Chief Financial Officer

Lead Finance for One of the Nation’s Most Innovative Housing Organizations

The Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) is seeking a visionary Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to help shape the future of affordable housing in one of the country’s most dynamic and innovative communities. As a strategic partner to the CEO and senior leadership team, the CFO will oversee a $210M+ operating budget, guide major financial and business initiatives, modernize systems and reporting, and help position CHA for continued growth and long-term sustainability.

This is a rare opportunity to join a nationally recognized organization that owns, develops, and manages its own housing portfolio, leads groundbreaking affordable housing initiatives, and is implementing an ambitious strategic plan focused on growth, innovation, technology, and impact.

If you are a collaborative, forward-thinking financial leader who wants to combine mission-driven work with complex, high-level finance, real estate, and organizational strategy, we encourage you to explore this opportunity.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position at the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) presents a rare opportunity to contribute to the day-to-day and long-term viability of one of the country’s most highly regarded housing agencies.

The CFO will organize, direct and oversee the agency’s financial activities and Finance Department staff, including activities of the CHA’s subsidiaries, affiliates and partner housing authorities that CHA also manages. Serving as a strategic thought partner to the Chief Executive Officer and senior leadership team, the CFO will play a critical role in advancing CHA’s next phase of organizational growth by aligning finance, technology, systems, and data to strengthen operational excellence.

Working closely with Information Technology and cross functional leaders, the CFO will lead efforts to modernize financial systems, improve reporting and decision making, streamline business processes, enhance data quality, strengthen internal controls and leverage technology to increase efficiency, transparency and long-term financial sustainability.

The ideal candidate will be equally adept in building, managing and motivating a highly performing finance team while fostering a collaborative, service-oriented culture that enables the organization to effectively meet the needs of residents, employees and financial and regulatory stakeholders.

As CHA has grown into one of the nation's most innovative and financially sophisticated housing authorities, its operational complexity has expanded significantly, becoming more similar to a non-profit housing provider and developer. The next CFO will have the opportunity to strengthen financial infrastructure, modernize systems and reporting and build a finance organization capable of supporting CHA’s continued growth and innovation. The CFO will also play a pivotal role in identifying and advancing innovative financing strategies, capital structures, and revenue-generating opportunities, including positioning CHA to become a bond issuer—to enhance long-term financial sustainability and expand the agency’s capacity to preserve and develop affordable housing.

The Finance Department manages an agency budget of over $210 million and has a department budget of $3 million. The Department has 15+ FTEs comprised of deputy fiscal directors, a controller, a budget director, and several accountants and procurement staff. The CFO also serves as the CFO of the Belmont Housing Authority, an adjacent housing authority that CHA manages with a $2 million annual budget.

The CFO reports to the Chief Executive Officer of the CHA, Clara Fraden. Clara Fraden was unanimously appointed Chief Executive Officer of CHA in March 2026, becoming the first woman to lead the organization. Prior to her appointment, she served for eight years in progressively responsible leadership roles at CHA, most recently as Director of Planning and Development, where she led a multidisciplinary team responsible for a redevelopment pipeline exceeding $1 billion across more than 20 projects, advanced the preservation and creation…