Chief, Finance and Operations
Position Overview
Chief, Finance and Operations
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Position Overview
Baltimore’s Promise is seeking a Chief, Finance and Operations to serve as Baltimore's Promise's senior financial officer and a member of the Chiefs team, responsible for the integrity of our financial systems, reporting, compliance, and internal controls. This is a hands-on, multi-faceted leadership role: strategic partner to the CEO office and fellow Chiefs for financial strategy and enterprise risk management; operator ensuring the books, budgets, and audits are airtight; and responsible for the transition from fiscal sponsorship to fiscal agency to an independent multi-entity structure. The CFO will also directly supervise the Director of Operations, who already contributes across most of the areas below and additionally manages the organization's office and day-to-day operational needs.
The inaugural Chief, Finance and Operations will oversee the transition of the finance function from external to internal, building a team to match the organization’s growing needs. Baltimore’s Promise has been fiscally sponsored by the Fund for Educational Excellence (FFEE) for more than a decade and intends to transition into fiscal agency, then become fully independent in FY29.
Organizational Values
We ensure that everything we do is developed, implemented, and evaluated in alignment with our organizational values, listed below, and our race equity and inclusion statement. It is of critical importance that all staff are fully aligned with our values and commitment to race equity and inclusion. This position must consistently live our values in the way they think about, approach, engage, and support Baltimore City’s young people.
In our fight for justice and systems change, our values as individuals, teams, and as an organization are the following:
Equity – Our efforts and initiatives are co-developed and driven by the lived experiences of those most negatively impacted by the outcomes we seek to improve. Race, ethnicity, gender, or other attributes should not have predictive power over support, resources, and opportunities that one can access.
Hustle – We are self-starters who take the initiative to strategically identify and advance solutions to address failures in achieving positive outcomes for children, youth, and families. We work efficiently, cross-functionally, and resourcefully – with a sense of urgency – to carry out the mission of the organization.
Humanity – We honor individuals and communities by holding ourselves and our partners accountable to act with integrity, compassion, kindness, and empathy.
Creativity – We are fun and innovative. Our first idea may not be the final strategy because we look for and embrace new ideas from diverse sources. We celebrate the accomplishments of staff and partners.
Shared Accountability – Shared Accountability is our collective responsibility for the work of the organization, not a threat of sanction. When we say we will do something, we will do it, and if we don’t, we will communicate our reasons why. We must be both supportive and demanding of one another to ensure that we meet individual and team responsibilities that contribute to larger organizational goals.
In addition to the aforementioned responsibilities, all Baltimore’s Promise staff are expected to seek out and take advantage of opportunities that our partners and our community provide for us to learn, connect, and show up to support values-aligned efforts in Baltimore. In particular, staff are encouraged to be in spaces that are focused on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) youth and young adults and stakeholders who directly relate to your portfolio of work and professional network.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Chief, Finance and Operations role will evolve as Baltimore’s Promise builds its internal financial and operational infrastructure and assumes greater organizational responsibility for these functions from its fiscal sponsor. In the near term, the Chief will focus on developing the systems, processes, controls, and workflows necessary to support effective financial management while overseeing the finance function in close partnership with FFEE. Over the next 18-24 months, the Chief, Finance and Operations will take full ownership of the organization’s finance function, including:
Financial Strategy
Support the development of a strategy for the organization’s long-term financial sustainability in partnership with the CEO, including financing strategy, reserve strategy, and organizational infrastructure investment planning.
Serve as a thought partner for the executive leadership team for sustainability analysis, staffing affordability, cost allocation decisions, earned revenue modeling, grant profitability, indirect recovery optimization. Help leadership understand the financial implications of strategic choices.
Manage organizational financial risk through scenario and contingency planning, liquidity analysis, stress testing, and meeting financial KPIs.
Design internal controls and oversee development of fiscal controls policy.
Financial Operations and Treasury Management
Own day-to-day accounting operations: general ledger, accounts payable/receivable, payroll oversight, and monthly closing.
