Vice President, Finance

Title: Vice President, Finance

Department: Finance

Report to: Chief Operating Officer/General Counsel

Compensation: $230,000 – $260,000

FLSA: Exempt 

Employee Type: Full-Time, Regular

Location: New York, NY

Work Arrangement: Hybrid - 3 days/week in the SEO office at 55 Exchange Place, New York, NY 10005

ABOUT SEO 

Founded in 1963 during the Civil Rights Movement, SEO closes educational and career opportunity gaps for 7,000 ambitious young people annually. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

SEO is seeking a Vice President, Finance to lead and evolve its financial strategy and operations. As the senior-most finance leader in the organization, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, the VP will lead a team of nine managing Accounting and FP&A strategy and execution. Under its new President & CEO, SEO is preparing for continued growth with a renewed emphasis on multi-year planning, clear metrics, and systems that enable accountable decision-making at scale. The VP will bring clarity to financial ownership, help program leaders leverage financial data and insights to maximize their resources, and develop more predictable, scalable financial management and reporting tools. This role requires a finance leader who thrives building capabilities within organizations. The successful leader will pair technical credibility with curiosity, a desire to teach and learn, strong, communication, sound judgment, and the ability to drive adoption of new tools and simple policies across a complex organization.

Financial Strategy 

• Serve as SEO’s senior financial subject-matter expert, establishing clear decision authority and ownership for financial policies, revenue treatment, accounting, reporting, compliance and planning. 
• Set a clear enterprise financial agenda with the President & CEO and COO/GC, executive leadership, and Board of Directors; sequence the highest-value Finance priorities rather than treating every request or project as equally urgent. 
• Lead annual budgeting, multi-year planning, forecasting, scenario analysis, and resource-allocation discussions so leaders can understand trade-offs and make informed decisions. 
• Communicate financial decisions and the reasoning behind them in language that program, development, executive, and board audiences can use.

FP&A & Business Partnership

• Strengthen FP&A as a forward-looking decision-support capability, using forecasts, trends, scenarios, program budgets, and cost analysis to help leaders plan rather than simply report historical results. 
• Build predictable partnership rhythms with program, development, and functional leaders and engage early enough to shape decisions before issues become urgent. 
• Understand the distinct revenue models and operating realities of SEO’s programs while creating organization-wide consistency in core financial practices. 
• Increase the usefulness and clarity of management and board reporting, connecting the numbers to risks, choices, sustainability, and organizational priorities

Accounting & Compliance

• Ensure reliable books, timely close, strong audit readiness, cash and treasury management, compliance, and appropriate internal controls. 
• Clarify ownership and workflows for revenue tracking, gift coding and allocation, reconciliation, expense management, and other financial processes. 
• Balance stronger control and accountability with practical implementation, bringing stakeholders along rather than imposing process without context. 
• Maintain the financial discipline and transparency expected of a complex nonprofit with multiple funding streams and program models.

Finance Systems & Process Improvement

• Bring strong technology fluency and ownership to finance systems and data, including workflows involving Salesforce, Intacct, A/P, budgeting/forecasting, revenue tracking, and reporting. 
• Assess fragmented tools, spreadsheets, handoffs, and manual work; establish clearer sources of truth and simplify processes where possible. 
• Lead implementation and adoption of financial technology with discipline, recognizing that successful systems work requires process clarity, stakeholder engagement, training, and sustained follow-through. 
• Reduce avoidable workload and recurring urgent demands, particularly around board cycles, forecasting, budget changes, and reconciliation.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead, develop, and align the accounting and FP&A teams, establishing clear accountability while delegating effectively and building bench strength. 
• Create a Finance team culture that is rigorous, responsive, curious, and integrated into the organization. 
• Partner closely with operations, development, IT, program leadership, and other functions to improve planning, ownership, and execution across shared work. 
• Build a team model and operating cadence that reduces dependence on the VP as a bottleneck while maintaining appropriate escalation and judgment. 
  

COMPETENCIES & SKILLS

• Progressive senior financial leadership in a complex nonprofit or mission-led organization; strong understanding of nonprofit accounting and multiple revenue/funding models is highly relevant. 
• Broad command of accounting, audit, controls, budgeting, forecasting, cash/treasury, financial reporting, and compliance, paired with genuine FP&A and decision-support depth. 
• Demonstrated ability to move finance beyond reporting and stewardship into forward-looking planning, scenario analysis, resource allocation, and business partnership. 
• Strong technology capability and experience improving finance systems, data, and cross-functional workflows; experience integrating or improving ERP, CRM/revenue, budgeting, or reporting tools is especially relevant. 
• Experience partnering with distinct program or business leaders in a decentralized or multi-line organization where enterprise consistency must coexist with differing operating needs. 
• Track record leading and developing Accounting and FP&A talent, delegating effectively, and setting clear performance expectations. 
• Excellent communication and translation skills, including the ability to explain rationale, trade-offs, and financial concepts to executives, program leaders, development professionals, and board members. 
• High EQ, curiosity, patience, accountability, and the confidence to make decisions and challenge constructively while bringing others along. 
  

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS  

SEO offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits plan including low-cost health, vision, and dental options, a generous holiday schedule and PTO policies, disability coverage, fully paid time off for new parents, and employer contributions to health reimbursement and retirement accounts. We are constantly working to improve our benefits each year based on the needs of our employees. We value wellness and strive to put people first and foremost. 

The compensation listed in this posting reflects what SEO believes it will pay for this position at the time of this posting. Consistent with applicable law, compensation will be determined based on the skills, qualifications, and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position, and SEO reserves the right to modify this pay range at any time. 

EEOC Policy

At SEO we are committed to cultivating a team that embodies the backgrounds and experiences of the constituencies we serve and the communities we live in, and a workplace that reflects the impact we make in the world. Candidates from all communities – including people of color, women, members of the LGBTQIA+ Community, veterans, and people with disabilities – are strongly encouraged to apply.

Equal Employment Opportunity is not just the law, it is our commitment.

Sponsors for Educational Opportunity is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer – M/F/D/V. We will consider all qualified applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics, or any other legally protected status.

If you need accommodation while applying for a role with SEO, due to a disability, please email SEO Talent.

 
THE ORGANIZATION

Established in 1963 by Michael Osheowitz, SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunity) is an educational non-profit founded on the belief that talent is everywhere; but opportunity is not. Our programs are designed to educate, train, mentor, and amplify the voices of our participants to give them a seat at the table – every table. We propel human potential.

SEO is an innovator in education, mentorship, and creating educational career opportunities that maximize the full potential of our participants. Each year SEO serves 7,000+ participants nationally, and the organization is widely recognized for developing best-in-class programs with exceptional results.

Not every SEO participant is on the same journey, but all are hungry for opportunity and SEO creates an ecosystem of excellence. Learn more about SEO's programs here: https://www.seo-usa.org/our-programs/.