Job Title: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Reports to: President and CEO
Location/Duty Station: Washington, D.C. or Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts
Terms: Full Time
Duration: Permanent
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is a global nonprofit helping animals and people thrive together. The organization comprises experts and everyday people, working across seas, oceans, and in more than 40 countries around the world. IFAW rescues, rehabilitates, and releases animals, and it restores and protects their natural habitats. The problems we are up against are urgent and complicated. To solve them, IFAW matches fresh thinking with bold action. IFAW partners with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses. Together, these global stakeholders pioneer new and innovative ways to help all species flourish.
With a dual focus on both rescue and conservation, IFAW is well-positioned to lead strategic and effective interventions that reduce or eliminate threats to animals. IFAW believes each individual animal matters, and values the individual animal from an intrinsic and welfare perspective, but also as a contributor to conservation. Through this lens, IFAW approaches species conservation and individual animal welfare threats as one. By addressing problems affecting individual animals, we are strengthening wildlife populations and vice versa. IFAW’s greatest strength is in the layering of its expertise from complementary rescue and conservation programs to achieve magnified impact. By understanding the strengths of each program, IFAW can better leverage its efforts to maximize results. Through strategic partnerships with diverse and multidisciplinary stakeholders, IFAW programs position the organization as a credible convener and lead agent for integrated impact at scale. IFAW’s hands-on, field-based and community-centered work across all its programs, linked to its political advocacy work at the national, regional and international levels, has established the organization as a leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation.
CORE PROGRAMS
Rescue: marine mammal rescue & research | disaster response & risk reduction | wildlife rescue
Conservation: landscape conservation | marine conservation | wildlife crime
ROLE SUMMARY
We are at a tipping point and in the midst of a crisis, the greatest humanity has ever faced. Species are on the brink of extinction, habitats are shrinking and disappearing, the lack of appreciation for the value of individual animals and their contributions to conservation goals remains and, climate change is wreaking havoc on people and ecosystems across the globe. All this is happening in a time when our assault on nature has given rise to deadly zoonotic diseases, one of which has become a global pandemic.
In response to this crisis, IFAW is embarking on an audacious five-year strategic plan (2021-2025) focused on improving the welfare of individual animals and the conservation status of wildlife populations in priority habitats through on-the-ground efforts and global advocacy. With a solid organizational foundation built, IFAW is now focused on growth.
Amid this environment of positive change and organizational investment, IFAW seeks candidates for the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Reporting to President & CEO (CEO), the CFO is responsible for all financial matters of IFAW. The CFO will work closely with the CEO and other senior leaders. The CFO will partner with the senior leadership and the Board of EVPs to develop and implement strategies across the organization and oversee the Finance function, including all compliance and recognition for government (international, federal, and state) contracts and private grants.
The CFO supervises the Treasurer, Controller, Finance Reporting Manager, and Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst.
The key priority for the CFO will be leading the Finance function in shifting to a more strategic, long-term perspective for visioning and planning, transcending the accounting lens that has historically demarcated the team’s work. The CFO will enhance the sophistication of financial systems and processes for a global organization that receives most of its revenue via funding sources outside of the United States (the organization is considerably larger than apparent via its IRS Form-990 alone) and an increasing proportion of which comprises restricted funding or government grants with unique financial management and tracking requirements. The CFO will leverage predictive modeling to prepare IFAW for the future, as well as regular, enterprise-wide fiscal reporting to senior leaders throughout the year to track budgetary performance.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
The CFO will be a proven leader, manager, mentor, and collaborative colleague who is comfortable leading major initiatives and supporting the leadership of others, and who has a track record of effectively leading organizational change.
While IFAW will consider a broad range of backgrounds, the ideal candidate will have the following qualifications/experience.
- Demonstrates passion for the mission and goals of IFAW.
- At least five years' experience as CFO or equivalent, preferably in a global nonprofit organization with a budget of at least $50 million or experience shown progressing within finance leadership roles. A preference also exists for individuals with previous work experience in the conservation arena.
- Experience in a senior financial management role, partnering with executive staff, resulting in the development and implementation of creative financial management strategies.
- Significant experience in or knowledge of nonprofit accounting, including sophisticated fund and grant accounting, compliance, and reporting.
- Demonstrated ability to provide management oversight, leadership, and direction. A strong record of recruiting and developing exceptional staff and fostering a transparent work environment where collegiality is a key to success.
- Ability to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and traceable.
- Willingness to strive for continued improvement.
- Experience working with information technology staff in managing finance and accounting software packages.
- Strong analytical and abstract reasoning skills.
- Excellent communication skills (both oral and written) to elicit, disperse, or present information (including data) and communications in a clear and concise manner.
Download the full position description via the following link: https://diversifiedsearchgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IFAW-CFO_Position-Profile.pdf.
At IFAW, we aim to create and foster a workforce that reflects and contributes to the diverse, global community in which we work to improve the lives of both animals and people. We are dedicated to fostering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, so we actively encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds.
IFAW has retained the Diversified Search Group to assist in this confidential search process. Inquiries, nominations, and applications (current resumes and cover letters) may be submitted via the following link – https://talent-profile.diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/v2/19166, or directed to:
Gerard F. Cattie, Jr.
Managing Director
Diversified Search Group
The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, New York 10174
gerard.cattie@divsearch.com | 212.542.2587