Nonprofit Remote Digest - Issue #515

Jan 14, 2021

Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is the first animal welfare organization established in North America and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animals. The organization’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA provides local and national leadership in three key areas: protecting and rescuing animals from crisis, assisting animals in communities and advancing legal protection for animals.

The ASPCA was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866 on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans, and must be protected under the law. Headquartered in New York City, the ASPCA maintains a full-service animal hospital, spay/neuter clinic, rehabilitation center for canine victims of cruelty, kitten nursery and adoption facility. In addition, the ASPCA announced a groundbreaking anti-cruelty partnership with the New York Police Department in 2013, which has resulted in a record-breaking number of arrests and animals’ lives saved.

The ASPCA also operates programs and services that extend nationwide, including a National Field Response F team that rescues animal victims of natural and man-made disasters, a fully-subsidized spay/neuter clinic in Los Angeles, a Community Veterinary Center in Miami, a Behavioral Rehabilitation Center for fearful, under-socialized dogs, and a 24-hour, 365-day Animal Poison Control Center that provides pet owners and veterinarians with live, on-call assistance related to toxic products and substances. In 2015, the ASPCA acquired Humane Alliance, the nation’s leading training and education organization focusing on high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter.

The ASPCA is a privately funded 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization supported by more than 2 million animal advocates across the country.

For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

ABOUT THE POSITION:

The ASPCA is seeking a Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer (SVP & CFO) to lead the organization’s strategic financial function and efforts, and to build and lead a dynamic, integrated team.. Reporting to the President & CEO, the SVP & CFO will play a critical role on the ASPCA’s Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to help set the organization’s overall strategy in support of its mission to ensure animals live good lives.

As the leader of the finance, real estate and (facilities) functions, the SVP & CFO will manage a finance team of 29 and a Real Estate and Facilities team of 11 to oversee forecasting, reporting, accounting, treasury, budgeting, procurement, all capital projects, and the activities of the Facilities Department including contracted office services support. The SVP & CFO will provide both strategic and day-to-day partnership across the organization to ensure strong financial management and literacy, and organizational agility, impact, and scale.

LOCATION: Flexible; Remote with up to 25% travel, especially to NYC required as it becomes feasible within the U.S. Work schedule with be on Eastern Standard Time

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Organizational Leadership & Strategy (25%)

Set the ASPCA’s enterprise-wide financial, real estate, and facilities strategies to support the organization’s short- and medium- term plans and long-term vision
Engage fully on the ELT, demonstrating ownership for all organization-wide decisions; provide the CEO and the ELT with direct feedback and guidance when needed
Represent and report financial information clearly to the President & CEO and ELT
Shape the financial operations and strategy for the full array of programs and initiatives ensuring that individual needs are addressed while maintaining a high level of financial literacy and consistency across the organization
Identify opportunities and lead the process to establish the finance function as collaborative and customer-centric; shape an organization-wide culture of financial accountability, empowering leaders to take ownership of their team’s budgeting and financial needs
Responsible for sustaining asset value and ensuring all ASPCA facilities and properties, whether leased or owned, are properly maintained

Team Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement (40%)

Inspire, motivate, and lead a finance team of 29 in the execution of all financial functions and a team of 11 in the real estate and facilities operations
Manage, mentor, and coach five direct reports (Controller, Vice President Financial Planning & Analysis, Senior Director, Capital Projects, Senior Director, Facilities Operations, and Administrative Manager, Finance), ensuring individual growth and success
Manage all capital projects, both purchases and leases; oversee the facilities operations which includes custodial staff, office services, and fleet services
Encourage and support the finance, real estate, and facilities teams to build strong relationships across the organization and establish the finance, real estate, and facilities functions as value-added partners to both program and infrastructure teams
Partner with team leaders across the organization to understand and support varied cross-functional needs

Finance, Real Estate and Facilities Operations (35%)

Oversee financial and operational reporting, accounting operations, financial planning & analysis, payroll, travel, and expense processing, treasury, planning procurement
Partner with investment advisor in working with the Finance Committee to optimize the value and performance of a $200M reserve portfolio
Lead the finance team and the broader organization to strategically leverage the ASPCA’s Workday ERP system; implement best practices to facilitate timely, accurate, controlled, and actionable financial reporting
Ensure timely and accurate preparation and analysis of budgets, financial trends, and forecasts
Recognize and anticipate opportunities and challenges as they relate to financial processes; ensure meticulous maintenance and continuous improvement of systems and processes
Ensure all financial audits and related filings are completed on-time and in good standing
Partner with legal to negotiate property purchases and leases
Oversee all large-scale repairs, maintenance upgrades and/or redesigns of all ASPCA space
Ensure compliance with all governmental regulations and requirements related to building construction

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS:

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:
At least 15+ years of professional experience, with 5+ years leading the finance function for a large, complex organization
Demonstrated ability to build relationships with senior team leaders and Board committee members
Extensive experience overseeing financial operations, including budget development, financial forecasting, and complex accounting
Demonstrated ability to translate big picture strategy into workable finance processes and systems for day-to-day operations
Track record of building and leading effective, high performing teams
Capable of effectively partnering with people of diverse backgrounds
Predisposition for action; strong sense of urgency
Experience in both for profit and non-profit organizations strongly preferred
Previous experience in a nonprofit organization with diverse mass market fundraising and/or revenue streams is helpful, but not required
CFO experiences overseeing a $100+ million-dollar budget strongly preferred
Experience leading system implementations preferred
Experience with long term debt financing preferred
General knowledge of real estate holdings and building construction preferred
Commitment to the ASPCA’s mission, vision, and core values:
Have Commitment and dedication to improving the lives of animals
Demonstrate Ownership and feels responsible for outcomes
Believe in Team – that we are stronger together
Seek to Elevate others and reimagine what is possible
Focus on Impact, specifically making change for animals
Bachelor’s degree required; CPA and/or MBA in finance/accounting strongly preferred

Benefits

We reward our people with competitive salaries and great benefits, including medical, dental, vision, 401k, paid time-off, and parental leave.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the ASPCA application page to apply. Please be sure to include your resume and cover letter when submitting your application.

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