Join a movement that supports youth, strengthens families, and builds community.
Job Description
The next Chief Financial Officer of the Greater Houston YMCA will be a strategic, collaborative, and proactive enterprise leader with deep financial acumen and the ability to contribute broadly to organizational leadership. They will understand that finance is not the destination, but the enabling discipline that creates capacity for greater mission impact, stronger operations, better experiences, growth, innovation, and long-term stability. The CFO will bring a strong record of driving excellence, along with demonstrated effectiveness as a trusted member of a senior leadership team.
The next CFO will be an intellectually curious and enterprise-minded executive, who thinks and operates organization-wide. They will apply a strategic lens to the finance function and the broader enterprise, linking operations to current and future organizational priorities for expanding and deepening the YMCA's offerings and diversifying revenue. They will be a trusted advisor to the CEO and leadership team, while also demonstrating the appetite and capacity to expand their own organizational leadership over time.
The CFO will be an adept relationship builder, establishing credibility and trust at all levels through clear, thoughtful communication and sound judgment. They will bring the discretion and emotional intelligence required to operate effectively in a mission-led, non-profit environment, taking a solution-oriented approach that strengthens organizational performance and culture. Operating from a place of humility and generosity of spirit, the successful candidate will be energized by serving as a strategic thought partner, supporting financial infrastructural evolution, operational excellence, sustainable growth, and long-term stewardship of the YMCA's mission and values.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and/or CPA strongly preferred.
Enterprise leadership orientation
15+ years of progressively more senior and complex finance and leadership roles in relevant / adjacent organizations.
Senior-level strategic partnership
Experience serving as a partner and trusted advisor to a CEO.
Team leadership
Strong management skills, with a track record of building, mentoring, and sustaining effective teams.
Technology fluency
Experience leveraging tools, data, and emerging technologies, including AI, to enhance organizational performance and promote data-driven, analytical decision-making.
Mission orientation
Demonstrable connection to the mission and core values of the YMCA is strongly preferred.
Essential Functions
- Serves as an enterprise leader and strategic partner to the CEO, helping shape organizational priorities, strengthen enterprise performance, and ensure financial stewardship enables greater mission impact, operational effectiveness, innovation, and long-term sustainability.
- Leads enterprise-wide financial and operational planning efforts, helping organizational leaders evaluate opportunities for growth, improve performance, and align resources with strategic priorities.
- Monitors monthly financial operations, prepares analysis and reports, and provides practical guidance to leaders on issues affecting performance, sustainability, and financial outcomes.
- Serves as primary staff to the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors.
- Leads, develops, and supports the finance and business services team, building credibility, accountability, and a service-oriented culture that supports effectiveness across the organization.
- Champions enterprise performance management by developing data, analytics, forecasting, and decision-support capabilities that improve organizational performance and resource allocation.
- Partners with leaders across the YMCA to identify opportunities for revenue growth, improve business performance, and advance organizational effectiveness.
- Helps lead the YMCA’s ongoing transformation by identifying opportunities to improve systems, strengthen processes, invest in technology, and build scalable infrastructure that supports future growth and impact.
- Partners across the organization to strengthen the experience of members, donors, volunteers, and employees through thoughtful investment, effective business processes, and disciplined use of resources.
- Develops, implements and ensures compliance with internal control systems for the YMCA and oversees compliance on a variety of policies and standards. Provides recommendations for improvement.
- Oversees and certifies the annual audit and meets periodically with the outside auditors to maintain communications and keep them informed of changes in the YMCA. Ensures that current accounting standards and legal requirements are met.
- Leads the YMCA’s capital structure and financing strategy, including debt financing and refinancing and lender negotiations, and serve as the primary relationship manager with banking partners, including annual presentations and ongoing communications related to financial performance and credit positioning.
- Develops performance indicators and measurement systems for tracking strategic plan objectives. Evaluates current business models and leads efforts to modify or redesign business models where necessary.
- Oversees preparation of reports to United Way, YMCA of the USA and governmental agencies. Oversees preparation of tax returns.
- Oversees the development of the annual operating budget, including all center budgets. Works closely with operations staff to ensure that center budgets are well-planned, realistic, and prepared in a consistent and timely manner.
- Manages tax-exempt bond transactions and files all necessary reports. Establishes, maintains and/or monitors all banking and financing relationships.
- Maintains all necessary records and accounting reports and records all transactions on a timely basis.
- Maintains good working relationships with auditors, bankers, investment counselors, attorneys and other professional advisors.
- Represents the YMCA with key community organizations and events as required.
- Manages real estate leases, sales, acquisitions and related contracts.
Cause-Driven Leadership Competencies
Critical Leadership Capabilities
Acting Strategically
- Brings an enterprise perspective to financial leadership, ensuring that financial strategy, systems, policies, and structures enable mission impact, operational effectiveness, innovation, and long-term sustainability.
- Systems thinker who works closely with the executive team and board to develop long-range financial models that support the strategic priorities of the YMCA, using data to improve organizational performance and support evidence-based decision-making.
- Continually evaluates existing systems and processes and identifies improvements or upgrades as necessary to improve productivity and/or make the organization more efficient, implementing best-in-class solutions.
Driving Results
- Assesses the YMCA's operational and financial infrastructure, systems, and processes and identifying areas to improve performance, scalability, and long-term sustainability.
- Moves from diagnosis to execution, translating complex organizational challenges into practical solutions, clear priorities, and measurable progress.
- Maintains strong controls, risk awareness, and financial discipline while helping the organization determine where thoughtful investment can create the greatest long-term impact.
- Leverages technology and best practices to enhance efficiencies and encourage continuous improvement.
Collaborating and Influencing
- Opens and cultivates relationships and lines of communication with executive leadership,
taking a proactive, anticipatory ap proach.
- Translates the YMCA's broad strategies into clear, specific objectives and plans for teams and individuals.
- Has an effective communication style which demonstrates the ability to listen and engage openly and transparently across a diverse and complex community, both with colleagues and others outside the organization.
Other Personal Characteristics
- Deep commitment to the YMCA's mission and work.
- Enterprise mindset, with the ability to see connections across finance, operations, people, technology, facilities, programs, and community impact.
- Growth orientation and readiness to expand as an organizational leader.
- High levels of professionalism, integrity, and cultural alignment with the YMCA's values.
- Judgment, discretion, and empathy.
- Balances diplomacy and decisiveness.
- Service orientation, keeping the needs of members, community partners, donors, volunteers, and staff at the center of decision-making.
