The Foundation

The Miami Foundation is a home base for generosity and impact focused on building a Greater Miami where everyone can thrive. Since 1967, The Foundation has invested over $772M to strengthen our community in partnership with more than 1,000 fundholders and 50,000 donors. By accelerating leadership, generosity, and a sense of belonging across Miami, we inspire people to become changemakers, and we create ways for donors, nonprofits, leaders, and locals to work together on solutions for our community. At The Miami Foundation, everyone has a role they can play in creating a thriving Greater Miami. The Foundation is committed to helping individuals, families, and corporations deepen the impact they make through philanthropy. It does so by tracking key quality of life issues, shaping Greater Miami’s vitality and educating and mobilizing donors and community leaders around this data with the aim of leveraging resources and holistically shaping a better city. In recent years, the Foundation has also developed a policy agenda and advocacy strategy on issues central to Miami’s resilience. The Miami Foundation has several income streams:

• Fees for managing, investing, and deploying philanthropic assets on behalf of individuals, families, groups, and corporations through various philanthropic funds or strategic initiatives.

• Endowment and Reserve Fund management for major cultural and other non-profit organizations.

• Project management for programs such as the Knight Arts Challenge and the Miami Fellows, an endowed leadership program.

• Unrestricted donations primarily made from estate gifts.

The Miami Foundation is a vibrant community foundation that has a strong, well-connected and highly professional Board of Trustees. Through sound financial management, increased community awareness and strong staff performance, the Miami Foundation has doubled its assets over the last 10 years and aims to repeat that in the next 5 years. This is a unique opportunity for someone to be part of a thriving organization in a community that is growing and truly international.

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Position Overview

The Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) has executive responsibility for the Foundation’s accounting, financial management, budgeting, audit, tax, investment and general operations. The CFO supports the Foundation’s mission by providing leadership and supporting excellent service to internal and external constituents, with a focus on efficiency and excellence. The CFO is in charge of the Foundation’s relationship with investment managers and reconciliation of all investment funds and relationships managed by the Foundation. The CFO is a strategic financial leader who serves as a key member of the Foundation’s leadership team and provides investment expertise to existing and potential donors in partnership with the Foundation’s development team. The CFO will provide financial knowledge and counsel and work closely with the President and CEO, Board of Trustees and with the Investment and Audit Committees, all with the goal of ensuring that the organization is poised for growth.

Aside from the financial aspects of the position, the CFO needs to be part of creating a changing community spirit and see him/herself as a leader in the community, identifying issues and helping people establish their legacy.

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Specific Responsibilities Include:

Financial Planning and Analysis

A CFO must be a master of financial foresight. This competency encompasses the ability to develop robust budgets, create dynamic financial models, and conduct performance analyses that inform strategic decisions. At The Miami Foundation, this means not only ensuring fiscal responsibility but also aligning financial planning with the organization’s mission and long-term goals. The CFO must anticipate financial trends, identify risks, and provide actionable insights that empower leadership to make informed choices.

Investment Oversight and Management

The CFO plays a critical role in stewarding the Foundation’s investment portfolio, particularly through oversight of an Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO). This requires a sophisticated understanding of investment strategies, performance metrics, and risk management. The CFO must be able to interpret complex investment reports, ask probing questions, and ensure that the OCIO’s actions align with the Foundation’s financial objectives and ethical standards. In addition, the CFO will be a core partner in building out the Foundation’s impact investing strategy, ensuring that capital is deployed in ways that advance both financial sustainability and mission impact. This competency ensures that donor funds are managed prudently and sustainably.

Complex Financial Operations

Managing thousands of transactions across more than 1,000 unique funds demands exceptional operational acumen. The CFO must implement systems and controls that guarantee accuracy, transparency, and efficiency in fund allocations and disbursements. This competency is vital to maintaining donor trust and ensuring that every dollar is accounted for and directed appropriately. It also involves leveraging technology and process improvements to streamline operations without compromising integrity.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

Effective communication is central to the CFO’s role. Whether presenting to the board, negotiating with partners, or collaborating with internal teams, the CFO must articulate financial information clearly and persuasively. This competency includes the ability to build consensus, advocate for strategic initiatives, and secure favorable terms in financial agreements. Strong communication fosters trust and ensures that financial decisions are understood and supported across the organization.

Financial Literacy for Non-Experts

A unique challenge in nonprofit finance is translating complex financial concepts into accessible language for stakeholders who may not have financial backgrounds. The CFO must be a teacher and translator, fostering f financial literacy across departments. This competency supports a culture of transparency and empowers staff to make financially informed decisions, enhancing overall organizational effectiveness.

Leadership and Team Development

The CFO is not just a financial expert but a leader who cultivates talent and drives team performance. This competency involves mentoring staff, aligning the finance team with organizational strategy, and promoting cross functional collaboration. A high-performing finance team is essential to executing the Foundation’s mission, and the CFO must inspire excellence, accountability, and continuous learning.

Culture Building and Values Alignment

Financial leadership at The Miami Foundation goes beyond numbers—it’s about embodying and promoting the organization’s values. The CFO must foster a workplace culture that is joyful, inclusive, and aligned with the Foundation’s commitment to equity and transparency. This competency includes embedding ethical practices into financial operations and modeling behaviors that reinforce the Foundation’s mission and values.

