The Role

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and partnering closely with IDEO.org’s senior leadership team and Board of Directors, the Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO) will play a critical hands-on role to enhance the financial and operations functions of a dynamic, international nonprofit organization. This role will set IDEO.org’s finance strategy, build an enhanced pricing model, and support the organization’s international travel security and legal contracting systems and tools.

The CFOO will conduct an assessment of IDEO.org’s current financial position, identify gaps, and lead a process of building out its accounting and finance capacity to strengthen the organization’s financial operations. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is looking to leverage their deep expertise in nonprofit finance, and their skills in agile and strategic hands-on problem-solving and systems building.

Currently, our Finance & Operations teams have 3 full-time staff members (Accounts Payable Specialist, Senior Accounting Lead, and Operations Lead), who the CFOO would directly manage. These functions are also supported by two external vendors who oversee Information Technology and Travel Security.

IDEO.org is a hybrid remote work environment, with 70% of employees working in studios located in San Francisco, New York City, and Nairobi. This role will be based in our New York City (preferred) or San Francisco studio, and will be expected to be in-studio 1-2 times per week.

In This Role, You Will

Operate as both an executive strategist and individual contributor, leading the following bodies of work:

Financial Strategy, Management and Operations (55%)

• Partner with the CEO and Board of Directors to build a multi-year financial plan and underlying business model that supports the organization’s priorities, reflects business realities in the market and IDEO.org’s internal capabilities, and ultimately enhances the long-term sustainability of the organization
• Manage the finance function across multiple service locations which will include these activities:
  • Review and manage (and establish as needed) internal systems, controls, processes, and procedures to ensure the integrity, accuracy, compliance, and usefulness of timely financial information and reporting
  • Prepare and analyze monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial statements and reports for org-wide planning and decision-making
  • Coordinate the successful completion of annual audits across both the United States and Kenya, IRS filings, and other mandated reporting for our entities; overseeing annual external audit and ensuring compliance with all local, state, federal, and international government regulations and applicable laws governing our tax structure
  • Develop and manage tools and processes for budgeting and cash flow management
  • Develop program budgets for proposals and business plans, forecast spending and provide decision support to program management, and ensure compliance with grants management and contracting requirements
• Serve as direct manager for, and nurture professional growth of, the Senior Accounting Lead and Accounts Payable Specialist to achieve time-bound, ambitious results.
  • Provide strategic support and hold accountable to all aspects of financial management for their functions or practices, including revenue planning, expense management, and all related decision-making
• Prepare and present key financial information to the Board of Directors on a quarterly basis
• Drive IDEO.org’s Finance and Audit Committees, ensuring the committee has the information needed to oversee and improve the organization’s near- and long-term financial health
• Prepare and share timely financial data that clearly articulates financial performance and health at the organization-, practice-, and project-levels, empowering leads to make sound decisions and providing transparency to the rest of the organization where appropriate

Operational Strategy and Management (35%)

• Develop and continually refine business systems and processes to manage external partner relationships, secure contracts, and allocate resources to lead and execute project work
• Lead the analysis of the company’s business performance; make that information transparent and actionable to team leads and the Board of Directors
• Implement strategies and plans to realize the company’s short- and long-term objectives, developed in tandem with CEO
• Ensure compliance with relevant international, federal, state, and local laws
• Draft and negotiate legal agreements; ensure contracts are executed quickly and in a manner that reduces risks to IDEO.org
• Ensure the company has appropriate facilities for its needs; manage relationships and negotiate terms with landlords
• Lead and manage IDEO.org’s technology strategy, including the infrastructure, products and services;
  • Ensure IDEO.org has the systems, planning, and training to prevent cyberattacks and respond to them with minimal impact to our operations

• Manage organizational safety and security processes in place to assess and manage travel and other safety-related risks
• Develop, refine, and implement operations policies; continuously identify areas for process enhancement
• Serve as direct manager for, and nurture professional growth of, the Operations Lead to achieve time-bound, ambitious results

Organizational Leadership (10%)

• Serve on the organization's Executive Leadership Team, helping to develop and execute multi-year business plans and strategies that advance org-wide priorities
• Collaborate with and provide strategic counsel to IDEO.org’s CEO, Finance Committee Board Chair, and Board of Directors
• Serve as an organizational leader, informing organizational priorities and strategies and contributing to a strong internal culture

We’re Looking For

Skills, experiences, behaviors, orientations and appetites that would make someone successful in this role:

Required

• Highly proactive leader who thrives working with a lean staff in a highly collaborative culture
• Proven operational leader with a strong acumen for creating focus and structure for evolving systems and teams
• Seasoned financial strategist with experience successfully managing organizational budgets between $5MM-$15MM and/or building or refining financial models, especially earned income models
• Finance professional with a minimum of 10+ years of significant accounting and finance experience, with at least 2-3 years in a senior financial leadership role
  • Experience taking final responsibility for the quality and content of all financial data, reporting, and audit coordination for an organization or significant program area
  • Analytical thinker with the ability to align financial strategies with the organization's mission, vision, and values
  • Ability to translate financial concepts simply and effectively in order to collaborate with programmatic and operational colleagues who may not have finance backgrounds
  • Exposure to and/or experience with helping manage revenue pipelines and payroll needs
• Finance professional with extensive nonprofit finance knowledge and experience
  • Exposure to and/or working understanding of nonprofit finance (fund accounting, grants management, grants compliance, budgeting, etc)
• Leader with experience working within complex government compliance systems and structures
• Exceptional, committed, and proven people manager invested in building the leadership and professional capacity of individual direct reports and teams

Preferred

• Professional with a solid grasp and appetite for data analysis and performance metrics
• Strategist with a keen ability to diagnose problems quickly and foresee potential issues
• International enthusiast with experience working with global organizations and/or cross-cultural communities
• Problem-solver with excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills including negotiation and conflict resolution
• Effective communicator with exceptional written, oral, interpersonal, and presentation skills and the ability to effectively build relationships and collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders

This is not an exhaustive list, so if you see your skills and interests reflected in this job description, please err on the side of applying!

The Pay

IDEO.org values pay transparency to enable jobseekers to make informed and empowered choices with their time and effort. The salary range associated with the Chief Financial and Operations Officer is $190,000 - $230,000, with participation in our benefits, including medical, dental, vision, 4% 401k match, technology stipend, caregiver stipend, professional development stipend, 6 weeks a year of paid vacation, 15 paid holidays a year, and a 5-week paid Sabbatical after 5 years of service.

Wondering where you might land within this range? The exact salary for a role will ultimately depend on many factors, including; peer data within our organization, level of specialization required in the role, a candidate’s level of direct and relevant experience, among others. During your interview process, your Recruiter will discuss level and salary with you, to help you better understand how we make equitable pay and level decisions at IDEO.org.