Chief Financial Officer

Community Economic Defense Project • Denver, CO

24d • $150,000 - $192,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will serve as a core member of CEDP’s executive team, responsible for securing the organization’s financial sustainability, instilling operational excellence, and informing program strategy. The CFO will play a central role in steering CEDP through a volatile funding and budget environment while still pursuing targeted opportunities for growth. The ideal candidate will be both a strategist and an operator—someone who can establish a long-term financial strategy, clearly communicate it and galvanize a team around it. This pivotal leadership role is ideal for a nonprofit executive who thrives in complex, fast-paced, mission-driven environments, and has experience navigating complex public funding, audits, and compliance landscapes.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive finance leadership and 3+ years in a CFO or executive role in a nonprofit or mission-oriented organization
• Proven ability to recruit strong talent, lead high-performing teams, develop capable leaders, and manage low performers
• Exceptional communication skills; demonstrated ability to distill complex financial information into actionable insights for diverse audiences
• Extensive experience managing publicly funded programs, multi-grant billing, and complex reporting requirements
• Experience with external auditors, compliance management, and regulatory oversight; knowledge of federal audit standards and GAAP accounting is required
• Expertise in strategic planning, budgeting & forecasting, financial analysis, and risk management
• Advanced proficiency with Excel / Google Sheets, QuickBooks, and other analytics and reporting softwares

Nice To Haves

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year university or equivalent professional experience
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation
• Knowledge of the affordable housing landscape including regulatory environment, compliance, leading organizations, and major funders
• Experience raising loan capital and/or writing grants and proposals is a strong plus

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of a proactive long-term financial strategy to promote organizational sustainability and resilience
• Translate complex financial data into accessible and actionable insights for executives, funders, and board members
• Develop and manage annual budgets and multi-year financial plans aligned with programmatic goals and funding expectations
• Build and institutionalize financial forecasting, variance analysis, and cash flow management tools
• Proactively identify and mitigate financial risks, providing timely financial guidance to the management team
• Oversee all grant accounting and reporting, maintaining strict compliance with specific government grant requirements
• Ensure timely and accurate billing across 20+ public and private grants in close collaboration with program leadership
• Lead comprehensive interim and year-end financial audits in conjunction with external auditors, ensuring clean audits with no findings and no concerns
• Develop standardized, repeatable processes for operational activities across accounting, reporting, and forecasting
• Adhere to a timely and accurate month-end close process and management reporting cadence
• Pursue opportunities for continuous improvement, process streamlining, and operating cost reductions
• Partner closely with the rest of CEDP’s executive team, including the Co-Founders and Chief Program Officer, to infuse financial guidance into strategic decision-making
• Communicate the organization’s financial status and insights to the rest of the organization, the Board of Directors, funders, and other stakeholders
• Own relationships with external audits, banks, and government agencies
• Lead, manage, and develop a team of experienced financial professionals, ensuring clarity of roles and effective delegation of responsibilities
• Institute a culture of ownership, accuracy, accountability, and continuous improvement within the Finance department

Benefits

• competitive pay
• flexible time off
• a benefits package (including medical, dental, vision)
• 401k
• Employees who utilize two languages or more at work are eligible for a $2,000 salary differential per year added to the salary grade listed above. For qualified roles, language assessment will be conducted by the organization as a requirement to receive the differential
• All employees are eligible for a technology stipend of $720 per year. Alternatively, they may opt out of the stipend and receive an organization-issued cell phone instead.

What This Job Offers

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