Chief Financial Officer *REMOTE*

About Kesem

We are a nationwide community, driven by passionate college student leaders, that supports children through and beyond their parent’s cancer with innovative, fun-filled programs that foster a lasting community.

About the Position

Kesem is seeking a CFO who will serve as Kesem’s senior financial leader, overseeing $12M+ finance and accounting operations across Kesem National and its network of 100+ college chapters. Reporting directly to the CEO, the CFO will lead the Finance Department, supervise its staff, and work closely with both the Board of Directors, including as the primary liaison to the Finance and Audit Committees, and Kesem leadership.

The CFO will be responsible for all financial planning and analysis, budget development and monitoring, financial and regulatory reporting, audits, accounting operations, internal controls, and fiscal compliance. This role is also key to establishing a data-driven culture across the organization and advancing strategies that support Kesem’s mission, operational health, and long-term sustainability.

Kesem’s Values

The CFO must uphold and build a culture that continues to support and strengthen the following behaviors to help us realize our vision:

• Continuous learning - We operate with curiosity and a willingness to try new things, and we see our successes and setbacks as opportunities for growth.
• Accountability - We are individually and collectively responsible for advancing our mission.
• Resilience - We empower and support each other through challenges while fostering a spirit of joy and hopefulness.
• Empathy - We seek to understand and appreciate other perspectives and experiences.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Financial Strategy & Leadership (25%)

• Lead the Finance Department, supervising and supporting the Manager of Finance and Accounting and the Finance and Administration Coordinator.
• Establish departmental goals, priorities, systems, and processes to ensure the integrity, efficiency, and accuracy of Kesem’s financial operations.
• Collaborate with the CEO and leadership team on long-term financial strategy, scenario planning, and resource allocation.
• Support long-term planning by developing scenario analyses and financial models under various assumptions.
• Provide financial input and modeling for key strategic decisions such as program expansion, partnerships, or organizational restructuring.
• Model the financial impact of changing assumptions, such as shifts in revenue, staffing levels, or cost inflation.
• Provide input to manage and reduce spending by reviewing contracts, negotiating favorable terms, and continually assessing vendor costs.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Analysis (25%)

• Lead the annual budgeting process across departments and programs, including both Kesem national and chapter budgets. Understand drivers and build scenarios (optimistic, base, and bear) with key assumptions.
• Develop multi-year financial projections aligned with strategic organizational goals.
• Create rolling forecasts and budget revisions based on evolving assumptions and conditions.
• Monitor actuals vs. budget and provide variance analysis to explain discrepancies and support strategic decision-making.
• Conduct program-level, departmental, and organizational ROI analysis to evaluate performance and cost-effectiveness of key initiatives.
• Create and maintain dashboards and routine reports for internal stakeholders, including the senior leadership team and board committees.
• Identify cost drivers, funding gaps, financial risks, and execute operational efficiencies.

Accounting & Internal Controls (20%)

• Oversee day-to-day accounting and bookkeeping activities, including general ledger, A/P, A/R, payroll, reconciliations, journal entries, banking, and revenue tracking.
• Maintain financial record systems and ensure accuracy and compliance with GAAP and applicable nonprofit accounting standards.
• Manage and oversee all banking and investment activities.
• Lead cash flow planning and liquidity management across seasonal program cycles, ensuring sufficient capital to support camp and other program operations, program growth, and organizational stability.
• Develop and oversee procedures to ensure financial processes have robust internal controls that safeguard organizational assets.
• Evaluate processes and procedures to improve efficiency and suggest changes for continuous improvement.

Compliance, Audit & Financial Systems (15%)

• Oversee Kesem’s fiscal sponsorship model, including financial compliance, risk mitigation, and stewardship of fiscal sponsorship agreements with student-led chapters, ensuring alignment with legal, regulatory, and organizational standards.
• Develop and maintain financial policies, approval thresholds, and internal controls tailored to a student-led chapter model.
• Monitor chapter-level financial activity to identify risks, trends, and compliance concerns, and partner cross-functionally to address issues proactively.
• Lead the annual financial audit process and ensure timely and accurate filing of the IRS Form 990 and all related state and federal reports.
• Oversee charitable solicitation registrations and tax filings across all jurisdictions.
• Ensure compliance with nonprofit financial policies, legal and regulatory requirements, donation restrictions, and ethical standards.
• Ensure the optimal use of financial and administrative platforms, including NetSuite, Bill.com, Expensify, Salesforce, and others.
• Continue to improve processes, including with automation, to save team time and increase data visibility.
• Manage relationships with external financial institutions, auditors, vendors, and consultants.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Board Engagement (15%)

• Collaborate with program, development, marketing, HR, and operations teams to align financial plan execution with mission objectives.
• Support the development and operations teams with grant proposals and funder reporting by preparing budgets, forecasts, and financial narratives.
• Prepare and present monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports for internal stakeholders and the Board of Directors.
• Prepare financial presentations, summaries, and insights for the Board of Directors and serve as staff liaison to key committees (e.g., Finance, Audit).
• Translate complex financial data into mission-focused insights to inform decisions and build trust with stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required
• At least 7–10 years of progressive experience in nonprofit financial management, including contribution accounting, cost accounting, treasury, reporting, and budgeting.
• Demonstrated experience in distributed team supervision.
• Demonstrated knowledge of nonprofit GAAP, audits, financial reporting, and compliance.
• Experience working within a fiscal sponsorship, chapter-based, or otherwise distributed nonprofit model preferred.
• Excellent organizational skills, with proven ability to deliver on multiple initiatives and prioritize effectively.
• Strong communication skills across a wide range of formats (verbal & written) and audiences.
• Proven financial acumen with independent and collaborative analyses.
• Proficiency in using and managing financial platforms such as NetSuite, Salesforce, Expensify, Bill.com, and Microsoft Excel.
• Experience creating and maintaining dashboards and reports to facilitate performance tracking and decision making.
• Strong leadership and team-building skills, with a collaborative and mission-driven mindset.
• Experience working directly with Board members, and providing Board reporting and committee support.

Additional Information

• The CFO role is a full-time and remote position, with responsibilities that require at least 40 hours of work per week, with some weeks requiring more.
• It is expected that the CFO will be available for all staff calls and team meetings.
• On average, the CFO should expect to travel 2-4 times per year, all within the United States.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

Kesem’s mission of supporting children through and beyond a parent’s cancer, and our vision of ensuring that every child impacted by a parent’s cancer is never alone, can only be realized through an ongoing, steadfast commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in every part of our organization. To that end, Kesem makes the following commitments:

• To continually expand the communities we support and work with - our camper families, volunteers, staff, alumni, partners, donors, and boards - with attention to engaging communities we are not currently reaching.
• To strive for equity in delivering a transformative, fun, and empowering community that recognizes and embraces our differences.
• To aspire to create shared spaces that are safe for every member of the Kesem community to feel valued and respected.
• Kesem will engage in continued meaningful learning in order to better support our mission and our growing Kesem community.

Kesem is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Kesem offers a benefits package for full-time employees, including employer-subsidized health benefits, employee-funded dental and vision benefits, an employee-funded 403(b) retirement plan, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a healthcare concierge service, telecommuting, paid time off (PTO), Short-Term Disability, voluntary accident insurance, voluntary critical illness insurance, voluntary Long-Term Disability and parental leave offerings.