Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) is a community-based, not-for-profit organization founded in 1979. NMIC has grown into a leading multi-service agency with over 140 staff members serving New York City with a focus on upper Manhattan and the Bronx. NMIC’s mission is to serve as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of the people in its community on their journey to secure a prosperous future. Integration is the cornerstone of NMIC’s programs. Its staff identify and address a broad array of immediate needs through comprehensive crisis intervention services. With matters resolved, clients move seamlessly to capacity building services through holistic programs designed to transition individuals and families to self-sufficiency.

NMIC serves its clientele through two program areas:

• Legal, Organizing, Advocacy, and Weatherization programs meet community members’ basic needs including legal representation in immigration related matters, housing, financial services and health related matters.
• Education & Career Services programs impart individual community members with the practical tools necessary to build secure and prosperous futures.

POSITION

The Chief Financial & Administrative Officer (CFAO) is a newly refined position on the Senior Leadership team and plays a critical role in overseeing the financial and administrative functions of NMIC. The CFAO position requires a strategic, operational, and results-oriented leader who has deep experience managing financial strategy and operations and partnering with administrative functions to drive organizational efficiency. The CFAO must be both a true financial and operational thought leader for NMIC and a pragmatic “doer” with exceptional strategic change management and collaboration skills.

The CFAO reports to the Executive Director (ED) and they, along with the Deputy Executive Director (DED), constitute the executive leadership team (ELT) and meet weekly. The ELT expands to the Senior Leadership Team with the inclusion of the three program directors and directors of HR, Finance, and Development. The CFAO works closely with the Board and the Senior Leadership Team to drive strategic direction and sustainable growth, and to enhance organizational effectiveness to support the organization's mission. The CFAO will serve as an ex-officio member of the Finance/Audit Committee, and other Board Committees as requested. The CFAO will provide strategic financial and operational leadership to enable informed decision making and resource allocation, optimize internal operations, and foster cross-departmental collaboration. The CFAO has three direct reports (Finance, HR and Operations), with a total team of 20 professionals. S/he will build and maintain strong relationships with all members of staff across the organization, in particular the finance leads in the various programs, and will serve as their internal advocate. The CFAO will prioritize infrastructure needs and incorporate into each function the necessary ownership governance, control and guardianship processes, including legal, compliance, and risk management.

The CFAO should be an inspirational, hands-on, data-driven leader who promotes reliance on data across Finance, HR, Operations, and Programs to support decision-making, monitor trends, and proactively identify areas for improvement. The CFAO will prioritize the effective operations of the finance team, leading a culture change in accountability and responsibility. Additionally, s/he supports the establishment of policies that promote NMICs vision and culture and ensure its financial health. This role will have a comprehensive range of responsibilities including general oversight, coordination, and control of policies, processes, and compliance relating to finance and accounting, grants and contracts, HR, information technology, and facilities management. The CFAO and the finance and administrative teams will continuously evaluate and develop innovative and strategic opportunities to improve the finance and administrative functions to support the organization and its mission.

QUALIFICATIONS & ATTRIBUTES

The ideal candidate will be a successful sitting CFAO, CFO or other senior finance leader (i.e., strong #2) who has significant experience in a comparable non-profit with similar scale and complexity to NMIC. This individual will demonstrate the ability to work effectively with a senior leadership team and to implement creative financial management strategies and other value-added administrative processes and practices. The person will have a strong finance foundation and experience working effectively with Boards, external partners/service providers, and a wide range of internal colleagues. This CFAO must demonstrate a record of accomplishment of being both mission and culture driven AND performance driven, including achieving operational and strategic goals.

The winning candidate should possess the following professional qualifications and personal attributes:

§ Passion for NMIC’s mission and values.

§ A bachelor’s degree is required, and a CPA or equivalent advanced financial training is strongly preferred. An advanced degree in a related field is a plus.

§ At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in nonprofit finance, including experience as a CFO or a senior finance leader (e.g., strong #2) with demonstrated readiness to operate at the executive level. Experience managing large, complex public sector grant portfolios; with emphasis on cost reimbursement contracts. NMIC is 95% public sector funded (federal, NY State, and NY City).

§ Experience overseeing or closely partnering with human resources and operations functions in a complex, mission-driven organization strongly preferred.

§ Experience working closely with the ED, Executive Leadership Team, and Board in developing strategy, best practices, and policies of a comparable / larger organization by anticipating market trends and leveraging expertise to advance the organization.

§ Excellent analytical, strategic, abstract-reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. The ability and willingness to quickly and meaningfully engage with new information, identify what matters, explain it clearly to others, and apply sound judgment in decision making is as critical as existing experience.

§ Strong foundation in accounting, audit, and compliance, with experience either directly executing core finance functions or overseeing them with sufficient depth to independently assess and validate the accuracy, efficiency, and quality of execution.

§ Demonstrated success performing complex analysis of financial data and assessing financially related business capabilities, identifying gaps and recommending solutions.

§ Proven record of developing, implementing and sustaining financial systems, budget processes, and administrative infrastructure that support organizational growth and sustainability.

§ Advanced organizational and project management skills, able to multitask, prioritize, and manage competing demands in a dynamic environment.

§ Collaborative leader who has demonstrated a strong balance of hands-on operational / technical finance management with strategic financial and operational leadership. Able to stay close to the details while also able to contribute at a broader level.

§ Consistent record of attracting, motivating, mentoring, developing, and retaining high performing talent at all levels, both on an individual and team basis.

§ Fosters collaboration, accountability, and professional development and can prioritize competing needs.

§ Delivers tough messages and negotiates conflicts with grace.

§ Demonstrated record of achievement in change management.

§ Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills that resonate well with both financially savvy and less financially astute individuals. Confident and effective at communicating across all levels of the organization, presenting to Boards and other diverse internal and external constituencies. Ability to translate financial and operational information into actionable insights for diverse audiences.

§ A leader with whom people enjoy working and respect. Brings a healthy balance of confidence and humility. A consensus builder who seeks out stakeholders’ perspectives and the reasons beyond them to identify what can best change and how.

§ Unquestioned personal and professional integrity.

§ Strong listening skills, empathy, patience, and the ability to lead through influence and by example.

§ Demonstrated engagement and initiative with organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts both internally and externally. Values diverse perspectives and designs approaches to fit the team members’ needs.

§ Proficiency with technology, including standard productivity tools (Office 365 preferred), accounting tools (Sage Intacct and Martus preferred), and databases (Salesforce preferred). A willingness to identify and employ AI-driven solutions to benefit the organization.

NMIC is predicting cash compensation from $200K - $225K, plus a potential one-time bonus for achieving goals defined upon hire. Also included is a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, life, and disability insurance; paid time off including 20 vacation days, 15 sick days, 5 personal days, and 12 agency holidays; a 401k with agency contribution; and other benefits.

The full specification can be found here: 

https://dubrof.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/PD-NMIC-CFAO-2026.04.07.pdf