Main areas of focus: Fiscal Management, Long-Term Planning, Compliance & Risk Management
Location: Remote – U.S. only
Eligibility: At this time, we are only considering candidates who are eligible to work in the United States without the need for company sponsorship now or in the future.
JOB HIGHLIGHT
The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will lead charity: water’s finance function during a period of growth, investment, and organizational transition. With an annual revenue budget of ~$100M, the CFO will ensure strong financial stewardship while advancing long-range planning, forecasting, and financial insight in service of the organization’s mission and long-term sustainability.
JOB SUMMARY
charity: water is seeking a Chief Financial Officer to oversee the organization’s finance function and provide strategic financial leadership across the organization. Reporting to the President and serving on the Executive Team, the CFO will lead long-range financial planning, board communication, and provide enterprise-level financial decision support, while also ensuring excellence in accounting, compliance, and risk management. The CFO will oversee financial operations for both the US and the UK entities. This role requires a leader with nonprofit accounting expertise who can both stabilize and evolve the finance function—strengthening core accounting and audit readiness while building forward-looking FP&A capabilities that support executive and board-level decision-making.
YOU’LL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR…
Organizational Leadership, Long-Range Planning & Board Engagement
● Lead enterprise-level long-range financial planning, multi-year forecasting, and scenario modeling to inform strategic choices, investment pacing, and risk tradeoffs
● Serve as a primary financial partner to the President and Executive Team, providing clear insight into financial performance, sustainability, and strategic options
● Prepare and present financial results, forecasts, and long-term outlooks to the Board, and manage relationships with the Board’s Finance and Audit Committees
● Translate complex financial information into clear narratives that support strong governance and confident decision-making
● Support major strategic initiatives through rigorous financial analysis, due diligence, and “what-if” modeling
● Review business results and help direct resources toward initiatives that most effectively advance mission impact and operating efficiency
Financial Management & Stewardship
● Lead all finance and accounting functions, including nonprofit accounting operations, FP&A, treasury, cash management, financial controls, compliance, and financial risk management
● Oversee annual and long-term budgeting processes, ensuring alignment with organizational strategy and operational realities
● Oversee the development and maintenance of integrated financial models and performance metrics that support monthly and quarterly reporting, forecasting, and decision-making
● Oversee the modernization of financial systems and planning processes, including a transition to the social-impact version of NetSuite and improvements to budgeting and forecasting tools to support long-term planning and decision-making
● Ensure accurate, timely, and transparent financial reporting in accordance with nonprofit accounting standards
● Oversee audit processes, insurance coverage, and regulatory compliance, ensuring the organization is appropriately protected as it scales domestically and internationally
● Partner closely with Revenue Operations to incorporate revenue forecasts into integrated financial plans, while maintaining clear role definition and accountability
Team Leadership & Development
● Lead and develop a team across Accounting and FP&A, fostering a culture of clarity, accountability, and excellence
● Set clear priorities and expectations for the finance function that support both near-term execution and long-term planning
● Coach and mentor team members, supporting professional growth and capability development
● Guide the finance team through periods of transition, ensuring continuity while strengthening systems and processes over time
● Build strong cross-functional partnerships while maintaining appropriate financial rigor and ownership
YOU MUST HAVE…
● 15+ years of senior financial leadership experience, including significant experience within nonprofit organizations
● Demonstrated, hands-on experience leading nonprofit accounting functions, including audit, compliance, and GAAP reporting for nonprofits
● Proven experience leading long-range financial planning, forecasting, and board-level financial communication
● Strong strategic and analytical skills, including financial modeling, scenario analysis, and risk assessment
● Track record of building and leading effective finance teams
● Global perspective and experience supporting international operations strongly preferred
● Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field required; MBA a plus
● Preferred experience with Netsuite
YOU’LL BE SUCCESSFUL IF...
You're a strategic thinker
You have the strategic prowess and social intelligence required to help build scalable models that leverage charity: water's brand, assets, relationships and opportunities to meet disruptive growth goals.
You’re a great communicator
You can turn data and numbers into effective and compelling messages. You are concise and operate with poise, dignity and reliability in both your personal and professional worlds. You are great at sharing insights, but what you love to do is apply real context to findings so that stakeholders understand what it means for them and also how it impacts the organization
You’re a leader
You are skilled at accomplishing things through other people. You can run multiple work streams that extend far beyond your immediate team. You can provide guidance for peers, subordinates and partners.
You have a team ethos and you love working with people
You thrive in a creative, inventive, fast-paced startup environment, with people who are passionate about their work and mission. You're excited to work cross-functionally with other departments and enjoy bringing people together to achieve a goal. People enjoy working with you because they know they can trust you. You find joy in mentoring team members so they can maximize their effectiveness.
You value precision
You’re meticulous. You know accuracy is important regardless of whether anyone is watching, and you strive for excellence in every detail.
You’re a hard worker
You thrive in a fast-paced environment with people that are constantly looking to innovate, enjoy challenges and demand excellence.
HIRING TIMELINE
This role was posted on January 9th, 2026 and will remain open for approximately 90 days.
SALARY RANGE
This is an exempt role with a range of $260,000 - $280,000 a year.