Chief Financial Officer

Girl Scouts of the USA

Founded in 1912, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls and the leading authority on their healthy development. Millions of Girl Scout alums across the country and the world have gone on to achieve incredible things and make a tremendous impact in fields ranging from public policy, medicine, journalism, and athletics to international relations, science, technology, art, and entertainment. 

As a mission-driven organization, Girl Scouts of the USA champions girls as they explore their worlds, try new things, and develop the courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place. From stargazing during a first overnight camping trip to building robots, navigating a rocky hiking trail, working together on a community project, and learning about the importance of environmental stewardship, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can unapologetically be themselves as they rise to meet new challenges and discover the issues that matter most to them. Along the way they learn the power of friendship, connection, and teamwork. 

Girl Scouts are doers, innovators, problem-solvers, creators, and dreamers, and the GSUSA team is here to center, support, and inspire them, working with 111 local councils across the country and USA Girl Scouts Overseas to deliver our life-changing Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

GSUSA is searching for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), who will report to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as an Executive Team leader, will have responsibility for, and be part of a billion-dollar organization involved in consumer products, merchandising and licensing, in addition to for-profit endeavors.

The CFO of the GSUSA will be an exciting and fulfilling leadership role. It is directly responsible for providing the overall financial leadership and direction to the National Board of Directors and National Organization in partnership with the CEO and the Board Treasurer/Chair of the Finance Committee. They are responsible for effectively managing, safeguarding, and deploying the assets of the Movement.

The CFO will be a trusted advisor and counsel to the CEO in both a strategic and tactical manner. They will see the big picture and be detail oriented. The CFO will embody the values and mission of the Girls Scouts and will work to generate cohesion and teamwork on the executive team. The CFO will be a key culture carrier, work with honor and character, and make others around them better.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The CFO provides leadership and guidance to GSUSA’s Board and executive leadership to secure and deploy resources, to ensure that the overall financial health of the organization is sound, and to preserve the organization’s financial integrity and reputation. The CFO provides effective stewardship, control, and oversight of the organization’s finances and ensures that financial resource utilization reflects and supports the achievement of GSUSA’s goals and business strategy.

• Serve as a strategic business partner to the CEO, the Board of Directors (“BoD”), and the Executive Management Team. Contribute strategic thought leadership, guide growth, and manage risk. Oversee delivery of timely, value-add reporting and analytics to track performance, facilitate decision making and inform risk management plans. Provide expert insights on matters pertaining to accounting, controls, banking, financing, auditing, grant management, investments, and pension
  administration.

• Structure, coach, and develop an outstanding team of 20+ professionals to ensure they are well positioned to achieve goals. Foster a team culture that embodies operational excellence and premier customer service, where the team communicates regularly with stakeholders to anticipate financial challenges and engage in proactive problem-solving.

• Enable effective governance and maintenance of fiduciary responsibilities by BoD. Facilitate well organized meetings of National Board Committees, specifically (i) Finance, (ii) Audit, (iii) Pension and (iv) Investment Sub-Committee. Provide timely and insightful reporting to BoD. Participate actively in the Philanthropy Committee, Property Task Force and Technology Task Force. 

• Oversee the Procurement and Properties function, by defining and maintaining enterprise level procurement and contracting processes, inclusive of internal & BoD approvals as well as spending authorization levels. Ensure capital expenditures and operating costs of properties are in line with market and budget. Develops opportunities to monetize assets when warranted.

• In collaboration with the Council Partnership team, create systems and processes necessary to monitor council financial health and proactively identify potential issues. Build and maintain a community of practice amongst Councils CFOs, by disseminating critical information, building support for Movement goals and initiatives, and strengthening council capacity & health. Identifies opportunities for shared services and develop related implementation plans.

• Coordinate with the strategic planning and talent functions to oversee the orchestration of an integrated financial budgeting and forecasting process. Develop annual budgets, interim forecasts, rolling forecasts and long-term projections. Establish the appropriate linkage between financial and operational metrics and support on-going reporting and performance monitoring. Facilitate project selection based on strategy alignment and ROI-based criterion to enable funding of transformational initiatives and capital investments. Proactively identify financial risks and facilitate discussions to enable risk mitigation and course correction.

