Chief Financial Officer

NAFSA Association of International Educators•Washington DC, DC

2d•$220,000

About The Position

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer will join the association’s senior leadership team and provide executive leadership for financial strategy and planning to ensure financial stability and growth. In addition, the position provides day-to-day oversight of the association's finance, conference and meeting planning, technology, membership, marketing, and business operations. Chief Financial Officer is also responsible for entrepreneurial growth of the association. Overseeing the annual operating budget of $16 million and an investment portfolio of $10 to $12 million, the Chief Financial Officer is responsible for finances, budget and accounting, audit and taxes, investments, risk management, purchasing, security, technology, membership, and marketing, and occasionally acts as a liaison with outside legal counsel on association business and the contractual work related to the association’s annual conference.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field.
A minimum of 15 years of experience with demonstrated success in a senior financial leadership role in a nonprofit, or higher education organization.
Sophisticated financial management skill: sound technical background and knowledge in all aspects of finance.
Knowledgeable of not-for-profit accounting and requirements of 501(c)(3) organization.
Strong leadership and analytic skills in developing and managing budgets, financial reporting and forecasting, performance measurement metrics, and benchmarks.
A combination of fiscal conservatism and financial creativity.
Demonstrated capacity to oversee business services, including facilities, procurement, contracts, including conference facilities contracts, technology, and marketing.
Strong strategic and entrepreneurial skills to identify opportunities, evaluate, and take calculated risks to develop new products, programs, and other sources of revenue.

Nice To Haves

MBA or related advance degree strongly preferred.
CPA strongly preferred.
Strong executive presence, professional and personal confidence and maturity.
Open, accessible leadership style encouraging free exchange of ideas and full discussion differing points of view.
Collegial and able to work effectively in a consultative environment and with teams.
Results oriented and creative problem solver.
Comfortable working with a high degree of autonomy and responsibility.
Flexible and adaptable.
Excellent interpersonal skills.
Strong negotiating skills.
Doing what it takes to get the job done.
Highest degree of ethics and integrity.
Works toward the greater good of the association and doing what is right for the organization and employees.
Ability to be a strong contributor to the senior leadership team, and develop an outstanding working relationship with senior management, the Board, and peers.
Demonstrated success in managing people, building strong and effective teams, mentoring and delegating, retaining staff, and attracting new talent.
Ability to build a culture of superior customer service.
Business acumen with the ability to lead and support change initiatives, develop innovative ways of doing business, re-engineer business processes for greater effectiveness or cost savings, and plan for long-term needs.
Excellent written communication and presentation skills.
Able to effectively communicate financial, statistical and other complex information to diverse audiences.
A strong commitment to transparency and willingness to share information and to educate the staff on finances and budget management.
Proven ability to make difficult decisions informed by data and input from a variety of constituencies.
Support of International education and the Business of NAFSA: An interest in and support of the mission and understanding the “business model.”

Responsibilities

Manages the overall finances and financial health of the association.
Prepares, manages, and oversees the annual operating budget of approximately $21 million.
Assists departments in understanding and preparing their budgets and annual plans, and presents the budget to the Board.
Recommends modifications in operations as required to maintain financial health.
Provides regular, timely financial reports, statistical analysis, dashboard and benchmarks of budget and operations to the Executive Director, Board, and senior managers.
Continually enhances reporting systems to ensure accurate financial and operations reporting to inform sound decision-making.
Develops strong relations with the Board and serves as primary liaison to the Board’s Finance and Audit Committee.
Manages treasury-related activities and investments.
Oversees financial risk management strategies, insurance, and planning.
Insures appropriate external audits, tax filings, regulatory reporting, and full compliance with all federal laws and regulations that apply to 501(c)(3) organizations.
With Senior Director/Strategic Partnerships, create and maintain systems for tracking and monitoring donations and gifts from external partners.
Oversees the conference and meeting planning team to ensure the efficient and cost-effective production of NAFSA’s Annual Conference & Expo as well as numerous other virtual and in-house meetings and events.
Ensures that all contracts related to current and future conferences serve the needs of and minimize risk for the association.
Provide strategic oversight of NAFSA’s technology initiatives aimed at business continuity, business process efficiency and enhanced member experiences.
Identify technology solution that support key strategic growth initiatives related to conference management, regional infrastructure, office/mobile computing, data analytics, association management systems, advocacy promotion, human resources management, etc.
Provide strategic leadership for NAFSA’s membership recruitment, renewal, and retention strategy.
Ensure that membership continues to drive a significant proportion of NAFSA’s overall annual revenue by constantly assessing and enhancing the membership value proposition.
In consultation with the Management Team, strategically leverage the work of other departments as part of a cohesive, integrated membership value proposition.
In a cross-functional collaboration with senior leadership and key stakeholders, establish membership goals, develop strategy, and devise metrics necessary to meet or exceed established recruitment goals and drive organizational sustainability.
Serves as a key member of the association’s senior management team.
Establishes strong working relations with members of the senior management team and staff throughout the association.
Works collaboratively to resolve problems and build consensus across the association.
Provides financial leadership in support of planning and strategy for new business ventures and new programmatic initiatives.
Provides leadership to the development of the strategic plan with senior management and the Board.
Serves as primary liaison with corporate attorneys on all matters related to contracts, personnel, and protection of corporate identity.
Serves as a role model in supporting the association’s mission, vision, and values.
Provide strategic leadership for institution-wide brand, marketing, and promotions.
Ensure alignment of multi-year strategic marketing and promotions plan with program priorities and NAFSA’s strategic plan.
Collaborate with executive leadership to ensure appropriate service deliver to program, product, and service departments that contribute to progressive revenue growth.
Work closely with Technology Solutions and Communications teams to provide strategic oversight for NAFSA’s extensive Web presences, email marketing, and social media channels and ensure that they are leveraged to strategically position NAFSA’s full range of offerings.