Posted on February 14, 2012

print

Chief Financial Officer

Launched more than 20 years ago, Making Waves Foundation is an educational preparation program that has seen unparalleled success in propelling children in underserved communities through the entire educational process to college graduation. Making Waves Education Program, a nonprofit organization based in Richmond, Calif., currently operates two large-scale, comprehensive after-school programs at the Making Waves Education Centers in Richmond and San Francisco and, in 2007, established in Richmond the first Making Waves Academy, a public charter school for students in grades five through eight. To date, Making Waves has changed the lives of more than 1,000 students and plans to broaden its reach substantially through development of new education centers and charter schools in California and around the nation. For more information, please visit www.making-waves.org.

Position Overview

Making Waves is currently seeking a highly experienced, entrepreneurial and dynamic individual to serve as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the organization and its affiliate structure. The primary responsibility of this position will be to lead the finance and administration functions of the organization while building the underlying infrastructure needed to support a quickly growing, multifaceted organization. With primary responsibility for the financial operations of the overall organization, the CFO reports directly to the Executive Director and serves as a strategic advisor to the Executive Director, senior leadership team and Board of Directors. The CFO will manage a highly capable and dynamic team and will be directly responsible for all strategic and tactical matters as they relate to financial management (including accounting, audit, budget planning, control and reporting), as well as compliance and recognition for federal and state contracts and private grants. This is a highly strategic position which requires strong financial management and analytical skills, as well as a deep commitment to the mission of ensuring academic success and opportunity for young people from low-income communities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the organization in strategic financial planning, including forecasting, budgeting and analysis; oversee cash, investment, and asset management
• Develop and implement forward-looking, predictive models and activity-based financial analyses to provide insight into the organization’s operations and business plans
• Oversee all fiscal reporting activities for the organization while expanding upon analysis capabilities to support decision making, improve performance, and drive business growth
• Work with the Executive Director, senior leadership team, and Board of Directors, to create short, medium, and long-term financial plan for the organization including identifying new funding opportunities; serve as a strategic advisor to the Executive Director on all finance and operations issues
• Ensure accurate and timely information sharing with internal stakeholders and compliance with the standards and reporting requirements of external stakeholders, including auditors, financial institutions, investors, foundation executives, and public officials
• Oversee the accounting department to ensure proper maintenance of all accounting systems, internal controls, and procedures; ensure legal and regulatory compliance regarding all financial functions
• Remain up-to-date on nonprofit audit best practices and state and federal law regarding nonprofit operations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience running all aspects of an organization’s financial operations, preferably in a complex enterprise; previous experience in a CFO role highly preferred
• Significant experience in or knowledge of nonprofit and public school accounting, including fund and grant accounting, compliance, and reporting; understanding of the OMB Circular A133 audit
• Demonstrated success building systems and tools to support organizational growth
• Leadership and organizational management skills including team building and staff supervision; ability to partner with executive staff to develop and implement creative financial management strategies
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to engage and inspire a wide range of audiences
• Strong organizational skills, with outstanding attention to detail
• Strategic, analytical approach and abstract reasoning skills, combined with a collaborative interpersonal style and a strong customer service orientation
• Professional or volunteer board experience with education or nonprofit organizations with a budget of at least $15 million strongly preferred
• Deep commitment to the work and mission of Making Waves
• Bachelor’s Degree and CPA or equivalent experience required; MBA strongly preferred

Application Instructions

Please upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position, in Word format, to Glenn Holsclaw at http://jobs.cgcareers.org/application.aspx?id=1863 . Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Making Waves is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

About Commongood Careers: Making Waves has partnered with Commongood Careers to conduct the search for a Chief Financial Officer. Commongood Careers is a mission-driven search firm that supports the hiring needs of the nation’s most innovative and high-performing nonprofit organizations. Since its founding in 2006, Commongood Careers has completed over 500 searches at 150 organizations in 26 states. Founded and staffed by nonprofit professionals, Commongood Careers offers personalized, engaged services to jobseekers and organizations throughout the hiring process, as well as access to a wealth of knowledge about nonprofit careers. Learn more about nonprofit jobs at Commongood Careers.