Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Overview

The Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)*, the private fundraising and alumni relations organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison is recruiting for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO). 

WFAA has exclusively retained The QTI Group to lead the search for a Chief Financial Officer.  Click here to apply directly

Essential Functions

• Assesses organizational performance against both the annual budget and the organization’s long-term strategy.
• Develops tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information to the President and CEO and makes actionable recommendations. 
• Advises the President and CEO on recommendations for key business model parameters such as the institutional advancement fees, spend plan, chargeback rates, enterprise-level liquidity management and interest payments on the short-term investment pool (STIP).
• Develops financial business plans and forecasts in alignment with organizational strategy. 

• Advises the President and CEO on setting appropriate risk levels for the short-term investment pool (STIP) and owns the financial risk management system and processes in alignment with CEO direction.
• Directs the development, implementation and maintenance of financial policies and accounting controls; ensures compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and standards. 
• Serves as an in-house compliance expert; analyzes, interprets, and implements FASB and other regulatory directives, and proposes changes to improve or enhance current accounting practices. 
• Coordinates closely with the Foundation’s investment team (WISIMCO) on risk management, internal controls, and compliance matters.

• Oversees all financial accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems, ensuring compliance with appropriate GAAP and regulatory requirements. 
• Maintains internal control safeguards and coordinates all audit activities. 
• Oversees budgeting and the implementation of budgets to monitor progress and present financial metrics both internally and externally. 

• Leads, supervises, and develops staff, fostering a shared vision, acting as a role model, and demonstrating the Foundation’s values. 
• Works effectively across a matrixed environment, partnering with campus finance departments and other internal stakeholders to build trust, alignment, and effective gift fund stewardship.
• Builds and maintains strong, collaborative relationships with the Senior Leadership Team, Finance Team, and WISIMCO to support shared goals and effective decision‑making.

• Advises the President and CEO on the appropriate rate of growth in advancement operations and levels of reserves, while ensuring the business model can deliver on long-range objectives.
• Develops and utilizes forward-looking, predictive models and activity-based financial analyses to provide insight into operations and business plans. 
• Designs, implements, and maintains operating policies and procedures to ensure gift/other revenue transactions are recorded in the customer relationship management (CRM) system on an accurate and timely basis, consistent with donor intent, core WFAA objectives, and industry standards.

• Provides strategic oversight of the STIP and oversees consolidated investment accounting and reporting across WFAA’s investment pools, applying a strong understanding of financial markets and serving in an internal fiduciary role.
• Oversees asset‑liability management for the STIP, implementing approved risk parameters, including asset allocation across tiers, ensuring alignment between investment strategy, liquidity needs, and financial obligations within a complex financial environment.
• Coordinates with WISIMCO on the spending distribution and liquidity planning and ensures investment results are accurately integrated into the consolidated financial statements and regulatory reporting.

• Engages the President and CEO and the Budget committee of the Board of Directors to develop short, medium, and long-term financial plans and projections. 
• Serves as the primary liaison to the Budget and Audit Committees and STIP subcommittee.
• Delivers clear financial reporting, analysis, and intuitive dashboards that translate complex data for Board members, leaders, and stakeholders, supporting informed governance and fiduciary oversight.

• Leads and implements transformative initiatives, such as accounting system conversions, to improve the efficiency of financial and reporting systems. 
• Designs and implements effective internal controls to help ensure all gift revenue is properly recorded, reported, and receipted/acknowledged in the CRM system, as well as to help ensure the accuracy of accounting data exported to the accounting system.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of financial leadership experience encompassing accounting, compliance, financial reporting, and treasury management, with a strong track record of analyzing financial information and informing senior leadership decision‑making.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience required; Master’s degree and CPA preferred.

• Knowledge and experience necessary to manage and lead within a financially complex organization.
• Proven experience assessing and managing financial and business risk and making appropriate recommendations and decisions.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence and engage direct and indirect reports and peers.
• Excellent analytical and abstract reasoning skills.
• Upholds the highest standards of integrity and fiduciary responsibility.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively interface with senior management, staff, the board of directors, and various external constituents and partners.
• Significant experience providing oversight to audit activities as well as managing reporting, budget development and analysis, general ledger, and accounting for investments.
• Experience in a senior financial management role, partnering with executive staff to develop, model, and implement financial management strategies.
• Proven track record of success facilitating progressive financial system, process, and procedural changes within a financially complex organization.