Chief Financial Officer

Conference Treasurer / Director of Administrative Services (¶ 619) — Senior Leadership Team

Position at a Glance

About the Conference and This Opportunity

The Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church invites inquiries and applications for the position of Chief Financial Officer. This is a senior leadership appointment with denominational, fiduciary, and pastoral dimensions, and it is central to how the conference resources ministry across its churches, camps, campus ministries, and mission partners.

Our vision is to be Jesus followers seeking the loving, just, and free world God imagines for all people. We pursue that vision by loving boldly — multiplying ministry, raising up younger leaders, and building a conference culture marked by inclusion and respect for the diversity of our churches and communities. We are looking for a financial leader who understands that stewardship is a ministry: budgets, audits, and benefit plans are means by which congregations are freed to serve.

The CFO serves on the senior leadership team as the chief financial voice of the conference and as the principal steward of its financial integrity, transparency, and accountability. The role combines the strategic work of an executive with the disciplinary duties of the Conference Treasurer, and it carries responsibility for the conference’s benefit programs and statistical reporting.

Why This Role Matters Now

The next CFO will step into a season of significant change and consequential decisions. Candidates should expect the following to shape the first two years of the work:

• Overseeing accounting system, ensuring transparent reporting across the conference, and pursuing efforts to streamline business practices.
• Stewarding mission share (apportionment) income in a period of changing congregational capacity, and helping leadership build realistic multi-year revenue models.
• Strengthening the sustainability of pension, health, and welfare benefit programs for clergy and lay employees.
• Rebuilding or reinforcing internal controls, documentation, and audit readiness so the conference can answer financial questions quickly and credibly.
• Raising the financial literacy and confidence of local church treasurers, finance committees, and trustees.

Expected Outcomes in the First Twelve Months

Success in year one will be evaluated against outcomes, not activity. The CFO will be expected to:

1. Deliver a clean, on-time annual audit with no material weaknesses and a documented plan for any management letter comments.
2. Produce a balanced, mission-aligned conference budget developed collaboratively with the senior leadership team and CF&A, and successfully interpret it to the Annual Conference session.
3. Issue accurate month-end financial reports on a published calendar, with a dashboard that leadership and boards can use for decision-making.
4. Complete a documented review of internal controls, restricted-fund compliance, and investment and reserve policies, with recommendations to CF&A and Trustees.
5. Confirm the health and compliance of benefit and insurance programs, including renewal strategy and participant communication.
6. Establish a stable, well-supported Stewardship Team with clear roles, cross-training, and no single points of failure.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Strategic Financial Leadership

• Serve as the chief financial advisor to the Resident Bishop, the senior leadership team, CF&A, and the Cabinet, translating financial information into clear strategic options and recommendations.
• Develop multi-year financial forecasts, scenario models, and reserve strategies that connect resources to the conference’s mission and priorities.
• Anticipate emerging trends and assess internal strengths and weaknesses alongside external opportunities and threats, then lead the implementation of practical solutions.
• Design and continuously improve streamlined administrative and financial systems that increase operating efficiency, control cost, and free capacity for ministry.
• Communicate financial information effectively to widely varied audiences — clergy, lay leaders, boards, agencies, donors, and the public — in plain, non-technical language.
• Participate and provide leadership on various conference boards and committees, including CF&A, Board of Trustees, Investment Management Committee, and Board of Pension and Health Benefits.

2. Accounting, Treasury, and Internal Control

• Oversee all accounting operations, ensuring professional application of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and appropriate fund accounting practice for a nonprofit religious organization.
• Direct all treasury functions, including banking relationships, cash management, liquidity planning, investment administration in coordination with Trustees, and payment controls.
• Perform the duties of the Conference Treasurer under ¶ 619, including receiving and disbursing remittances from local churches and remitting general, jurisdictional, conference, and district funds on the required schedule.
• Maintain a documented system of internal controls with appropriate segregation of duties, approval thresholds, and fraud-risk safeguards; oversee the security and integrity of financial data and systems.
• Oversee management of all restricted, designated, and endowed funds in compliance with GAAP, donor intent, the Discipline, and federal and state law.
• Manage the annual audit process with the third-party audit firm, including preparation of schedules, workpapers, and financial statements, and lead timely remediation of any findings.
• Ensure timely and accurate filing of all required returns and reports, including Forms 990 or applicable religious-organization filings, 1099s, payroll tax returns, and state filings.

3. Budget Development and Mission Share Stewardship

• Prepare, develop, and manage the approval of the conference budget in timely consultation with the senior leadership team, CF&A, and other relevant committees.
• Recommend and administer the mission share (apportionment) formula, monitor collection performance, and advise leadership on trends and interventions.
• Interpret the budget and apportionment methodology to districts, congregations, and the Annual Conference session in a way that builds trust and participation.
• Ensure the distribution of accurate and timely month-end and year-end reports to conference senior staff, boards, agencies, and other required parties, together with periodic funding and cost-management reporting.