• Treasury Management. Oversee relationships with banking partners and maintain compliance. Track and forecast cash and working capital requirements. Manage investment portfolio and maintain fiduciary responsibility for two pension plans: GSUSA Retirement Plan (“GSUSARP”) and National Girl Scout Council Retirement Plan (“NGSCRP”). Serve as fiduciary for GSUSA staff 401(k) plan, facilitated related 5500 filing. Maintain effective relationships with investment consultants and other financial services providers. Maintain investment policy statements and ensure asset allocations are within agreed-to parameters. Track and report upon performance and recommend correct action for investment manager underperformance. Maintain effective processes to track approved spending rates of endowments for stated purposes.

• Oversee fiscal reporting of GSUSA financials and benefit plans. Oversee external audit of GSUSA financials and benefits plans, with the objective of obtaining clean opinions on all audits. Ensure Form 990 is correctly prepared and filed on a timely basis. Ensure organizational corporate structure is appropriate to support strategy whilst maintaining tax-exempt status. Oversee internal audit program with the objective of satisfactorily maintaining the control environment and identifying & remediating key internal operating risks.

• Oversee grant management. Support Fund Development operations in engaging prospective donors and providing progress & financial reporting. Ensure appropriate creation and oversight of special funds arising out of gifts, grants, requests, and appropriations by the National Board of Directors. Stay current on leading audit practices and state & federal law regarding nonprofit operations.

• Influence, collaboration, and teamwork; Strategic thought leadership; High accountability for the Community; Strong leadership with strategic impact on the organization/Movement. 

• Strong fiscal and strategic responsibility. Senior executive management experience in multi-faceted financial, accounting and business functions. 

• Demonstrated senior executive management experience in organization-wide planning and budgeting processes, strategic and tactical plan development, and strategy execution.

• Proven experience developing and presenting financial reports for management, national board of directors, donors, and federal and state regulatory agencies.

• Demonstrated experience overseeing investment portfolios, directing treasury activities, and maintaining relationships with leading financial and insurance institutions.

• Demonstrated experience using creative finance strategies to accelerate organizational growth.

• Demonstrated effectiveness in negotiating, contracting, and licensing.

• Proven knowledge in identifying business operating improvements and efficiencies.

• Experience implementing shared services and other expense-reducing strategies that increase productivity and reduce organization-wide costs.

• Demonstrated knowledge of GAAP to ensure compliance and support all audits.

• Strong leadership, supervisory and change management experience with demonstrated ability to coach and motivate staff and build teams.

• Strong judgment and decision-making skills.

• Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.

Degree or Equivalent Experience: Undergraduate degree required; MBA or advanced degree in finance/business highly desirable.

Experience: 20+ years of Financial Management with non-profit experience a plus. Experience operating in a federated model is also a plus.

Certifications: CPA required

Position Type: This is a full-time, hybrid position with 2 days on site. GSUSA is based in New York City

Salary Range: $410,000 -$475,000

FEATURED BENEFITS:

What We Offer: 

Girl Scouts is powered by people, and we encourage our team members to be their best selves in and out of the office. We place a high priority on flexibility and offer a competitive employee salary and benefits package that includes: 

Paid Time Off:  

GSUSA offers 20+ days of paid time off, 2 floating holidays, as well as 9 workplace holidays. GSUSA staff also enjoy a paid holiday year-end office closure between Christmas and New Year's.

Other Benefits: 

• Medical and Behavioral Health Coverage 

• Plan options with individual and family coverage which includes wellness, hospitalization, and fertility assistance. 
• Both plans include GSUSA partial subsidy of premium costs
• Dental and vision coverage

• Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) including Health, Dependent Care, and Limited FSA for those with Health Savings Accounts 
• Company-paid life insurance 
• Flexible work arrangements 
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave 
• 401(K) with company match 
• Sick leave 
• Short- and Long-Term Disability for salary continuation 
• Health and Wellness Classes and Activities throughout the year 
• Access to Employee Engagement Groups 

AAP/EEO Statement: GSUSA is an equal employment opportunity employer.

If you are interested in exploring this exciting opportunity, please contact August Leadership.

Jerry McGrath, PARTNER

JERRY.MCGRATH@AUGUSTLEADERSHIP.COM