Chief Financial Officer
Chinatown - Chicago, Illinois
CEO's Office – Finance Strategy and Executive Leadership /
Full-Time /
Hybrid
Lead Financial Transformation with Purpose: Join CASL as CFO!
Are you a visionary finance leader ready to make a lasting impact? As the Chief Financial Officer at CASL, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping the future of an organization that uplifts, supports, and empowers the community. This isn’tjust about numbers; it’s about harnessing financial strategy to fuel CASL’s mission and advance meaningful community impact. Join us to lead with purpose, build resilience, and create transformative change that enhances lives and fosters a stronger, more inclusive community.
Your Mission:
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) reports to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and is a key leadership position within the agency, assuming both a strategic and functional role in the overall leadership, management, and development of CASL’s Finance, Accounting, and Investment activities in support of CASL and its strategic goals. The CFO must be a visionary leader, responsible for contribution to a high- performing organization. The CFO must provide financial and audit acumen, while building and developing a talented team to execute at a high level in support of CASL’s vision, mission, and strategy.
The CFO will lead the development and implementation of all financial systems, policies, processes, and activities to ensure sound financial management and investment practices that support organizational growth, financial stability, and community impact goals to a rapidly growing organization with a diverse set of operating and capital funding streams. The CFO seeks ways to continuously improve the investment and finance program to align with organizational values and to expand opportunities for greater community investment. The CFO ensures organizational compliance with relevant laws and tax obligations and manages organizational business risks and liabilities. He/She/They will provide strong, consistent strategic support to the relevant governance structures, including the Finance Committee, Audit Committee and Governance Committee of the Board.
About CASL:
The Chinese American Service League is a dynamic and forward-thinking organization dedicated to empowering and serving the Chinese American population and the broader communities. Established with a rich history spanning several decades, CASL has consistently evolved to address the evolving needs of its constituents while fostering cultural pride, integration, and community development.
For over 45 years, CASL's comprehensive programs have connected families and individuals with the vital support they need: providing an educational and cultural foundation for our children, ensuring our seniors live full and independent lives with dignity, enhancing education and training for tomorrow's workforce, putting immigrants on the pathway to citizenship, securing our community's housing and financial well-being, navigating healthcare systems and wellness resources, and providing equal access to justice. Since our founding, CASL has been rooted in the principles of equity and justice. That legacy continues to shape our efforts today as we strive to champion diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at all levels of the organization.
To hear about:
Your Impact:
As a CFO, you will:
Key Responsibilities:
Organizational and Strategic Leadership
- Develop and monitor the implementation of long-range financial plans with CASL leadership and the Finance Committee, including setting targets for organizational stability.
- In partnership with the COO and VP of Advancement, develop and monitor the financial aspect of CASL’s South campus project, including complex capital stacks with public, private, tax incentive, financing structures and comprehensive philanthropic campaign.
- Analyzes data, trends, and financial reports and makes strategic recommendations to the CEO, Board of Directors, committees, and senior executives that plan, forecast, and ensure solid business decisions for stability, liquidity, and growth.
- Assess financial risks and opportunities for short- and long-term impact on the organization.
- Enhances and monitor finance-related controls, policies, and procedures as well as a culture that strives for transparency and accountability.
- Ensures effective leadership in the organization’s Finance Department, including assuming direct supervision of the team, and oversight of all outsourced functions.
- Oversees and directs comprehensive budgeting, audit, tax, accounting, purchasing, capital planning, endowment, and long-range forecasting activities.
- Collaborate effectively with senior leadership & program leaders to ensure seamless and efficient programs services & operations to the organizational financial goals.
- Work with the Finance and Audit Committees to ensure compliance with all applicable financial, accounting, legal, and regulatory requirements with best-practice standards to ensure a system of strong internal controls.
Oversight
- Collaborate with the development team to secure funding through grants, donations, and other fundraising initiatives. Manage and track restricted funds, ensuring compliance with grant requirements and proper use of donor contributions.
- Oversee the development and maintenance of internal financial-management policies and procedures, key performance indicators, and dashboards.
- Implement funding-specific strategies to ensure proper oversight and reporting of all grants, contracts, and donor-specific funding to ascertain maximizing all grants awarded.
- Monitor the organization’s cash flow, ensuring there are sufficient funds for daily operations while managing reserves and endowments responsibly. Manage banking relationships and oversee capital investment decisions.
