Chief Financial Officer

Background

We believe every idea, however small, has the potential to be something bigger. Yet not every person has the same ability to set their ideas in motion. Colorado Enterprise Fund (CEF) was created in 1976 to foster economic opportunity by expanding access to capital for small businesses, making big ideas possible for everyone.

CEF provides access to capital with flexible lending terms to business owners in Colorado.  Our core lending includes traditional loan products that range in size from a few thousand dollars to $1 million. In addition to financing, CEF provides business consulting services to help borrowers succeed, and connects small businesses and entrepreneurs to relevant resources to expand their networks. Since its inception, CEF has assisted more than 2,900 Colorado small businesses and counting.

CEF is proud to be a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).  The CDFI industry was established to change the trajectory of people and places stuck in disinvestment and displacement. Since its inception, CEF has provided financing products and advisory services to underserved people and communities to help make Colorado a place of opportunity and prosperity for all.

CEF is in a moment of expansion and tremendous impact.   Since its founding in 1976 through 2020, CEF disbursed $97.1M in loans to Colorado small businesses. Most recently, in the two-year period from March 2020 to March 2022, CEF deployed over $102.2M in funding to the Colorado small business community, more than doubling the cumulative historical output. CEF was the largest non-profit PPP lender in Colorado deploying over $52M in PPP funds to small businesses who were shut out of traditional banking channels.

CEF was named the national SBA Microlender of the Year in 2019 and has received many local awards including the Impact Catalyst Award and the Martin Luther King Social Responsibility Award. In addition to growing its impact and reputation, it has also grown its financial strength. CEF has received $45M of New Markets Tax Credits allocations from the CDFI Fund in the past two years.  CEF has obtained significant investments and grants to launch targeted loan programs for Veterans and Black Owned Businesses. In the past three years, as a result of the latter investment, CEF increased its percentage of loans to Black Owned businesses from 19% to 36%.  CEF also operates 13 community loan pools through partnerships with various cities and municipalities across the state of Colorado and has launched over a dozen new loan funds, grant programs, and other community partnerships over the last four years with more on the way.

At CEF we don’t just believe in the power of a diverse and growing small business sector as a force for good in Colorado — we live it, breathe it, and invest in it.

Summary

CEF is seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join the organization during a time of pivotal strategic growth.  Reporting into the President and CEO, the CFO will play a key role in helping CEF realize its mission by providing strategic leadership in the areas of finance, operations, and risk management.  The CFO will lead the finance function and be responsible for building process, policy, and systems to lead CEF into the future.

Responsibilities

The CFO will have day-to-day responsibility for planning, building, implementing, and managing the financial activities, serve as a thought-leader on the senior team, and create policy related to finance across the organization.  With an eye towards process improvements and performance enhancements, the CO will create streamlined systems for better efficiency.  Working along with the Chief Strategy Officer the CFO will be instrumental in identifying opportunities and new strategies for effective IT transformation.   In addition, the CFO will be responsible for providing strategic oversight on internal systems and business processes to fit the needs of a growing organization.

The CFO will be an inspiring leader who can work closely with peers, direct reports, board members, auditors, external vendors, and internal constituents to manage the financial and administrative needs of the organization.  Overseeing $70M assets under management, the CFO must be well-versed in complex financial transactions.

The position requires a strategic thinker with a big-picture mentality, intellectual curiosity, and comfort navigating a complex and evolving CDFI nonprofit organization.  With a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity, the CFO will embrace the importance of these initiatives throughout the organization.

Requirements

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:

Passion for the Mission

• Strong commitment to CEF’s mission and values
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, complex organization that is constantly growing
• Understanding of efficient business practices as a key factor in organizational success
• Excitement to build process and systems with the ability to take a long-term, thoughtful approach to achieving organizational goals
• Ability to proactively problem solve and collaborate with a variety of different constituents

Strategic and Organizational Leadership

• Contribute to the strategic direction of CEF along with the President and CEO, Chief Strategy Officer, and senior leadership team
• Serve as the expert on all things finance with the ability to translate complex financial transactions across the organization
• Oversee budgets, systems, process, and policy and ensure new programs and initiatives comply with legal, financial, and regulatory protocol
• Ability to lead the finance team to execute the business model successfully and continuously make improvements based on internal learning and market feedback
• Provide senior leadership to the audit process, working with the Finance team to ensure that the audit preparation occurs on a timely basis and that accounting practices are GAAP compliant

Financial Expertise

• Provide strategic recommendations based on financial analysis and projections, cost identification and allocation, and revenue/expense analysis
• Manage finance and accounting functions, including monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements, inventory policies including setting reserves, accounting, payroll, taxes, and other government filings
• Directs treasury management with an eye towards capital efficiency
• Ensures compliance with relevant internal policies and procedures as well as federal, state and local regulations applicable to all organizational activities
• Provide oversight in the areas of risk management and other complex financial transactions
• Manage annual audit as well as other external reporting, rating, and compliance process and procedures

Administrative Oversight

• Drive business process improvement by bringing best practices to the accounting, operations, and finance  functions
• Collaborate with senior leaders and various staff to develop systems and integration of other software used by the organization for effective monitoring, analyzing, forecasting, and reporting
• Conduct business analyses, monitor key financial metrics, and compile appropriate reports for management and board reporting
• Functional expertise in at least one operational area (Operations, IT) with significant exposure to other functional areas
• Support the organization in all hiring systems, processes, and policy development

Relationship Builder

• Strong relationship-builder and able to build and sustain excellent relationships both internally and externally
• Ability to coach, mentor, and guide a team with an eye towards professional growth and organizational impact
• Manage relationships with auditors, banks, insurance brokers, software vendors, consultants, and other key counterparties
• Contributes to fostering an organizational culture of collaboration and partnership
• Works with the Chief Strategy Officer and other senior leaders in translating financially complex information into easily digestible materials

In addition, strong candidates will offer:

• Demonstrated leadership and relationship management experience
• A coaching orientation to effectively translate complex financial pieces to constituents across the organization
• Solutions-focused and results oriented with an ability to solve problems independently and in teams
• Demonstrated experience or exposure to streamlining workflows, process management, and/or continuous improvement
• Competency in managing the annual budget and reforecast processes and oversee the timely release of all financial data to be shared with senior management, the department directors, and the Finance Committee of the Board
• Technology literacy, including systems management and financial reporting systems
• Excellent business acumen with the ability to comprehend programmatic activities and convey complex financial technical information to people with varying levels of financial expertise
• Comfortable in a fast-growing organization during a period of change
• Strong leadership, with the ability to drive organizational change, collaborate, and build consensus internally and externally
• Strategic understanding in operations, IT, and facilities management a plus
• CDFI and SBA experience a plus

Compensation and Benefits

While CEF is targeting a salary of $180,000 – $200,000 commensurate on the candidate’s skills and experiences, we are open to feedback from the market and would welcome the ability to connect with potential candidates who may be outside of the compensation band.  CEF is committed to equity in pay practices.

How to Apply

Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume to Alicia Salerno here: https://talent-profile.diversifiedsearchgroup.com/search/v2/20157