Chief Financial Officer

Oceana Inc • Washington, DC

3d • $270,000 - $290,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Oceana is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the organization's global finance and information technology functions. This role is both highly strategic and deeply hands-on, requiring a leader who can set vision and direction while also engaging directly in execution, problem-solving, and day-to-day decision-making. The CFO reports directly to the CEO and partners closely with the Senior Vice President, the Executive Committee, and other senior leaders which includes Oceana’s country leaders and department heads. The CFO plays a critical role in aligning financial strategy and operational execution with the organization’s mission, ensuring that systems, people, and resources are effectively positioned to support impact globally.
The CFO oversees Oceana's financial operations across all global offices, ensuring operational integrity, sound governance, transparency, and compliance with US GAAP standards and applicable laws in each country where Oceana operates. Key responsibilities include managing independent financial audits in each country as well as a consolidated international audit, and overseeing grant reporting, expense allocation, funding proposals, and grant compliance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in finance and operations within a global nonprofit organization
• Demonstrated ability to operate both strategically and hands-on, with a willingness to engage in detailed work when needed
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning
• Experience overseeing global and distributed teams
• Experience managing operational functions such as IT, administration, and risk
• Familiarity with donor-funded environments
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive solutions
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Nice To Haves

• MBA or other advanced degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience
• CPA is highly preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of Oceana’s global financial strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities
• Directly oversee and actively engage in annual budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes
• Review and refine financial models, budgets, and reporting to ensure accuracy, clarity, and usability
• Oversee the annual budgeting process, as well as budget reporting
• Establish and maintain a strong financial and operational control environment, including compliance, audit readiness, and timely escalation of financial and operational risks across all offices
• Provide clear, actionable financial insights, performance reporting, and decision support to the CEO, executive leadership, and the Board
• Assist the CEO and Board of Directors in financial planning, forecasting and assessment
• Serve as the senior decision-maker for complex finance and accounting matters, including technical accounting, accounting policy, and other cross-functional issues that require clear ownership and direction
• Manage cash and investments
• Step in as needed to troubleshoot financial issues, close gaps, and support the team during peak periods
• Lead and develop a high-performing, globally distributed team, balancing delegation with active engagement
• Establish clear ownership and decision rights across departments and country offices, institutionalizing processes and governance to enable scalability
• Directly manage 6 direct reports, including senior-level finance and IT professionals
• Manage a global network of financial leaders across 11 country offices (called Office Administrators or Directors of Finance and Administration)
• Provide hands-on support and coach leaders and teams to strengthen independent judgement, issue resolution, and technical problem-solving beyond routine processes
• Support the Global Controller with oversight of the network of Office Administrators/Directors of Finance in local country offices
• Foster a culture of accountability, responsiveness, critical thinking, and continuous improvement
• Provide strategic and operational oversight of Global Operational Services, including IT, grants and budgets, and risk management related to finance and IT
• Identify inefficiencies and directly lead efforts to streamline processes and improve execution
• Partner with teams across the organization to solve operational challenges in real time
• Supervise Oceana’s Information Technology department, which handles our equipment, network, data storage, software, and telecommunications. IT also supports the selection, development, and implementation of financial data systems
• Lead the development and execution of IT strategy, ensuring systems effectively support organizational goals and global operations
• Drive system effectiveness by identifying and reducing redundancies, improving integration, and streamlining the overall technology landscape
• Partner closely with IT leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to prioritize and implement system improvements
• Engage directly in evaluating tools, vendors, and system changes that improve organizational effectiveness
• Ensure strong data governance, cybersecurity practices, and appropriate controls across enterprise systems
• Oversee budgeting and operational planning, ensuring strong alignment with organizational priorities and financial strategy
• Ensure accurate, timely and decision-useful financial reporting to leadership and the Board, ensuring accountability, and performance tracking across teams
• Support the development of tools and processes that improve visibility into organizational performance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior