Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) is a community-based, not-for-profit organization founded in 1979. NMIC has grown into a leading multi-service agency with over 140 staff members serving New York City with a focus on upper Manhattan and the Bronx. NMIC’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of the people in its community on their journey to secure a prosperous future. Integration is the cornerstone of NMIC’s programs. Its staff identify and address a broad array of immediate needs through comprehensive crisis intervention services. With matters resolved, clients move seamlessly to capacity building services through holistic programs designed to transition individuals and families to self-sufficiency.

Legal, Organizing, Advocacy, and Weatherization programs meet community members’ basic needs including legal representation in immigration related matters, housing, financial services and health related matters.
Education & Career Services programs impart individual community members with the practical tools necessary to build secure and prosperous futures.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Chief Financial & Administrative Officer (CFAO) is a newly refined position on the Senior Leadership team and plays a critical role in overseeing the financial and administrative functions of NMIC. The CFAO position requires a strategic, operational, and results-oriented leader who has deep experience managing financial strategy and operations and overseeing administrative functions to drive organizational efficiency. The CFAO must be both a true financial and operational thought leader for NMIC and a pragmatic “doer” with exceptional strategic change management and collaboration skills.

The CFAO reports to the Executive Director (ED) and they, along with the Deputy Executive Director (DED), constitute the executive leadership team (ELT) and meet weekly. The ELT expands to the Senior Leadership Team with the inclusion of the three program directors and directors of HR, Finance, and Development. The CFAO works closely with the Board and the Senior Leadership Team to drive strategic direction and sustainable growth, and to enhance organizational effectiveness to support the organization's mission. The CFAO will serve as an ex-officio member of the Finance/Audit Committee, and other Board Committees as requested. The CFAO will provide strategic financial and operational leadership to enable informed decision making and resource allocation, optimize internal operations, and foster cross-departmental collaboration. The CFAO has three direct reports (Finance, HR and Operations), with a total team of 20 professionals. S/he will build and maintain strong relationships with all members of staff across the organization, in particular the finance leads in the various programs, and will serve as their internal advocate. The CFAO will prioritize infrastructure needs and incorporate into each function the necessary ownership governance, control and guardianship processes, including legal, compliance, and risk management.

The CFAO should be an inspirational, hands-on, data-driven leader who promotes reliance on data across Finance, HR, Operations, and Programs to support decision-making, monitor trends, and proactively identify areas for improvement. The CFAO will prioritize the effective operations of the finance team, leading a culture change in accountability and responsibly. Additionally, s/he supports the establishment of policies that promote NMICs vision and culture and ensure its financial health. This role will have a comprehensive range of responsibilities including general oversight, coordination, and control of policies, processes, and compliance relating to finance and accounting, grants and contracts, HR, information technology, and facilities management. The CFAO and the finance and administrative teams will continuously evaluate and develop innovative and strategic opportunities to improve the finance and administrative functions to support the organization and its mission.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial Strategy and Planning

Serve as the strategic finance leader, thought partner, and advisor to the ED and DED and develop a key working relationship with the Head of Development.
Lead efforts to develop the department into a trusted entity producing clear, accurate, timely, and actionable data and analyses to promote informed decision-making and rigorous financial management across the organization.
Prepare and present financial strategy, forecasting, and reporting to the Finance Committee, Board of Directors, Senior Leadership Team, and key stakeholders.
Lead the annual and multi-year budgeting processes in coordination with the organizational planning processes to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and resource allocation.
Partner with program leaders to measure financial performance, optimize resource allocation, and evaluate return on mission.
Provide strategic financial oversight and partner with the DED to drive long-term financial planning and risk management by developing forecasting models and scenario plans to anticipate risks and opportunities, and to balance financial sustainability with program growth, including reserve management and capital strategy.

Financial Management and Operations

Lead and develop a team comprised of both employees and outsourced staff from RSM. Assist the Director of Finance in the management and oversight of RSM, including fostering collaboration between NMIC and outsourced staff.
Oversee the Director of Finance in the development and leadership of an annual budget process. Maintain comprehensive knowledge, both documented and experiential, to provide effective backup.
Streamline AR conversion cycle to ensure adequate cash flow to support operations, the cash monetization of unrestricted net assets, and the development of an investment account.
Direct the preparation of all financial statements, including balance sheet, P/L, and variance reports for all Departments, Programs, and Grants.
Oversee and help coordinate the timely completion of annual audits, 990 preparation, and regulatory reporting.
Serve as the primary contact for external auditors, compliance reviews, and financial stakeholders.
Willingly step in temporarily to support operations during staffing transitions or critical needs.

Human Resources

Evaluate current HR policies, systems and processes, and, in coordination with the Director of Human Resources and the Senior Leadership Team, determine future needs in recruitment, on/off boarding, professional development, performance management, total compensation design, and employee engagement.
Ensure HR policies and procedures are informed by best practices and are fair, transparent, consistently applied, and aligned with NMIC’s culture and values.
Support the Director of Human Resources in prioritizing and implementing new initiatives that will further modernize HR services, optimize resources, and ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements.
Ensure performance management, recognition and coaching/corrective practices are implemented to foster a culture of continuous improvement, personal growth and teamwork while supporting agency goals.
With the Director of Human Resources, soundly administrate NMIC’s benefit plans.
Assist the Senior Leadership Team in developing future leadership through selection, coaching, and mentoring.

Operations

Translate organization vision and strategy into policies, directives, and procedures. Manage the operations of NMIC in line with strategic goals and key performance metrics.
Ensure that robust internal systems and processes are in place to support NMIC’s mission-driven work. Hold departmental leads accountable for independently maintaining high standards.
Serve as the executive lead for contracts and vendor relationships affecting operations.
With the Senior Leadership Team, develop organizational performance goals, design and implement infrastructure improvements, focusing on operational resilience, process efficiency, and reducing single points of failure.
Supervise the Operations Manager in the management and oversight of Solarus, NMIC’s outsourced IT service provider. Ensure clarity around roles, responsibilities and accountabilities.
In coordination with the Operations Manager, continually evaluate IT infrastructure and related policies and processes against changing business needs.
Review and determine, in coordination with the Senior Leadership Team, information needs and systems that improve productivity, reduce risk, and optimize business processes.
Source, secure, implement, and maintain tech solutions that span departments and functional areas of the organization.
Ensure the NMIC information and data are secure.
Supervise the Operations Manager in ensuring that the organization’s physical environment, in two locations, is safe, well-maintained, and efficiently operated. This includes vendor management, space planning, security and procurement (NMIC has a Triple Net Lease at its main location at 45 Wadsworth Avenue. As such, the Facilities Department is responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement of all significant systems and machines)

QUALIFICATIONS:

The ideal candidate will be a successful sitting CFAO, CFO or other senior finance leader (i.e., strong #2) who has significant experience in a comparable non-profit with similar scale and complexity to NMIC. This individual will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with a senior leadership team and to implement creative financial management strategies and other value-added administrative processes and practices. The person will have a strong finance foundation and experience working effectively with Boards, external partners/service providers, and a wide range of internal colleagues. This CFAO must demonstrate a record of accomplishment of being both mission and culture driven AND performance driven, including achieving operational and strategic goals.

The winning candidate should possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

Passion for NMIC’s mission and values.
A bachelor’s degree and a CPA are required, an advanced degree in a related field is a plus.
At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit finance, including at least three years in a CFO role (or five years in a Controller/Director of Finance role at a larger organization).
Experience managing large, complex public sector grant portfolios; with emphasis on cost reimbursement contracts. NMIC is 95% public sector funded (federal, NY State, and NY City).
Experience overseeing human resources and operations functions in a complex, mission-driven organization strongly preferred.
Experience working closely with the ED, Executive Leadership Team, and Board in developing strategy, best practices, and policies of a comparable / larger organization by anticipating market trends and leveraging expertise to advance the organization.
Excellent analytical, strategic, abstract-reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. The ability and willingness to meaningfully engage with new information, explain it clearly to others, and apply it to decision making is at least as critical as existing experience.
Strong foundation in accounting, audit, and compliance, combined with demonstrated success performing complex analysis of financial data and assessing financially related business capabilities, identifying gaps and recommending solutions.
Proven record of developing, implementing and sustaining financial systems, budget processes, and administrative infrastructure that support organizational growth and sustainability.
Advanced organizational and project management skills, able to multitask, prioritize, and manage competing demands in a dynamic environment.
Collaborative leader who has demonstrated a strong balance of hands-on operational / technical finance management with strategic financial and operational leadership. Able to stay close to the details while also able to contribute at a broader level.
Consistent record of attracting, motivating, mentoring, developing, and retaining high performing talent at all levels, both on an individual and team basis.
Fosters collaboration, accountability, and professional development and can prioritize competing needs.
Delivers tough messages and negotiate conflicts with grace.
Demonstrated record of achievement in change management.
Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills that resonate well with both financially savvy and less financially astute individuals. Confident and effective at communicating across all levels of the organization, presenting to Boards and other diverse internal and external constituencies. Ability to translate financial and operational information into actionable insights for diverse audiences.
A leader with whom people enjoy working and respect. Brings a healthy balance of confidence and humility. Unquestioned personal and professional integrity.
Strong listening skills, empathy, patience, and the ability to lead through influence and by example.
Demonstrated engagement and initiative with organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts both internally and externally. Values diverse perspectives and designs approaches to fit the team members’ needs.
Proficiency with technology, including standard productivity tools (Office 365 preferred), accounting tools (Sage Intacct and Martus preferred), and databases (Salesforce preferred). A willingness to identify and employ AI-driven solutions to benefit the organization.

SALARY/BENEFITS:

The salary for this position is: $200K - $225K, plus a potential bonus for achieving goals defined upon hire.

NMIC offers comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, life, and disability insurance; paid time off including 20 vacation days, 15 sick days, 5 personal days, and 12 agency holidays; a 401k with agency contribution; and other benefits.

NMIC IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

NMIC provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and/or any other protected characteristic under applicable law. Individuals from underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply.

NMIC (Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation) jobs

Chief Financial & Administrative Officer (CFAO)

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