CFAO

About the role

The Chief Financial & Administrative Officer (CFAO) is a newly refined position on the Senior Leadership team and plays a critical role in overseeing the financial and administrative functions of NMIC. The CFAO position requires a strategic, operational, and results-oriented leader who has deep experience managing financial strategy and operations and partnering with administrative functions to drive organizational efficiency.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic partner within a collaborative leadership structure, acting as the finance leader, thought partner, and advisor to the Executive Director (ED) and Deputy Executive Director (DED) and developing a key working relationship with the Head of Development.
• Lead efforts to develop the department into a trusted entity producing clear, accurate, timely, and actionable data and analyses to promote informed decision-making and rigorous financial management across the organization.
• Prepare and present financial strategy, forecasting, and reporting to the Finance Committee, Board of Directors, Senior Leadership Team, and key stakeholders.
• Lead the annual and multi-year budgeting processes in coordination with the organizational planning processes to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and resource allocation.
• Partner with program leaders to measure financial performance, optimize resource allocation, and evaluate return on mission.
• Provide strategic financial oversight and partner with the Deputy Executive Director (DED) to drive long-term financial planning and risk management by developing forecasting models and scenario plans to anticipate risks and opportunities, and to balance financial sustainability with program growth, including reserve management and capital strategy.
• Lead and develop a team comprised of both employees and outsourced staff from RSM. Assist the Director of Finance in the management and oversight of RSM, including fostering collaboration between NMIC and outsourced staff.
• Oversee the Director of Finance in the development and leadership of an annual budget process. Maintain comprehensive knowledge, both documented and experiential, to provide effective backup.
• Direct the preparation of all financial statements, including balance sheet, P/L, and variance reports for all Departments, Programs, and Grants. Oversee and help coordinate the timely completion of annual audits, 990 preparation, and regulatory reporting.
• Serve as the primary contact for external auditors, compliance reviews, and financial stakeholders. Willingly step in temporarily to support or directly execute key finance functions during staffing transitions or critical needs.
• Ensure clarity around roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. Continually evaluate and refine Finance infrastructure and related policies and processes against the changing business needs of the organization. Oversee the Director of Finance to develop and maintain relevant systems and processes to support current and future organizational needs, including providing appropriate, timely, and accurate reporting to all levels of staff, board members, regulators, and other important external stakeholders, such as donors and partners.
• Manage cash flow, investments, and financial risk to optimize allocation of resources and maintain the financial health of the organization. In coordination with RSM and the Senior Leadership Team, establish internal policies and procedures that support overall business transparency and minimize financial risk.
• Promote financial literacy, transparency, and shared accountability by helping non-finance staff understand the expectations, timelines, and documentation required to meet financial standards and by helping finance staff understand and respond to non-finance staff’s needs. Stay abreast of developments in non-profit best practices and state and federal requirements for non-profit financial operations.
• Aid direct reports in developing functional and individual performance goals, oversee overall capacity and productivity, and build on an inclusive, empowered and engaged culture.
• Evaluate current HR policies, systems and processes, and, in coordination with the Director of Human Resources and the Senior Leadership Team, determine future needs in recruitment, on/off boarding, professional development, performance management, total compensation design, and employee engagement.
• Support the Director of Human Resources in prioritizing and implementing new initiatives that will further modernize HR services, optimize resources, and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.
• Ensure performance management, recognition and coaching/corrective practices are implemented to foster a culture of continuous improvement, personal growth and teamwork while supporting agency goals.
• Soundly administer NMIC’s benefit plans. Assist the Senior Leadership Team in developing future leadership through selection, coaching, and mentoring.
• Translate organization vision and strategy into policies, directives, and procedures. Manage the operations of NMIC in line with strategic goals and key performance metrics. Ensure that robust internal systems and processes are in place to support NMIC’s mission-driven work. Hold departmental leads accountable for independently maintaining high standards.
• Serve as the executive lead for contracts and vendor relationships affecting operations. With the Senior Leadership Team, develop organizational performance goals, design and implement infrastructure improvements, focusing on operational resilience, process efficiency, and reducing single points of failure.
• Supervise the Operations Manager in the management and oversight of Solarus, NMIC’s outsourced IT service provider. Ensure clarity around roles, responsibilities and accountabilities. In coordination with the Operations Manager, continually evaluate IT infrastructure and related policies and processes against changing business needs.
• Review and determine, in coordination with the Senior Leadership Team, information needs and systems that improve productivity, reduce risk, and optimize business processes. Source, secure, implement, and maintain tech solutions that span departments and functional areas of the organization. Ensure the NMIC information and data are secure.
• Supervise the Operations Manager in ensuring that the organization’s physical environment, in two locations, is safe, well-maintained, and efficiently operated. This includes vendor management, space planning, security and procurement (NMIC has a Triple Net Lease at its main location at 45 Wadsworth Avenue. As such, the Facilities Department is responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement of all significant systems and machines).

Qualifications

• The ideal candidate will be a successful sitting CFAO, CFO or other senior finance leader (i.e., strong #2) who has significant experience in a comparable non-profit with similar scale and complexity to NMIC.
• This individual will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with a senior leadership team and to implement creative financial management strategies and other value-added administrative processes and practices.
• The person will have a strong finance foundation and experience working effectively with Boards, external partners/service providers, and a wide range of internal colleagues.
• The winning candidate should possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:
• Passion for NMIC’s mission and values.
• A bachelor’s degree.