Chief Financial Officer

Position Summary

Penfield Children’s Center is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit with nearly 60 years of service to children and families. Founded in 1967, Penfield provides early education, health services, and family programming to over 1,800 children annually, with an operating budget of approximately $13 million and a staff of 120 employees.

Penfield Children’s Center is at a pivotal moment in its history. Building on nearly 60 years of mission-driven service to Milwaukee’s children and families, Penfield is pursuing an ambitious strategic growth agenda — expanding program reach, deepening community impact, and diversifying revenue in a complex funding landscape. The Chief Financial Officer will be the CEO’s primary strategic partner in making that growth a reality.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership & CEO Partnership

• Serve as the CEO’s primary financial advisor and strategic partner, bringing financial data, scenario analysis, and informed judgment to organizational decisions.
• Lead financial modeling and feasibility analysis for new program initiatives, expansion opportunities, and strategic partnerships.
• Contribute to organizational strategic planning, translating mission priorities into multi-year financial plans with clear milestones.
• Forecast the organization’s financial trajectory, growth opportunities, and risks; present findings to the CEO, executive team, and Board with clarity.
• Represent financial strategy before the Board of Directors and Audit & Financial Integrity Committee.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen Penfield’s financial position through revenue growth, cost management, and sound capital planning.

Financial Management & Oversight

• Serve as the primary oversight authority and day-to-day relationship manager for Penfield’s outsourced accounting and finance partner, ensuring quality, accuracy, and timeliness of all deliverables.
• Review and approve all internal and external financial reports, ensuring compliance with GAAP, funder requirements, and organizational policy.
• Monitor monthly financials, analyze budget variances, and bring actionable recommendations to leadership.
• Develop and monitor the annual budget in collaboration with the executive team and in alignment with the strategic plan; manage revisions as conditions require.
• Prepare and present monthly and annual budget analyses for the Audit & Financial Integrity Committee and Board of Directors.
• Oversee financial planning and investment of organizational funds in accordance with bylaws and Board direction; serve as primary staff contact with financial advisors.
• Oversee the annual audit in coordination with the independent audit firm; ensure documentation is complete and serve as primary liaison throughout.
• Ensure compliance with all federal and state grant requirements, including 2 CFR 200/Uniform Guidance, SEFA preparation, and indirect cost rate strategy.
• Maintain oversight of cash flow, banking relationships, and investment activity.
• Ensure compliance with payroll tax law, 403(b) plan fiduciary obligations under ERISA, and all statutory financial reporting requirements, in coordination with the outsourced partner.
• Oversee all business insurance policies to ensure adequate coverage and protection of assets and personnel.

Revenue Integrity & Billing Oversight

• Oversee all billing and intake processes to ensure accurate, timely, and compliant billing across Medicaid, commercial insurance, and third-party payers.
• Monitor revenue cycle performance and identify opportunities to improve collections and reduce billing risk.
• Ensure alignment between program documentation, service delivery, and billing accuracy.

Data & Decision Support

• Use financial and operational data to inform decision-making across the organization, and present findings in ways that are accessible to non-financial leaders.
• Partner with program leadership and business intelligence staff to connect financial metrics with programmatic outcomes.
• Develop financial reporting tools that give leadership timely visibility into organizational performance.
• Identify financial trends, risks, and opportunities proactively and bring them to the CEO and Board.

Team Leadership & Staff Development

• Directly supervise the Revenue Cycle Manager and Staff Accountant; provide skip-level support to Revenue team; conduct regular performance evaluations and support individual growth.
• Model professional excellence and create a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Executive Leadership & Organizational Contribution

• Review contracts and agreements in coordination with the President/CEO; serve as a primary contact with legal counsel.
• Assist with the selection and administration of employee benefit plans.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive financial leadership experience, with significant time in a senior financial officer role with broad organizational accountability; nonprofit experience required. An MBA or CPA may be substituted for up to 3 years of experience.
• Demonstrated experience with nonprofit finance, including federal grant compliance, Medicaid billing, and fund accounting.
• Experience managing or overseeing an outsourced accounting or finance relationship.
• Thorough knowledge of GAAP as applied to nonprofit organizations.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills working with executives, boards, and multi-level audiences.
• Excellent communication skills — written and oral, including public speaking experience.
• Computer literacy required: proficiency in Microsoft Office and Sage Intaact.
• Ability to work with a culturally diverse group of employees.
• Actively demonstrates a commitment to understanding and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Understands, exhibits, and promotes the Penfield Core Values.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• High level of confidentiality and business ethics.
• Must have sufficient mobility to move, including bending, stooping, reaching, lifting, and grasping.
• Meeting vaccine standards as outlined in the Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan.

Preferred Education and Experience

• CPA license preferred.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, Nonprofit Management, or related field.
• Experience in a health and human services or early childhood nonprofit environment.
• Familiarity with Sage Intacct or a comparable accounting platform.
• Experience with government funders including Head Start and Medicaid.

Core Values

• Lead with Love — We welcome everyone with compassion and empathy; patience and kindness. To lead with love, we look for the best in our co-workers, our families, and ourselves.
• Grow with Us — We celebrate our successes and learn from our mistakes. We believe there is always a better way of asking questions that challenge the status quo, improve our process, and make our work easier.
• Better Together — Together, we can do amazing things. Children and families trust us and depend on us to work as a team to meet their needs. We are better together when we maximize our strengths, the gifts of our colleagues, and the commitment of our amazing partners.
• Do What it Takes — We are determined, motivated, and adaptable. We solve problems. We own our work, our actions, and our behaviors. We step up to help our co-workers, partners, and families.
• Be Present — We bring our best genuine self to everything we do. Being present allows us to bring our passion and commitment to our work to ensure the best possible outcomes for Penfield.

Penfield Children’s Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties, or responsibilities required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.