Chief Financial Officer

The highly regarded St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center is seeking an experienced financial management executive to join the senior management team as Chief Financial Officer and help to continue to build its record of exceptional service to lower income residents of Baltimore. St. Ambrose is Baltimore's oldest nonprofit housing provider and has served more than 130,000 residents over its now more than 55-year history. The organization is seeking a dedicated, committed finance professional with over 10 years of executive experience and CPA credentials.

The Organization:

St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center was founded in 1968 by a Jesuit seminarian who set out to help families buy their first home and to preserve homeownership in Baltimore's neighborhoods. Its mission is to create, preserve and maintain equal housing opportunities with low and moderate income people, primarily in Baltimore City, and to encourage and support strong and diverse neighborhoods. Over the years, it has developed five distinct but related housing programs that reach over 3,000 low to moderate income individuals and families a year. Through that work it has gained a very positive reputation both within the communities it serves, and with its funders, as an organization that can be trusted to follow through on its commitments.

Programs & Services:

St. Ambrose offers an innovative and evolving set of services and programs from its offices on the north side of Baltimore but serves individuals and families from throughout the metropolitan area. These services range from traditional nonprofit services like rental services, housing development and homeownership counseling to legal services including foreclosure prevention and its innovative homesharing program.

• Property Management - St. Ambrose owns or manages 309 rental units throughout Baltimore City and County, scattered among 7 apartment buildings and 129 single family homes. These units include those serving both low-moderate income families and individuals. One of the buildings is a senior housing building in Towson. Much of St. Ambrose's rental housing is "service enriched", partnering with social service agencies to assist tenants with special needs.
• Housing Development - Since its inception in 1968, St. Ambrose has worked to preserve neighborhoods throughout Baltimore through the renovation of vacant, dilapidated or foreclosed homes. Through its Asset Control Area program, it buys HUD foreclosed houses in targeted neighborhoods and renovates them to top market standards. Most of these homes are then sold to homeowners, many of whom are police officers and teachers.
• Homeownership Counseling - St. Ambrose provides both one-on-one homeownership counseling and monthly workshops for first-time homebuyers. Workshops cover such issues as budgeting, credit, selecting a loan and the home purchase process, while counseling sessions address more personal issues such as loan qualifications, credit repair, loan fees and funds needed to complete a home purchase. These services are free to the prospective homeowner. This counseling also extends to families who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments. Services include budget counseling, assistance negotiating a repayment plan with the mortgage company, and assistance completing applications for government programs for certain loans.
• Legal Services - St. Ambrose provides legal counsel and direct legal representation to lower income clients in the Baltimore area regarding a range of practice areas. These include foreclosure defense, landlord-tenant disputes, tax sales, title issues, reverse mortgage default, access to public benefits, contract disputes and wills and estate planning.
• Homesharing -a unique program that matches people who are looking for an affordable and compatible housing arrangement with people who have extra rooms in their homes. Applicants are carefully screened and references checked, and homes are visited for suitability.

St. Ambrose has developed an unusually high level of trust with community residents who have come to understand it is an organization that keeps it commitments and gets things done.

St. Ambrose's 2022 expenditures were just under $10 million. It is governed by a 10 member board of directors, and most of its work is carried out by a staff of 36.

The Position and Leadership Opportunity:

Reporting to the Executive Director and serving as an integral member of the Senior Leadership Team, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) has primary responsibility for planning, implementing, managing and controlling all financial-related activities of St. Ambrose, including the development of financial and operational strategies. The CFO leads all finance operations of a budget of approximately $10 million including direct responsibility for accounting, finance, forecasting, strategic planning, job costing, real estate deal analysis and negotiations and investor relations. The CFO ensures that the Organization has the systems and procedures in place to support effective program implementation and conduct flawless audits. The CFO makes regular presentations to the Board of Directors and serves as primary staff to the Board Finance and Audit Committee.

Key Job Functions:

Leadership:

• With the Executive Director, develop annual and long-range financial plans and budgets to support and advance the Organization's strategic goals;
• Provide support and advice to the Executive Director, Real Estate Development Director and Director of Property Management on the management of the Organization's real estate assets;
• Ensure the Organization's financial interests are protected through compliance with GAAP, contract review, negotiation, cost monitoring, and compliance;
• Advise and support the department directors with budgets, grant oversight and financial reporting;
• Serve as liaison to the Board Audit and Finance Committee;
• Ensure maintenance of effective internal controls to safeguard assets and assure reliability of financial statements.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Identify and implement changes as needed to strengthen the Organization's policies, business processes and systems for effective financial management;
• Lead and manage all department staff (currently 2);
• Prepare annual operating budget of the Organization including cash flow projections and reporting;
• Maintain internal and financial integrity of the financial and accounting system by applying approved internal control procedures;
• Communicate and coordinate accounting matters with non-accounting staff to ensure accuracy and completeness of financial statements;
• Provide financial data and analytical reports in ways that enable Board members and non-finance managers to interpret and understand the Organization's financial position, risks and future projections for growth;
• Ensure accuracy and clarity of all financial statements and narrative reports;
• Manage daily responsibilities of the Organization including all accounting functions, finance, treasury, payroll, accounts receivable and payable, maintenance of general ledger and budgeting;
• Liaise with investment advisors regarding investment portfolio, oversee investments policies and serve as a custodian for investments;
• Serve as key liaison to independent audit firm, banks, insurance managers, government agencies, funders, vendors and other professional in areas regarding finance, audit and compliance;
• Coordinate with external auditor's preparation of audit financial statements; coordinate preparation of tax forms including IRS Form 990, review and file legal documents and charitable state registration forms as required;
• Prepare for and manage annual audit process with external CPA firm, and communicate with external CPA firm throughout the calendar year to promote timely audit performance;
• Maintain good working relationships with vendors, banks, insurance brokers, investment brokers and outside auditor.

Qualifications:

• Certified Public Accountant certificate required;
• Should have at least 10 years of experience, preferably in a non-profit entity in an executive management position, with demonstrated, measurable success in financial management of a multi-faceted financial program with multiple sources of finance including complex grant resources;
• Must be detail oriented, maintain integrity, and have ability to manage multiple tasks effectively;
• Technology savvy; advanced knowledge of accounting and reporting software;
• Ability to monitor multiple financial operations related to the Organization, develop strategic plans, problem solve, represent the Organization in presentations and negotiations involving government and private sector partners;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data, including presentations to senior management, Board or other outside partners.

Compensation:

Salary commensurate with experience. This is a full-time position with a generous benefits package.