Chief, Finance and Operations

Organizational Overview

Our Client is a citywide organization composed of public, business, higher education, nonprofit, community, and philanthropic leaders. They serve as a catalyst for organizing efforts and resources around a shared vision: all Baltimore City youth will travel a safe, healthy, and successful educational path from cradle to career. Our Client uses data to report outcomes for children from birth through their early careers to understand the complex needs of our city’s children. 

They promote a data-based approach to program and policy design - one that is informed by context and lived experience of the communities affected and conducted with the participation of all stakeholders. Recognizing enduring inequalities resulting from persisting racism, ethnocentrism, sexism, and the intersections thereof, we employ a race equity lens to all aspects of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation.

Position Summary

Our Client is seeking a Chief, Finance and Operations to serve as a senior financial officer and a member of the C-Suite, responsible for the integrity of our financial systems, reporting, compliance, and internal controls. This is a hands-on, multi-faceted leadership role, a strategic partner to the CEO office and fellow C-Suite for financial strategy and enterprise risk management; operator ensuring the books, budgets, and audits are airtight; and responsible for the transition from fiscal sponsorship to fiscal agency to an independent multi-entity structure. 

The Chief, Finance and Operations will directly supervise the Director of Operations and oversee the transition of the finance function from external to internal, which includes building a team to match the organization’s growing needs.

• Financial Strategy & Leadership 
  Partner with the CEO and executive leadership on long-term financial sustainability, financing, reserves, infrastructure investment, staffing affordability, cost allocation, earned revenue, grant profitability, and indirect cost recovery. 
• Lead financial risk management, including scenario planning, liquidity analysis, stress testing, contingency planning, and financial KPIs. 
  
• Develop and maintain strong internal controls, fiscal policies, and financial procedures. 
  

• Oversee day-to-day accounting operations, including general ledger, AP/AR, payroll, monthly close, and financial controls. 
  Lead the annual independent audit and manage external auditor relationships. 
• Oversee treasury operations, banking relationships, cash management, credit, payment approvals, and short- and long-term cash-flow forecasting. 
  
• Anticipate funding and reimbursement timing gaps and develop strategies to maintain adequate liquidity. 
  

Budgeting, Reporting & Grants 

• Partner with the CEO and C-Suite to develop and monitor annual budgets and organizational financial plans. 
  
• Prepare timely, board-ready financial reports, dashboards, and forecasts. 
  
• Oversee grant budgets, spending, burn rates, reporting requirements, and compliance across restricted and unrestricted funds. 
  
• Serve as the primary finance liaison to funders and ensure compliance with federal, state, foundation, and pass-through funding requirements. 
  
• Manage indirect cost rates and ensure consistent application across grants. 
  
• Develop and maintain systems to track grant terms, reporting deadlines, match/cost-share requirements, and financial performance. 
  

Compliance & Risk Management 

• Ensure compliance with GAAP, nonprofit financial regulations, grant requirements, and applicable single-audit requirements. 
  
• Oversee audit preparation and financial risk reporting. 
  

Executive & Board Partnership 

• Serve as a strategic financial partner to the CEO, C-Suite, and Board Finance/Audit Committee. 
  
• Lead financial presentations, dashboards, risk reporting, and financial education for organizational leadership and governing bodies. 
  
• Build and lead the finance function as the organization grows. 
  

• Lead the financial work stream for the organization’s transition from fiscal sponsorship to independent operations, including risk assessment, transition planning, budgeting, and timelines. 
  
• Establish independent financial infrastructure, including banking, insurance, accounting systems, and financial policies and procedures. 
  
• Oversee the transfer of grants, restricted funds, contracts, and other financial obligations in partnership with legal counsel. 
  
• Develop multi-entity and consolidated accounting structures, including inter-company transactions, cost allocations, segmented reporting, and entity-level financial statements. 
  

Education, Certifications and Years of Experience

• 10+ years of progressive nonprofit or public-sector accounting/finance experience, including at least 4–5 years in a senior finance leadership role (CFO, VP of Finance, or comparable).
  
• CPA preferred; deep working knowledge of GAAP and nonprofit fund accounting required.
  
• Experience managing complex, multi-funder budgets, including government/public grants (state and federal).
  

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience with multi-entity or consolidated nonprofit structures (segmented ledgers, inter-entity transactions, entity-level reporting, managing governance across related entities).
  
• Direct experience with a fiscal sponsorship exit, nonprofit spin-off, entity formation, or comparable organizational restructuring is required.
  
• Track record leading or directly supporting clean independent audits.
  
• Strong systems fluency (accounting software, budgeting tools) and ability to translate financial data into clear, non-technical narratives for board and staff.
  
• Cash management experience including banking relationships, reserves, forecasting, liquidity management and investment oversight.
  
• History of implementing financial systems and related technologies to support organizational growth and operational efficiency.
  
• Comfortable operating in a collective-impact, systems-change environment with an evolving co-CEO leadership structure.
  
• Demonstrated people-management experience, with the ability to supervise and coach employees.
  
• Strong alignment to the Client's Organizational Values and Race Equity and Inclusion Statement.
  

Travel

• There is travel around Baltimore City for in-person meetings and into the office for staff meetings.
  
• Travel also includes national conferences, staff retreats, and meetings around the State.
  

This is a full-time position with a benefits package that includes CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield medical insurance, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, paid parental leave, cellphone and mileage stipends, and support for professional development opportunities.  

The Client provides a hybrid working environment (2 days in office) that gives staff the flexibility to work remotely when not required for in-person meetings or tasks. Occasional evening and weekend hours may be required to support the organization's events and initiatives.