- Develop and monitor financial systems and processes for the construction of, tracking, reconciliation and reporting of various philanthropic streams for operational and comprehensive campaign gifts, pledges, annuities and bequests.
- Oversee the preparation of monthly and quarterly financial statements and financial analysis and oversee the annual audit process.
- Improve and maintain up-to-date systems and procedures for financial operations under organization and regulatory policies, goals, best practices, and mandates to ensure a clean annual Audit, addressing all issues raised promptly.
- Oversee functioning and relationship with payroll and accounting database system providers.
- Oversee general administration and operations.
- Serve as primary contact on behalf of CASL for banking relationship and investment managers.
Must Haves - To thrive in this role, you should have:
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a related field (MBA or CPA preferred).
- Ten or more years, or the equivalent, of directly relevant work experience at an executive level in the field of finance, healthcare, or nonprofits.
- Strong understanding of financial principles and experience with financial reporting and analysis, financial forecasting, and risk management practices.
- In-depth knowledge of grant management and non-profit regulatory requirements.
- Demonstrated experience in building financial structures for large comprehensive fundraising campaigns.
- Proficiency with financial-management and accounting software systems and programs is required, with a preference for Sage, Expensify, Paylocity and EHR/EMR billing systems.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain financial information to non-financial stakeholders.
- Strong leadership, strategic, and communications skills that transcend internal and external audiences.
- Understanding of the unique complexities of CASL’s business model, with a diverse funding pool of government grants/contracts, managed care contracts, philanthropic revenue and earned/investment revenue, from both an operating and capital perspective.
- Possesses strong analytical, forecasting and strategic skills and practical experience and expertise in financial and accounting policies, practices, and systems.
- Demonstrated track record in meeting compliance and best-practice standards for finance, investment, and/or accounting. The candidate can assess and propose strategies to manage organizational risk.
- Understanding of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) required, FASB requirements, and Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) additionally preferred.
- Strong ability to provide both strategic and operational support to executive leaders to ensure coordinated financial management across CASL’s functional areas.
- Knowledge and skills within the construction/property development arena, and its pertaining capital stacks with diverse funding pools, is a plus.
- Thrives as part of a team that values integrity, open and direct communication, vulnerability, and empathy.
Education & Experience:
Skills & Knowledge:
Physical Demands:
- Required to frequently sit for extended periods.
Environment and Scheduling:
- Work is performed during standard business hours, Monday through Friday generally.
- Must be flexible and available to work after regular business hours when necessary.
- Must be located in the Chicagoland area
- National and local travel may be required.
Why Choose CASL:
Inclusivity: Join an organization that values mutual respect and acceptance, fostering a culture of inclusivity.
Empowerment: Support staff empowerment through skill development and growth opportunities.
Collaboration: Be part of a workplace that thrives on collaboration and teamwork.
Transformation: Envision and realize transformative changes in people, processes, and policies.
Resiliency: Work with a dynamic workforce and model resiliency to achieve collective strengths.
Benefits:
Join CASL and unlock a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you and your loved ones. As a full-time employee, you'll enjoy a range of options tailored to your needs: Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage; Flexible Spending Account (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HSA); Life Insurance, Retirement Benefits, AD&D Insurance, Disability Insurance; Voluntary Worksite Benefits, Pet Insurance; Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Additionally, our holiday schedule includes New Year’s Day, MLK Day, Chinese New Year, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Thanksgiving, the Day After Thanksgiving, Christmas Day.
Join Us and Make a Difference:
Join us at CASL, where together, we create a brighter future for our community.
Thank you for your interest in joining our team! Each resume is reviewed personally by our dedicated team members, not AI. This thorough and thoughtful evaluation process may take a bit of time, so we kindly ask for your patience. Rest assured, we will get back to you as soon as we have an update on your application status. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to reviewing your application.
At CASL, we believe that diverse perspectives fuel innovation and drive success. If you're excited about the opportunity but unsure if you meet every requirement listed, we still encourage you to submit your application. Our company culture thrives on the unique talents and experiences that each individual brings to the table. We're looking for the right fit, and that goes beyond a checklist of qualifications. Join us in shaping a dynamic and inclusive team where your skills and contributions truly matter.
CASL is an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences.
