanced degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
- 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in finance and operations within a global nonprofit organization
- CPA is highly preferred, prior public accounting/audit experience preferred
- Demonstrated ability to operate both strategically and hands-on, with a willingness to engage in detailed work when needed
- Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning
- Experience overseeing global and distributed teams
- Experience managing operational functions such as IT, administration, and risk
- Familiarity with donor-funded environments
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive solutions
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
We want our new CFO to have a strategic mindset, be action oriented, highly communicative and collaborative with a global perspective.
This is a hybrid role, in the office within the Washington Metro area on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
