Chief Financial Officer

About the role

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is one of America’s leading urban public libraries, serving a community of approximately one million citizens in Charlotte and the towns of Matthews, Pineville, Mint Hill, Davidson, Cornelius, and Huntersville. Through 20 locations, online services, and targeted outreach, the library delivers exceptional services and programs with a mission to create a community of readers and empower individuals with free access to information and the universe of ideas. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) provides executive leadership and strategic direction for the Library’s financial operations, ensuring sound fiscal management, compliance, transparency, and alignment of resources with strategic priorities. Serving as the Library’s Finance Officer and a member of the Executive Team, the CFO shares responsibility for organizational strategy, performance, and long‑term sustainability and brings financial insight to enterprise‑wide decision‑making.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an active member of the Library Executive Team, contributing financial expertise and enterprise perspective to organizational strategy, priorities, performance, risk management, and major decisions.
• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for the Library’s financial operations, ensuring alignment of financial resources with organizational priorities and long-term sustainability.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Trustees on financial performance, budget development, financial risk, resource allocation, and long-term financial planning.
• Lead, coach, and develop Finance Department staff; establish clear expectations and accountability; build individual and team capability; foster a culture of collaboration, service, professional growth, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with leaders across the Library to strengthen financial understanding, evaluate priorities and tradeoffs, align resources with organizational goals, and support sound decision-making through influence and collaboration.
• Monitor financial, economic, legislative, and operational trends to anticipate future budgetary, capital, and resource needs and recommend appropriate strategies.
• Lead the development, monitoring, forecasting, and administration of the Library’s annual operating budget, ensuring resources are aligned with strategic priorities and expenditures remain within approved appropriations.
• Direct accounting, financial reporting, treasury management, procurement, payroll, contract and grant compliance, financial activities of the CML Foundation, and other related financial functions, ensuring timely and accurate financial information to support organizational decision-making.