Interim Chief Financial Officer

The Organization:  Merit America

The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs, driving an average wage gain of $24k three months or more after completing the program. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners. 

Role Overview 

The Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for overseeing and optimizing all aspects of Merit America’s financial management strategy in conjunction with the Finance Committee of the Board. The Interim CFO will guide decision-making to meet and exceed our financial targets, directly overseeing Finance, Accounting, and Revenue Operations. The Interim CFO will ensure these departments operate efficiently, collaboratively, and in alignment with our organization's mission and strategic goals.

The Interim CFO is an exempt position on the Executive Team, reporting directly to the Managing Partner and working in close collaboration with the co-CEOs.  

Important note: We have a small, high-performance leadership team, and strong collaboration is key to our success.  For both of those reasons, this role will start on a 3-6 month interim basis with the exploration of conversion to full-time after that point.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Interim Chief Financial Officer will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Strategic Leadership and Oversight (30%)

• Partner with leaders across departments to deeply understand their operational needs, challenges, and growth objectives, translating these insights into comprehensive financial strategies and solutions.
• Establish and implement financial objectives and strategies that support Merit America's growth plan while balancing the needs of different organizational functions.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to department heads, helping them optimize resource allocation and make data-driven financial decisions for their teams.
• Develop tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information to the executive team and board.
• Track progress and assess organizational performance against the annual budget and Merit America’s long-term growth model–with a specific focus on our revenue targets.
• Ensure alignment of administrative functions with overall organizational goals.
• Collaborate with the Executive Team to inform and execute company-wide strategies.
• Provide financial insights and education to champion prudent decision-making across the organization.

Financial Management and Compliance (25%)

• Oversee financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting processes in collaboration with the Director of Revenue Operations and Controller.
• Partner with our Controller to oversee all accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems; maintain internal control safeguards and help oversee all audit activities. 
• Proactively ensure compliance with all financial regulations, staying ahead of changes to find new opportunities while maintaining strong internal controls.
• Optimize resource allocation and cost management across all departments.
• Shepherd the Board Finance & Audit committees and serve as the main financial point of contact to the Board of Directors.

Financing Partnership Development & Stewardship (25%)

• Oversee Merit America’s financing partnerships and operations, including our $45M partnership with Google and loan servicer Ascent Funding.
• Help secure low-interest financing for the $100M+ Opportunity Fund we are co-raising with America’s Frontier Fund, building on the Google Career Certificates Fund success.
• Monitor the funds and learner progress against goals, ensuring we are set up to exceed all targets and draw down the full financing available.

Team Management (10%)

• Oversee, direct, and organize the work of the finance and accounting teams.
• Supervise, develop, and coach direct reports.
• Promote a culture of measurable high performance and continuous improvement across the organization.

Risk Management and Operational Excellence (10%)

• Identify and mitigate potential risks across all managed departments and broadly support organizational risk mitigation.
• Implement org-wide policies and procedures to ensure operational efficiency and compliance.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to streamline processes and enhance collaboration.

Skills and Competencies

We recognize that individuals from marginalized backgrounds, including women, people of color, and those with disabilities, are often less likely to apply when they don’t meet 100% of the job qualifications. Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity! We want to emphasize that your unique skills, experiences, and perspectives are valuable, and we encourage you to apply if you can demonstrate many of the skills and competencies. Below are the skills that are relevant for thriving in this role:

Must Haves: 

• Proven experience in a senior leadership role overseeing the finance function.
• Strong financial acumen and experience in strategic financial management.
• Exceptional analytical and financial modeling skills.
• Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop high-performing teams.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate complex organizational challenges.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
• Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers.
• Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture.
• Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together.
• Committed to continuous learning and growth in understanding and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity.

Nice to Have: 

• MBA or relevant advanced degree in Business Administration, Finance, or related field.
• Experience leading finance and administrative functions in a rapidly growing organization or start-up environment.
• Experience with annual audits in a nonprofit context.
• Experience with data analytics and its application in driving organizational performance.
• Experience in change management and organizational development.

Other Logistics 

• This position is full-time: 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Location: Remote
• Salary: $263,500

Our goal is to have competitive and equitable compensation.  We have a market-based compensation approach, which means we benchmark each role from reputable data sources. We compare our benchmarks against similarly sized non-profit organizations with comparable annual budgets and geographical areas. We pay the same rate for the same roles and adjust to comply with statutory mandates. 

We take care of our employees by providing the following perks and benefits: 

• 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
• Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit
• Education & personal development reimbursement
• Catalog of course for professional learning and development
• Short and long-term disability
• Unlimited vacation (after a 90-day introductory period)
• Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after 1 year of employment)
• 11 federally recognized holidays
• 1 week office closure in July (week of July 4th)
• 2 week holiday office closure in December/January
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit contribution
• Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
• Discount perks at work program
• Phone/technology stipend
• Home office setup stipend
• Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups

*Eligibility for some benefits may vary based on employment status, full-time or part-time. Eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process.

Remote Work & Sponsorship

Candidates must reside within the 50 states or District of Columbia and have full authorization to work in the 50 U.S. states & the District of Columbia (international work abroad, including the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other islands are excluded). In addition, Merit America doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

Still excited about our work?  You can learn more about our work in this video we made with our founding partner, Google.

Fair Chance Ordinance

Applicants who have arrest or conviction records and are in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be considered in accordance with the state’s fair chance ordinance law. Employment under the ordinance includes part-time work, seasonal work, contract work, contingent work, work on commission, and work through the services of a temporary or employment agency.

E-Verify Statement

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 Form.