Design and maintain internal controls appropriate for a growing nonprofit with multiple public and philanthropic funding streams.
Lead preparation for the annual independent financial audit and manage auditor relationships.
Oversee treasury operations: cash flow and reporting, banking strategy and relationships, organizational credit, payment approvals, etc. Develop and maintain short- and long-term cash-flow forecasts, ensuring adequate liquidity across the organization and its entities; anticipate timing gaps between grant expenditures, reimbursements, receivables, and other funding sources and recommend strategies to manage working-capital needs.
Budgeting and Reporting
Partner with the CEO office and Chiefs to build and monitor the annual budget cycles.
Produce timely, board-ready financial reports and dashboards, consistent with our approach to accountability.
Track grant-specific budgets and spend-down schedules across restricted and unrestricted funds.
Grants Financial Management
Own the full grant financial lifecycle and serve as the finance liaison to funders on financial reporting, audits, and compliance questions.
Ensure compliance with funder-specific requirements (federal, state, foundation) including for any federal pass-through funds.
Negotiate and maintain the organization's indirect cost rate (or de minimis rate election) and ensure consistent application across grants
Track grant spending against budget in real time and identify burn-rate issues.
Build and maintain a grants management system that tracks award terms, reporting deadlines, and match/cost-share requirements
Compliance and Risk Management
Audit preparation and oversight.
Ensure compliance with GAAP, nonprofit financial regulations, and funder-specific financial reporting requirements and single audit requirements (including state and federal grants).
Organizational Partnership
Serve as a strategic peer to the CEO office and fellow Chiefs on financial strategy.
Function as the primary staff partner for the Board Finance/Audit Committee, leading presentations and serving as a senior financial voice to the Board of Directors more broadly. Build committee dashboards, support financial education/literacy and risk reporting across the organization and governing bodies.
Build and lead a finance team as the organization scales.
Fiscal Sponsorship Transition and Independence Readiness
Ensure Baltimore’s Promise can safely become an independent organization by performing the following:
Lead the financial workstream of our transition out of fiscal sponsorship, including sequencing, risk assessment, and a detailed transition budget/timeline.
Stand up independent financial infrastructure: banking relationships, insurance, accounting systems, and a full financial policies and procedures manual for the standalone entity.
Manage the transfer of grant agreements, restricted fund balances, and contracts from the fiscal sponsor to Baltimore's Promise (and/or affiliated entities), in partnership with legal counsel.
Design and maintain multi-entity/consolidated accounting such as segmented ledgers, inter-entity transactions and cost allocation, and entity-specific financial reporting.
Advise the CEO office on the financial risk profile and readiness milestones for full operational independence.
Multi-Entity Finance
Design, implement, and oversee the financial and administrative infrastructure governing how funds, contracts, employees, services, assets, and obligations are allocated or transferred among Baltimore’s Promise multiple entities.
Oversee inter-entity invoicing, reimbursements, transfers, receivables, payables, and reconciliations.
Maintain clear documentation and audit trails for transactions among related entities.
Ensure that restricted funds, grant proceeds, and charitable assets remain with and are used by the appropriate entity.
Monitor the financial condition, liquidity, obligations, and risk exposure of each entity individually and of the enterprise as a whole.
Produce entity-level and consolidated financial reporting that allows leadership and governing bodies to understand both individual entity performance and the organization’s aggregate financial position.
Operations & Office Management (via Director of Operations)
Directly supervise the Director of Operations, who contributes across the financial and transition workstreams above and additionally owns office and operational management.
Ensure office operations such as facilities, vendor and lease management, procurement, equipment/IT coordination, and general administrative infrastructure run smoothly and cost-effectively.
Oversee organization-wide operational policies and procedures (e.g., procurement, expense, and facilities policies), ensuring alignment with financial controls and the entity-independence transition.
Set priorities and provide performance management/coaching for the Director of Operations, integrating operations planning into the broader finance function.
Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)
10+ years of progressive nonprofit or public-sector accounting/finance experience, including at least 4–5 years in a senior finance leadership role (CFO, VP of Finance, or comparable).
CPA preferred; deep working knowledge of GAAP and nonprofit fund accounting required.
Experience managing complex, multi-funder budgets, including government/public grants (state and federal).
Track record leading or directly supporting clean independent audits.
Comfortable operating in a collective-impact, systems-change environment with an evolving co-CEO leadership structure.
Strong systems fluency (accounting software, budgeting tools) and ability to translate financial data into clear, non-technical narratives for board and staff.
Direct experience with a fiscal sponsorship exit, nonprofit spin-off, entity formation, or comparable organizational restructuring is required.
Experience with multi-entity or consolidated nonprofit structures (segmented ledgers, inter-entity transactions, entity-level reporting, managing governance across related entities.)
Cash management experience including banking relationships, reserves, forecasting, liquidity management and investment oversight.
History of implementing financial systems and related technologies to support organizational growth and operational efficiency.
Demonstrated people-management experience, with the ability to supervise and coach employees.
Strong alignment to Baltimore’s Promise’s Organizational Values and Race Equity and Inclusion Statement
Compensation and Benefits
This position is classified as exempt and is not eligible for overtime compensation in accordance with the policies set forth by Baltimore’s Promise in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The annualized compensation for this position is $170,000. Please note that this compensation is firm. Baltimore’s Promise compensation ranges are determined by the responsibilities and level of authority required by each position as opposed to individual candidates’ qualifications or pedigree. This is an intentional attempt to mitigate pay inequities that are in part driven by systemic and implicit racism and gender bias impacting career trajectories and negotiation.
This is a full-time position with full benefits, including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield health insurance, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, paid parental leave, cellphone and mileage stipends, and support for professional development opportunities.
Baltimore’s Promise provides a hybrid working environment (2 days in office) that gives staff the flexibility to work remotely when not required for in-person meetings or tasks. Occasional evening and weekend hours may be required to support the organization's events and initiatives.
Please visit www.baltimorespromise.org/benefits to view the many additional benefits that Baltimore’s Promise offers its staff.
Travel
Travel around Baltimore City for in-person meetings and into the office for staff meetings is a regular occurrence. Travel includes national conferences, staff retreats, and meetings around the State.
To Apply
Submit the following application materials as PDFs by clicking the link below.
Resume
Cover Letter
Names, titles, and relational context of three professional references. We will not contact references unless you advance in the application process, and we will inform you before contacting your references.
Note: Should you advance to round 2, you will be asked to participate in an assignment that demonstrates your ability to excel at the role. (You will be compensated for your time)
Application materials submitted through online job platforms or by email will not be considered.
ABOUT BALTIMORE’S PROMISE
Baltimore's Promise is a citywide collaborative composed of public, business, higher education, nonprofit, community, and philanthropic leaders. We serve as a catalyst for organizing efforts and resources around a shared vision: all Baltimore City youth will travel a safe, healthy, and successful educational path from cradle to career. Baltimore’s Promise uses data to report on outcomes for children from birth through their early careers in order to understand the complex needs of our city’s children.
We promote a data-based approach to program and policy design--one that is informed by context and lived experience of the communities affected and conducted with the participation of all stakeholders. Recognizing enduring inequalities resulting from persisting racism, ethnocentrism, sexism, and the intersections thereof, we employ a race equity lens to all aspects of data collection, analysis, interpretation, and presentation.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Studies have shown that women, BIPOC, and other people from marginalized groups are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet all the qualifications described in the job description. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization, and to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse work experiences and backgrounds. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interest in this position, and what you hope to bring to this role.
Baltimore’s Promise is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer all personnel actions, without regard to race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin or ancestry, status as an individual with a disability who is otherwise qualified to perform the essential functions of his or her position, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with applicable laws. Baltimore’s Promise will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination, and any such conduct is prohibited.