Chief Financial Officer

Our client is a nationally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and consulting organization headquartered in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. For more than five decades, the organization has advanced its field through evidence, innovation, and practice. It partners with public‑sector agencies, government funders, and philanthropic organizations nationwide through applied research, technical assistance, and advisory services, and operates with approximately 30 fully remote professional staff.

The organization is executing a deliberate, well‑funded strategic pivot from a primarily grant‑funded research institution to a more diversified, revenue‑generating enterprise spanning applied research and evaluation, advisory and consulting services, and technology‑enabled products. This transformation represents a fundamental shift in how the organization generates revenue, delivers value, and sustains long‑term impact—and the incoming CFO will serve as a central architect of that next chapter.

The CFO is the organization’s senior leader for finance, operations, HR, compliance, and administration—and a trusted business partner to the President and CEO in shaping its next chapter. This role sits at the intersection of nonprofit stewardship and commercial enterprise development. On one side, it carries full accountability for the financial management, federal grant compliance, HR, governance, and administrative infrastructure of a long‑established nonprofit.

On the other, it requires the business acumen, financial creativity, and entrepreneurial judgment to help design and sustain entirely new revenue‑generating business lines.

This is a hands‑on role within a lean organization. The CFO will both set financial strategy and directly execute operational finance responsibilities as needed. The ideal candidate brings deep familiarity with federal grant financial management, nonprofit GAAP, and the regulatory environment governing federally funded research and technical assistance organizations—along with the commercial instincts and financial creativity to build pricing models, contract structures, and unit economics for new consulting and technology‑enabled businesses from the ground up.

• Reports directly to the President and CEO.
• Directly supervises four finance and grants management staff members.
• Coordinates day‑to‑day operational administration with the Business Operations Manager, who supports facilities administration, IT vendor relationships, and HR vendor relationships.
• Serves as the primary financial liaison to the Board of Directors and the board of an affiliated entity.
• Partners with program, business development, and product leadership on proposal budgeting, indirect cost application, post‑award financial management, and financial structuring and revenue modeling for the organization’s consulting and technology‑enabled lines of business.
• Coordinates with outside legal counsel on grant compliance, board governance, and general corporate matters.

The CFO leads a four‑person finance and grants management team with established expertise across accounting, federal grants compliance, and contracts administration. The team includes a staff accountant and a senior accounting manager who oversee day‑to‑day bookkeeping, financial operations, payroll processing, and accounting support functions in Quick Books. Grant financial compliance and funder reporting—including drawdowns, budget tracking, and 2 CFR 200 compliance across the full federal award portfolio—are led by a director‑level grants professional with deep institutional knowledge.

Pre‑ and post‑award grants and contracts administration, including indirect cost compliance and subcontract management, is led by a senior manager with substantial federal grants and contracts experience. The CFO provides direct supervision, strategic direction, and quality oversight across all four roles, while coordinating closely with the Business Operations Manager on cross‑functional matters involving HR administration, vendor management, and organizational systems.