Chief Financial Officer

Job description

The Chief Financial Officer provides strategic and operational leadership for the financial affairs of IFMA and the affiliated organizations for which IFMA provides financial oversight or services.

The CFO is a member of the global staff leadership team and a trusted adviser to the President and CEO, Global Board of Directors, Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and other governing bodies. The CFO is responsible for safeguarding organizational assets, strengthening long-term financial sustainability, and ensuring that financial information supports timely and well-informed decisions.

The CFO leads financial strategy, accounting, budgeting, forecasting, treasury, global banking, investments, audit, tax compliance, internal controls, financial risk management, and financial systems. The position also works closely with organizational leaders to evaluate strategic initiatives, new markets, partnerships, events, credentials, products, investments, and other opportunities. Continuing the efforts to modernize IFMA's financial operations through automation, data integration, and other features will be critical.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

Serves as the principal financial adviser to the President and CEO.

Translates financial data into practical recommendations regarding strategy, growth, investment, staffing, reserves, pricing, and organizational priorities.

Develops and maintains a multiyear financial framework aligned with IFMA’s strategic plan.

Provides scenario analysis and financial models for major programs, partnerships, market expansion, organizational changes, and capital or technology investments.

Assesses the financial implications, sustainability, and risk of proposed business initiatives before commitments are made.

Helps executive leaders understand revenue drivers, cost structures, financial tradeoffs, and return on investment.

Maintains a forward-looking view of liquidity, revenue concentration, economic conditions, and emerging financial risks.

Global and Affiliated-Entity Oversight

Establishes a clear financial governance framework for IFMA’s global operations and affiliated or supported legal entities.

Supports the evaluation and financial establishment of new legal entities, chapters, offices, partnerships, and service territories.

Team Leadership

Leads, develops, and holds accountable a capable and service-oriented finance and accounting team.

Builds a team culture focused on accuracy, responsiveness, continuous improvement, sound judgment, and constructive partnership with other departments.

Maintains succession and emergency-coverage plans for critical finance responsibilities.

Budgeting, Forecasting, and Management Reporting

Leads the annual budget process in partnership with the President and CEO and department leaders.

Maintains rolling forecasts and scenario models that give leadership an updated view of likely year-end and multiyear performance.

Establishes clear budget ownership and accountability across the organization.

Provides timely monthly financial statements, dashboards, forecasts, variance analysis, and management commentary.

Establishes financial performance reporting and indicators that support executive and board decision-making.

Accounting and Financial Operations

Oversees the general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, reconciliations, payroll-related accounting, revenue recognition, expense allocation, and financial close.

Maintains appropriate accounting policies and a documented chart of accounts that supports organizational, program, regional, and legal-entity reporting.

Establishes service standards for the finance team, including transaction processing, reconciliation, close schedules, internal responses, and issue resolution.

Global Treasury and Banking

Develops and oversees IFMA’s global treasury and banking strategy.

Manages banking relationships, account structures, online banking access, signatory authority, payment methods, cash positioning, and liquidity.

Understands the practical and regulatory considerations associated with banking in multiple countries, including customer verification requirements, beneficial ownership, authorized signers, local legal entities, banking mandates, and cross-border payments.

Maintains clear governance for accounts operated by or for affiliated entities, regional bodies, components, contractors, or other authorized representatives.

Manages controls for electronic payments, wire transfers, automated clearing house transactions, purchasing cards, foreign-currency transactions, and changes to vendor banking details.

Monitors currency exposure, banking costs, cash concentration, payment timing, and foreign exchange practices.

Maintains business-continuity procedures for banking, payments, payroll, and other critical finance operations.

Financial Systems and Modernization

Continues the modernization of finance processes, systems, workflows, and reporting.

Evaluates and improves the integration between the accounting system, customer relationship management platform, banking platforms, payroll, expense management, purchasing, event systems, payment processors, and reporting tools.

Uses automation and artificial intelligence responsibly to improve efficiency, forecasting, anomaly detection, reporting, and accounting staff capacity while maintaining appropriate review and accountability.

Internal Controls, Risk, and Compliance

Maintains an organization-wide system of internal financial controls.

Maintains an enterprise financial risk assessment covering fraud, cyber-enabled financial crime, liquidity, investments, foreign exchange, banking access, revenue concentration, regulatory compliance, and business interruption.

Oversees insurance renewals and advises leadership regarding financial risk-transfer needs.

Ensures corrective actions arising from audits, management letters, risk reviews, or control assessments are documented and completed.

Audit, Tax, and External Reporting

Leads the annual external audit and serves as the primary management contact for auditors.

Coordinates tax filings and financial regulatory submissions for IFMA and applicable affiliated entities.

Oversees the preparation and integrity of audit schedules, account reconciliations, supporting documentation, and financial disclosures, ensuring accuracy, completeness, timely delivery, and compliance with applicable accounting standards, regulatory requirements, and organizational policies.

Board and Committee Support

Serves as a staff liaison to the Global Board, Finance Committee and Audit Committee.

Presents concise, decision-oriented financial information to the Board of Directors and applicable affiliated boards.

Investments and Reserves

Manages relationships with investment advisers, banks, custodians, and other financial institutions.

Monitors investment performance, fees, policy compliance, liquidity, and risk.

Forecasts short-term and long-term cash requirements to support informed investment decisions.

Provides regular reporting on investments and reserves to the President and CEO, Finance Committee, and Board.

Required

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a related field.

Minimum of ten years of progressive leadership experience in finance and accounting, including responsibility for financial reporting, budgeting, audit, controls, treasury, and team leadership.

Experience presenting financial information and recommendations to a board, finance committee, audit committee, or comparable governing body.

Demonstrated experience with multiyear forecasting, scenario planning, financial modeling, and management reporting.

Experience managing banking relationships, liquidity, electronic payments, online banking controls, and treasury operations.

Working knowledge of nonprofit accounting, tax-exempt organizations, audits, internal controls, and regulatory reporting.

Experience leading financial process or system improvements.

Ability to communicate complex financial matters clearly to non-financial audiences.

Ability to work effectively across functions, cultures, time zones, and organizational boundaries.

Strongly Preferred

Certified Public Accountant, Chartered Accountant or comparable professional qualification.

Experience in a global nonprofit, professional association, credentialing organization, membership organization, or similarly complex service organization.

Experience with international banking, cross-border payments, foreign currencies, and oversight of multiple legal entities.

Familiarity with international tax, value-added tax, transfer pricing, and the use of local financial advisers.

Experience with customer relationship management systems, enterprise accounting platforms, automated workflow tools, dashboards, and financial data integration.

Experience managing investments, reserves, insurance, grants, events, digital products, or multiple revenue streams.

Leadership Characteristics

The successful CFO will demonstrate:

Strategic judgment and an enterprise-wide perspective

High ethical standards and personal accountability

Intellectual curiosity and a willingness to challenge assumptions constructively

Appropriate caution without becoming unnecessarily risk-averse

Clear, calm, and direct communication

Strong follow-through and documentation discipline

Cultural awareness and respect for different business practices

Comfort operating at both strategic and operational levels

A service mindset balanced with appropriate financial controls

The ability to simplify processes without weakening accountability

IFMA has established a salary range of $175,000 to $200,000, with placement within the range based on experience, qualifications, demonstrated leadership, and other relevant considerations. This position may be based anywhere in the continental United States and requires periodic domestic travel. IFMA offers a competitive total rewards package comparable to those of leading professional associations and nonprofit organizations, including:

Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan with employer matching

Life and disability insurance

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) options

Generous paid time off and holidays

Flexible work schedules and remote work options

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Who can apply

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