Global Accounting Services Chief Financial Officer

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Seattle, WA

3d•$368,500 - $571,100•Onsite

About The Position

The Foundation is the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world. Founded on a simple premise: people everywhere, regardless of identity or circumstances, should have the chance to live healthy, productive lives. We believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve. We provide an exceptional benefits package to employees and their families which include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with no premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, foundation-paid retirement contribution, regional holidays, and opportunities to engage in several employee communities. As a workplace, we’re committed to creating an environment for you to thrive both personally and professionally. The Team Global Financial & Accounting Services (GFAS) is a core function within the Finance & Resource Planning (F&RP) division of the foundation. The F&RP division comprises approximately 200 professionals across a broad range of financial disciplines, with GFAS representing a team of approximately 40 employees worldwide. GFAS serves as the steward of the foundation’s financial integrity, operational excellence, and global compliance infrastructure. The team provides strategic leadership and enterprise-wide services across financial reporting, technical accounting, internal controls, tax strategy and compliance, treasury and investment operations, international payroll, and employee expense management. With operations spanning multiple countries and affiliated entities, GFAS enables the foundation to operate effectively at global scale while safeguarding its reputation through the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and innovation. The team’s vision is to deliver scalable, forward-looking financial solutions that strengthen decision-making, enable mission delivery, and support long-term organizational resilience. This position will be based out of the Seattle, Washington HQ Your Role As the Global Accounting Services Chief Financial Officer, you will report directly to the CFO and serve as a key member of the foundation’s financial leadership team based in Seattle, WA. In this highly strategic role, you will lead global accounting, tax, treasury, payroll, and financial compliance functions for one of the world’s largest private foundations, overseeing more than $89 billion in assets and operations across multiple international offices and affiliated entities — where financial stewardship is inseparable from the foundation's commitment to improving lives worldwide. You will provide executive leadership for a globally distributed organization of approximately 40 professionals located across Seattle, Washington D.C., Delhi, Beijing, and Nairobi. Your organization is responsible for annual disbursements exceeding $8 billion, global payroll operations, global payments, enterprise accounting, tax and regulatory compliance, treasury operations, employee expense management, audit coordination, and financial governance. This role requires a visionary leader who can balance operational rigor with strategic transformation. You will partner closely with executive leadership, investment managers, country office leaders, trustees, and affiliated organizations to ensure world-class financial stewardship, scalable financial systems and controls, and enterprise-wide risk management. You will also play a critical role in modernizing financial operations, including advancing AI-enabled capabilities, strengthening global processes, and building organizational capacity for the future. You will regularly present to the Audit & Finance Committee, and senior executives, helping shape financial policy, governance standards, and operational strategy across the foundation and its related entities worldwide.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent demonstrated experience in finance, accounting, business, or a related field.
CPA required.
Significant executive-level finance and accounting leadership experience within complex, global organizations.
Deep expertise in global accounting operations, tax strategy, financial reporting, treasury management, internal controls, and regulatory compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
Proven ability to lead large-scale transformation initiatives, including systems modernization, process optimization, and organizational change management.
Strong strategic orientation with the ability to translate complex financial information into actionable insights for diverse stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience advising senior executives, boards, audit committees, and cross-functional leaders.
Advanced understanding of enterprise risk management, governance frameworks, and financial controls.
Experience managing complex multi-entity financial structures — such as a foundation paired with a separate endowment trust, subsidiaries, or affiliated investment vehicles — each operating under distinct governance and regulatory frameworks.
Demonstrated experience presenting to and working with audit committees, boards of trustees, or equivalent governance bodies — including the ability to translate complex financial matters into clear, accessible narratives for non-financial audiences.
Exceptional collaboration and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust and alignment across geographically distributed teams and functions.
Strong people leadership experience, including building inclusive teams, developing talent, and leading through complexity and change.
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage technical and non-technical audiences alike.
Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located.
The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring written submission or other immigration support from the foundation (e.g., H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Nice To Haves

Advancing AI-enabled capabilities
Strengthening global processes
Building organizational capacity for the future

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership for the foundation’s global accounting, tax, treasury, payroll, and financial compliance functions.
Shape and execute a long-term strategic vision for global financial operations that supports organizational growth, innovation, and mission impact.
Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership, country office directors, and leaders of affiliated entities on financial strategy, risk management, and operational excellence.
Establish accounting policies and governance standards across international offices, subsidiaries, and related organizations.
Build strong, collaborative partnerships with colleagues across the foundation and externally.
Ensure compliance with U.S. GAAP, IFRS, tax regulations, and applicable local statutory requirements across all jurisdictions.
Maintain a strong internal control environment and oversee enterprise-wide financial risk management practices including focus on self-dealing and excess business holding regulations.
Lead the preparation and oversight of financial statements, regulatory filings, audits, and supporting documentation.
Oversee monthly and annual close processes and coordinate effectively with internal and external auditors.
Monitor evolving regulatory and accounting standards and drive continuous improvement in financial policies and procedures.
Coordinate key touchpoints with investment management team at the foundation trust and other funding entities.
Lead global business transformation initiatives, including the integration of AI-enabled tools, automation, and modern financial systems.
Drive operational excellence through scalable processes, streamlined workflows, and data-driven decision-making.
Partner with cross-functional leaders on enterprise initiatives spanning global operations, facilities, retirement plans, crisis management, and business continuity.
Oversee treasury and insurance operations to ensure effective liquidity management and enterprise risk mitigation.
Support the establishment and operational launch of new entities and international offices, including financial infrastructure, controls, and governance.
Lead and develop a globally distributed team grounded in accountability, trust, and belonging, where every team member can contribute fully.
Foster an inclusive culture where employees can thrive, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to the foundation’s mission.
Build organizational capability to effectively leverage emerging technologies, automation, and advanced analytics.
Set clear strategic priorities, align resources to organizational goals, and support talent development and succession planning.
Model inclusive leadership behaviors and equitable decision-making while addressing complex organizational challenges with diplomacy and clarity.