Chief Financial Officer

Background

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is a national nonprofit that helps build homes and communities across rural America. Founded in 1971, headquartered in Washington, DC, and working in all 50 states, HAC provides technical assistance to community-based organizations, loans for affordable housing development, and in-depth research on rural community economics. HAC has a specific focus on high-needs rural regions and areas of persistent poverty, including the Mississippi Delta and southern Black Belt, rural Appalachia, Native American communities, farmworker communities, and the Southwest border colonias.

As HAC celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the organization remains an essential leader in the affordable housing industry. The organization has invested over $340 million into local organizations building affordable housing, assisted in the development of homes for over 70,000 families in need, and delivered over 200,000 hours of training for generations of small town and rural community builders. HAC has also produced robust research on rural housing, demographics, and poverty, with leading public and private sector institutions relying on the research and analysis to shape national policy. The organization has a well-earned reputation as an independent and assiduously nonpartisan source of evidence-based research that regularly responds to federal agencies, Congressional committees, and Member offices with the information needed to make informed policy decisions. In 2022, HAC received a $7 million gift from MacKenzie Scott, ensuring more people and more communities will enjoy the benefits of American prosperity.

Summary

HAC has been experiencing unprecedented growth and impact, and as such the organization is seeking a dynamic Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with the vision and skill to help manage an increasingly sophisticated organization. This is a newly created position responsible for overseeing the accounting, finance, capital markets, and administrative functions of HAC, while also providing overall leadership and strategy to the organization. This person will have a balance of financial savvy, strategic ability, and interpersonal skills to manage teams and serve as strategic advisor and resource to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team. The CFO will always be looking two steps ahead at the financial and organizational implications of making various decisions.

The ideal candidate will embody the unique combination of this organization’s mission-driven yet business-minded approach to serving diverse communities and alleviating poverty through affordable housing. This executive must have a background in accounting or finance, managing staff, and serving as a senior leader at a sophisticated and multidimensional organization, such as another CDFI, community lending institution, or housing-related non-profit.

HAC is currently utilizing a team of experienced accounting consultants at a third-party firm to manage its finances. The CFO may want to continue that relationship or choose to bring the work in-house. Either way, the CFO will be expected to move quickly to build and manage a more robust operation that supports the budgeting, finance, and administrative needs of HAC’s various departments. This may include, though is not limited to, hiring several staff, outsourcing administrative functions, and establishing state-of-the-art accounting and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.

The CFO will report to David Lipsetz, President & CEO and work closely with the Treasurer and Finance Committee of HAC’s Board of Directors. The CFO is a member of HAC’s Senior Leadership Team and is expected to work collaboratively on strategic planning and crosscutting initiatives, as well as the daily activities required to operate a high-functioning organization. The CFO is expected to work in HAC’s downtown Washington, D.C. office with a portion of their week eligible for remote work.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Serve as the strategic partner to the CEO as well as other members of the Senior Leadership Team on the financial performance, planning, and opportunities of the overall organization. Think holistically about each component of the organization and how decisions made across the board could affect HAC’s financial health. Utilize creativity and resourcefulness to turn abstract solutions into
• Accounting and Reporting: Manage day-to-day finance and accounting operations, ensuring effective policies, procedures, internal controls, and systems are maintained. Report to the CEO, Senior Leadership Team, and Board Committees on the financial health of the organization, including budget, investments, lending, and program operating activities. Ensure timely, accurate, and understandable financial reporting for federal and state funders, foundations, HAC management team, and Board of Directors. Lead audits and ensure proper preparation and filing of all tax
• Financial Planning and Analysis: Develop and utilize forward-looking, predictive models and activity-based financial analyses

to provide insight into the organization’s operations and business plans.

• Capital Planning: Support the development of annual and multi-year capital plans to expand the scale of financing and affordable housing lending activities; support the creation of new programs, products, and initiatives; and apply capital markets methods to help facilitate new financing facilities and relationships with banks, foundations, and other financial institutions interested in impact investment Serve as a thought partner on public and private fundraising activities, negotiate terms to meet HAC’s priorities, and limit compliance burden.
• Capital Management and Compliance: Ensure timely loan and other capital product closings, disbursements, and related fund transfers. Collaborate with the Loan department to oversee financial asset management of outstanding loan and grant Manage and report on lending, administration, and organizational compliance to funders and investors, including the Department of the Treasury’s CDFI Fund, the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service, the Department of Housing and Urban Development programs, commercial banks, and private foundations. Ensure annual recertifications, permits, licenses, and rating renewals. Maintain HAC’s good standing as a CDFI and evaluate HAC’s performance relative to CDFI peers.
• Internal Leadership: Build, manage, and mentor the accounting, finance, and operations teams at HAC. Develop and monitor program and operating budgets. Serve as executive champion of application software development and organization-wide financial accounting and loan management system implementation. Partner with the Senior Leadership Team to maintain and update administrative policies. Help execute the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion plans.
• External Leadership: Represent the organization to financial partners, including investors, foundation executives, auditors, and public Represent HAC to the CDFI industry, rural community stakeholders, and affordable housing professionals. Easily translate financial reports and compassionately teach financial literacy to non-financial constituents.

Requirements

Education: A bachelor’s degree is required, and an advanced degree (particularly an MBA) is preferred. A CPA designation is attractive but not required.

The successful candidate will have the following career experience:

• Experience in a senior financial management role, resulting in the development and implementation of effective financial management
• Significant experience in or knowledge of accounting for non-profits and/or loan funds, including sophisticated fund and grant accounting, compliance, and
• Demonstrated experience partnering with executive leadership to develop and successfully execute strategic initiatives, business development, innovation, and organizational
• Proven track record of problem-solving, resourcefulness, and exceeding set Ability to think strategically, anticipate future trends and consequences, and build the organization framework to address dynamic circumstances.
• History of managing growth and aligning operations to support strategic business Strong administrative skills and deep knowledge about protocols and procedures that ensure nonprofit organizations are high functioning.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage strategic financial relationships with public and private capital
• Strong track record in relationship and trust building with staff, Board members, community leaders, and
• Experience implementing innovative finance and accounting software.

Compensation and Benefits

Competitive salary, excellent benefits and a workplace that knows how to strike a good work/life balance.

How to Apply

HAC is Hiring a Chief Financial Officer

For more information, contact RCLCO’s  Kelsey Padgham, Senior Associate, (240) 835-5883 or kpadgham@rclco.com