Vice President of Finance & Operations

EMERGE Fellowship•Houston, TX

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

EMERGE is seeking a Vice President of Finance & Operations to join its executive leadership team and lead the organization’s financial and operational foundation. Reporting to the CEO, this leader oversees financial strategy and management, risk and compliance, technology and infrastructure, employment administration, and shared services. The role includes direct leadership of the Director of Finance, Director of Event Operations, and Director of Administration and Operations, as well as outsourced partners. This is a build role as EMERGE develops a three-year strategic plan, diversifies its revenue model, and invests in the talent and systems needed for growth. The VP owns the financial architecture behind the plan, including multi-year financial modeling, delivery-tier unit economics, cost modeling, and scenario planning. The VP also sets the infrastructure roadmap for technology, contracts, policies, and administrative systems that can scale with the organization. The position is based in Houston, Texas, with a hybrid work arrangement. It is full-time and exempt.

Requirements

At least 8 years of progressive experience, including some senior leadership across finance and operations.
Experience owning an organizational budget or P&L and presenting financials to a finance committee or board without a CFO present.
Fluency in nonprofit accounting, restricted funds, audits, and cash management.
A track record of building durable operational infrastructure, including controls, policies, contracts, technology, and administrative systems.
Sound judgment regarding risk, compliance, and vendor relationships.
Experience leading and developing senior staff while remaining hands-on in a small, resource-constrained team.
Ability to translate financial and operational information for non-financial audiences, including program staff, the CEO, and the board.
Ability to uphold standards and say no while maintaining productive relationships with program and development leaders.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Deep commitment to EMERGE’s mission and the scholars it serves.

Nice To Haves

CPA, MBA, or an equivalent finance credential is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and own EMERGE’s multi-year cash flow model and establish scenario planning as an annual practice.
Develop unit economics for each delivery tier and a cost model to assess serving more scholars, changing service delivery, or expanding into new markets.
Own the annual budget process and manage financial guardrails, including program-to-overhead allocation, cash reserves, forecast accuracy, and expense-release gates tied to secured revenue.
Produce financial models, pricing, and cost-to-serve analyses for the three-year strategic plan and earned-revenue strategy, in partnership with the CEO and Managing Director of Data & Impact.
Lead the Director of Finance and outsourced accounting, audit, and tax partners to deliver timely monthly closes, a clean audit, and documented, consistently followed internal controls.
Adopt and implement spending and financial policies, including approval thresholds and delegated authority, and ensure budget managers are trained.
Staff the Finance Committee and present financial reporting, variance explanations, and recommendations to the board at the appropriate level of detail.
Oversee monthly financial reconciliation with Development, grant financial reporting, earned-revenue billing and receivables, and district contract invoicing.
Direct the risk register, insurance program, and compliance calendar; ensure regulatory and filing obligations are met and escalate material risks to the CEO and board early.
Establish standards for contract management, including contract inventory, assigned owners and renewal dates, standard templates, and consistent execution across departments.
Manage outside counsel and legal matters related to finance, audits, and funder agreements.
Lead an operational assessment during the first 90 days and establish an infrastructure roadmap covering technology vendors, document management, and standardized onboarding and offboarding.
Set standards for the technology stack, ensuring core systems have a named owner, support path, and maintenance rhythm.
Own the IT vendor relationship and contract terms; day-to-day system access, maintenance, and IT support requests are assigned to the Director of Administration.
Set policy and strategy for employment administration; payroll, benefits, HRIS, filings, and handbook execution are assigned to the Director of Administration.
Set documented standards for onboarding and offboarding operations in partnership with the VP of Impact and People; the Director of Administration handles execution.
Own the facilities budget and key vendor relationships; day-to-day facilities operations, the building relationship, and board meeting logistics are assigned to the Director of Administration.
Lead Event Operations as a shared service, maintain standards for intensity levels and lead times, and make portfolio-level tradeoffs among departmental requests.
Partner with program and development staff to address problems early, find workable solutions within organizational rules, and communicate when rules require declining a request.
Lead and develop the finance, events, and operations team, including two directors and outsourced partners.
Set clear expectations, foster a culture of documentation and follow-through, and sequence organizational work so teams understand what will be built first and what will wait.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Short-term disability insurance
Long-term disability insurance
Life insurance
403(b) retirement plan with employer match
27 paid time off days
18 organizational holidays
Opportunity to build and lead the financial and operational foundation of a nationally recognized organization during a defining chapter