4. Pension and Benefits

• Serve as Conference Benefits Officer, overseeing all matters relating to pension, health, disability, and life insurance for clergy and lay employees.
• Administer direct billing of pension and health costs to local churches and other employing units, and resolve participant and church-level questions.
• Partner with Wespath, the Board of Pension and Health Benefits, brokers, and third-party administrators on plan design, renewals, funding strategy, and compliance.
• Monitor plan funding levels and long-term liabilities, and advise leadership on sustainability and cost-sharing decisions.

5. Trustees, Property, and Risk

• Serve as Treasurer of the Conference Board of Trustees and support Trustee investment and property activity in compliance with federal, state, church, and conference requirements.
• Provide financial administration for church closures and discontinuations, property acquisitions and dispositions, and the handling of resulting proceeds in accordance with the Discipline.
• Maintain a working knowledge of enterprise risk across the conference and recommend mitigation strategies to leadership, CF&A, and Trustees.

6. Statistics, Data, and Reporting Integrity

• Serve as Conference Statistician, producing annual reports and data from the remittance system and local church year-end reports, and ensuring all statistical reports are submitted to GCFA accurately and on time.
• Support local churches in completing statistical and financial reports, and use the resulting data to inform conference planning.

7. Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop the staff and contractors of the Stewardship Team engaged in accounting, benefits, and financial administration.
• Set clear goals and performance expectations, conduct regular reviews, build cross-training and succession depth, and cultivate a service-oriented culture.
• Recommend and administer financial and administrative policies, and oversee office management, payroll, and related administrative services assigned under ¶ 619.

8. Governance Support and Local Church Partnership

• Serve on CF&A and provide analysis, reporting, and interpretation that enables the council to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities.
• Establish and maintain constructive, trust-building relationships with key stakeholders across the conference and with denominational partners including GCFA and Wespath.
• Provide counsel, training, and guidance to district superintendents, local church treasurers, financial secretaries, and committees on finance.
• Oversee the conference payroll process for employee compensation, ensuring compliance with pay schedules and quarterly and annual reporting to the IRS and other regulatory agencies, including proper treatment of clergy compensation, housing allowance, and related tax matters.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or a closely related field.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible financial management experience, including a minimum of five years in fund or nonprofit accounting.
• At least five years of supervisory experience leading professional staff, including hiring, performance management, and development.
• Demonstrated command of nonprofit accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, internal controls, audit management, and restricted-fund compliance.
• Experience presenting financial information to boards, committees, or governing bodies composed largely of non-financial volunteers.
• Proficiency with accounting or ERP software and strong working skill in spreadsheets, databases, and reporting tools; comfort adopting and improving financial systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and proven ability to build trust with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning — setting goals, building actionable plans, and measuring performance against objectives.
• Sound judgment, discretion with confidential information, and unimpeachable personal and professional integrity.
• Alignment with the mission, values, and inclusive commitments of the Horizon Texas Conference.

Preferred

• Advanced degree in a relevant field, and CPA, CMA, or Certified Church Administrator (or comparable) credential.
• Working knowledge of employee benefits administration and group health and welfare plans.
• Knowledge of The United Methodist Church, its structure, polity, and the financial provisions of The Book of Discipline; familiarity with Wespath and GCFA processes.
• Experience with clergy compensation and housing allowances, church tax matters, and multi-entity or multi-site financial administration.
• Experience leading a financial systems conversion, merger integration, or comparable organizational change.
• Conversational or professional Spanish.

Core Competencies

• Strategic thinking and sound business judgment
• Analytical rigor and creative problem-solving
• Clear, plain-language communication and skilled interpretation of complex information
• Collaborative leadership and the ability to influence without direct authority
• Cultural competence and the ability to lead and serve across diverse communities
• Organizational discipline, accuracy, and follow-through under deadline

Employment Parameters and Benefits

• Closing date: September 22, 2026
• Search process: Virtual interviews by search team – September 28 – October 7;Final in-person interviews by Bishop and search team – October 12-16
• Finalists: All offers of employment are subject to the candidate successfully completing background, reference and other applicable checks.
• Questions: Send to jobs@gcfa.org

No staffing agencies or recruitment firms.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Horizon Texas Conference is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. As a religious organization, the conference may consider religious criteria where permitted by law for positions that carry religious duties.

Reasonable accommodations are available at any stage of the application and interview process. To request one, contact Human Resources at jobs@gcfa.org.