Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Our client is building a completely new model for addressing global hunger, as part of a public - private partnership with a focus on efficiency and transparency, and is seeking an exceptional finance executive to be an integral member of its senior leadership team. The company is in an early stage of growth with core systems partially established through interim support. The company seeks a hands-on builder with strong judgment, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to create clarity, systems, and momentum where they do not yet exist. The right candidate is energized by blank pages, enjoys designing practical solutions, and thrives in fast-moving, mission-driven startup environments.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will serve as a senior financial leader and strategic architect for its next phase of growth, responsible for refining, scaling, and leading the organization's financial strategy, capital stewardship model, and institutional financial infrastructure. The CFO will directly manage the Controller and Operations Manager and will oversee the outsourced operational arrangements that support finance, accounting, audit, tax, IT, HR, recruiting, payroll, and other back-office needs.


This is not a traditional steady-state CFO role, nor is it a purely blank-page build. Building on foundational systems and frameworks already underway, the CFO will assess, strengthen, and evolve financial and operational infrastructure to support Phase 2 growth and long-term institutional scale.


This leader will help shape how the company grows from an ambitious early-stage platform into a mature, high-performing institution by determining which capabilities should be owned internally versus outsourced, refining the financial and control architecture needed to responsibly steward large-scale public and private capital, and ensuring that systems remain lean, credible, scalable, and fit for purpose.


Key Responsibilities
1. Financial Strategy, Capital Stewardship, and Organizational Design

• Lead overall financial strategy, ensuring strong stewardship of philanthropic, public, and future multi-source funding.
• Refine and scale financial architecture required to support a high-growth, high-accountability global funding platform.
• Develop and oversee budgets, forecasts, scenario plans, and capital deployment models.
• Lead treasury, liquidity, and cash flow strategy in partnership with leadership and the Treasurer.
• Build and lead a high-performing finance and operations function, including direct oversight of the Controller and Operations Manager, while effectively leveraging project-based support and outsourced consultants where appropriate.
• Design and manage team structure, responsibilities, and external partnerships to ensure we have the right capabilities, capacity, and expertise at each stage of growth without overbuilding prematurely.
• Translate financial strategy into practical institutional design decisions that phased growth.

2. Financial Systems Architecture and Scalable Infrastructure

• Assess and strengthen systems, controls, and reporting structures required for responsible scale.
• Determine build vs. outsource decisions based on efficiency, cost, and control.
• Design and refine a scalable finance operating model.
• Ensure systems are prepared for future complexity and donor scrutiny.

3. Outsourced Financial Ecosystem Design and Oversight

• Select and oversee external partners for accounting, audit, tax, ERP, FP&A, and related functions.
• Ensure external providers are aligned, well-managed, and quality-controlled.
• Evaluate timing for scaling internal capabilities versus maintaining partnerships.

4. Compliance, Controls, and Risk Management

• Maintain strong internal controls, audit readiness, and compliance aligned with U.S. Government requirements and nonprofit standards.
• Strengthen governance, audit, and oversight mechanisms supporting transparency and accountability.
• Design and oversee enterprise risk management frameworks.
• Partner with Compliance, Risk, and Contracts' teams to ensure strong institutional safeguards.

5. Contract Approval & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner with cross-functional teams to ensure financial structures support compliant execution.
• Oversee financial review frameworks for major contracts, grants, and funding structures.
• Assess financial and operational implications of major decisions and partnerships.
• Balance speed, accountability, and risk in oversight processes.

6. Leadership, Board Partnership, and Strategic Advisory

• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO, leadership team, Treasurer, and Board.
• Provide financial reporting, dashboards, and analysis to support decisions.
• Guide leadership on financial implications of growth and structural decisions.
• Support long-term planning for funding complexity and global expansion.

Required Qualifications

• CPA in good standing.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in finance, financial strategy, or nonprofit leadership.
• Experience in senior leadership roles such as CFO or Deputy CFO.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. Government funding rules, 2 CFR 200, and nonprofit standards.
• Experience scaling financial infrastructure in complex or high-growth environments.
• Expertise in budgeting, forecasting, treasury, and audit readiness.
• Experience managing outsourced financial systems and partners.

What You Bring

• Ability to scale lean, credible financial systems.
• Strong judgment on build vs. outsource decisions.
• Strategic and hands-on execution capability.
• Experience in global health, development, or complex mission-driven environments preferred.
• Experience with public-private funding models or large-scale philanthropy preferred.
• Strong communication skills, translating complex finance into practical decisions.

Key Competencies

• Strategic financial leadership.
• Financial architecture and systems design.
• Capital stewardship and treasury strategy.
• Build versus outsource decision-making.
• Institutional sequencing and scalable growth planning.
• Compliance, controls, and risk orientation.
• Outsourced ecosystem design and management.
• Executive judgment and decision making.
• Cross-functional leadership.
• Integrity, accountability, and stewardship.

What This Role Offers

• A rare opportunity to take a high-potential early-stage institution from strong initial foundations to scaled global impact.
• The chance to shape how a major public-private platform is built, scaled, and has a global impact.
• A mission-driven, entrepreneurial environment with significant ambition and institutional complexity.
• Close partnership with senior leadership, philanthropy, and policymakers.
• Competitive compensation commensurate with the role's seniority, complexity, and scope.
• A comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, financial stability, and life outside of work (including medical, dental, vision, leave, and retirement planning).

Compensation includes robust benefits and cash compensation in the $175K-$300K range.