Director of Financial Strategy (Temporary)

Community Economic Defense Project•Denver, CO

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP) partners with low-income and working people to build economic and racial equity by confronting economic abuse and investing in community wealth. CEDP is a Colorado-based nonprofit launched in 2020 as the COVID-19 Eviction Defense Project. Our team now serves more than 1,000 people per month, bringing together housing lawyers, economists, data analysts, policy-experts, organizers, and technologists to serve our clients. We have served more than 60,000 low-income Coloradans across 58 counties, distributing over $230 million in emergency assistance. We have also contributed to the passage of major legislation to prevent eviction, stop economic abuse, and make credit and life-saving medication cheaper. CEDP’s model has been cited as a best practice by The White House, HUD, the Urban Institute, and in the media. Building on our work to stop evictions, CEDP has further expanded its integrated services model to include disaster response, predatory towing, debt collection, benefit access & navigation, long-term rental assistance, and homelessness response. Similar to CEDP’s work on rental housing, these efforts offer a continuum of care that includes navigation and advisory services, targeted payments, legal support, and the ability to participate in advocacy. The Director of Financial Strategy at CEDP will be a temporary role that would report to the VP of Strategy. This role would be the financial expert partner to a review and transformation effort at CEDP over the next six months, working closely with the CFO and other executive leadership team members.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive finance leadership and 3+ years in internal audit, financial strategy, or as a senior financial leader is preferable
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
Candidates must reside in Colorado, ideally within the greater Denver Metro area.
All employees at CEDP & CED Law are expected to maintain current vaccination status in keeping with CDC recommendations.

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

As-is process documentation and assessment: Lead the detailed documentation and assessment of current workflows across grants management, payables, general ledger, and accounting.
To-be process drafting: Provide full-time support to process owners in drafting any new SOPs and ensure process documentation meets organizational needs and grant compliance requirements.
KPI & accountability system development: Take the lead on setting updated KPIs and standards across various business functions.
Financial Assistance in-house roadmap: Support CFO and Director of Compliance in drafting and revising the roadmap for bringing in-house off-site check printing, ensuring alignment with internal controls.
Implementation management & training: Serve as a project manager and technical trainer for staff during the rollout of new SOPs, including the development and delivery of this training.
Handover memo support: Support drafting of a detailed final handover memo, including detailed process maps and control matrices, prior to the end of temporary role.
Automation: Support or lead initiatives to automate information flow where possible.
Cost Savings: Identify opportunities to reduce costs and streamline processes.