Compliance and Governance

Navigating the regulatory landscape of nonprofit finance requires deep expertise. The CFO must ensure compliance with IRS regulations, grant requirements, governance standards, and the maintenance and accreditation of Community Foundation National Standards. This competency protects the Foundation’s reputation and legal standing, while also ensuring alignment with field-wide benchmarks. It involves implementing policies and procedures that uphold accountability and ethical stewardship of resources.

Strategic and Entrepreneurial Thinking

The CFO must be a strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit. This competency involves identifying opportunities for growth, innovation, and efficiency. It also includes the ability to assess risks, pivot when necessary, and drive initiatives that enhance the Foundation’s impact. A solution-oriented mindset enables the CFO to lead through uncertainty and position the organization for long-term success—strengthening both its local commitments to Greater Miami and its broader influence on the national stage.

Executive Presence and Relationship Building

Finally, the CFO must embody executive presence—projecting confidence, emotional intelligence, and credibility. This competency is about building relationships across all levels of the organization and with external stakeholders. The CFO must inspire trust, lead with integrity, and serve as a key ambassador for the Foundation’s financial vision and values.

Love for Miami

The Miami Foundation team works hard every day to build a Greater Miami where everyone can thrive. We seek to work with inspiration professionals who have an insatiable curiosity and desire to develop a deep understanding of Greater Miami, the issues the community faces, and the vital work being done to address those issues.

Alignment with The Foundation’s Values Joy, imagination, bravery, sustainability, togetherness, equity, leadership. Our values are fundamental to everything that we do at the Foundation – they’re not just words on a page, they are how we move, build, and partner.

Strategic Clarity In its pursuit to create a Greater Miami where everyone can thrive, The Miami Foundation takes on an abundance of work across multiple issues at any given time. The ability to prioritize, see the big picture, move thoughtfully, and achieve outcomes even in complex circumstances sets our team apart.

A Growth Mindset We operate as fast learners who fundamentally believe in people and their ability to grow and improve. Robust Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The Miami Foundation prioritizes elevating voices, spreading power, and increasing opportunity for all.

Robust Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The Miami Foundation prioritizes elevating voices, spreading power, and increasing opportunity for all.

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Candidate Profile

Key Requirements:

• Experience with complex financial systems, keeping track of multiple streams of revenue and accounting for them individually.

• Demonstrated ability to explain and analyze complex financial structures to non-financial stakeholders – translate financial issues across staff and donors.

• Staff management and mentorship.

• Good professional judgment. Decide what is a good deal for the organization versus a bad deal and translate that into the necessary administrative and compliance steps.

• Budget effectively, understand fund cost centers.

• Exhibit professional conduct consistent with Foundation values.

Essential Qualities:

• Deep interest in and commitment to philanthropy and the work of the Foundation, with a demonstrated commitment to the Greater Miami Area, its residents and their concerns.

• Sense of humor, creativity and appreciation of the role of philanthropy in building community.

• Excellent interpersonal skills required for relationship building - particularly as it relates to professional peers. Ability to motivate teams to produce quality materials within strict time frames as well as simultaneously managing several projects. Facilitate and participate in group meetings.

• Highly motivated, self-starter with strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Ability to prioritize, work effectively, adjust to multiple demands, and follow tasks through to completion with excellent attention to detail.

• Ability to work with lean and limited staff. Willing to do some detail work.

• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

• Excellent strategic and intellectual abilities and analytic skills and a reputation for rigor.

• Confidence and sound judgment. Willingness to challenge conventional thinking, take calculated risks, and venture carefully into controversial issues and challenging program areas.

• Aptitude for technology and understanding of its applications to foundation operations and philanthropic services.

• Very strong management and team-building skills, including the ability to recruit, inspire, and retain a strong staff, set clear priorities, and delegate effectively.

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Desired Experience

• Minimum of a BS degree in finance/accounting/business administration is a plus; Master’s degree preferred.

• 10 years of progressive experience in a senior level finance or accounting position with demonstrated leadership skills. Preferred industry experience: not-for-profit (community foundation experience a plus but not required), accounting, banking or financial services.

• Proven professional experienced in finance, accounting, contracts, and budgeting and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and automated financial reporting systems. Knowledge of federal and state financial regulations. Ability to analyze financial data and prepare financial reports, statements and projections.

• Experience leading a highly effective team toward outstanding results.

• Superior written and verbal communication skills.

• At least 5 years of managerial experience in leading a team and mentoring/coaching staff.

• Proficient in accounting software (Foundant C-Suite a plus), Microsoft Office Suite, and Excel. Deep knowledge of fiscal sponsorship, including compliance, fund management, and reporting, is essential.

• Comfort with measured, strategic risk in support of mission and growth is highly desirable.

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Values:

We are seeking someone who is passionate about having an impact in the community and understands the role of The Miami Foundation in building a more equitable and just community. As an extension of that, the Foundation promotes an internal culture built on joy, failure, friendliness, and an ability to work in an environment that focuses on high volume, high quality and high speed. Relationships are our most precious currency and are the asset that enables us to have the greatest impact on the community. We are looking for a strong leader who will continue to disseminate the values of The Miami Foundation and be a true representative of its position as a civic leadership organization in Miami. This is a position of great trust, integrity and honesty that is responsible for the administration, management, reporting, and communication of the assets of the Foundation.

Expressing Interest

In order to express interest, https://apptrkr.com/6605070. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

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Search Team

Tyler A. Ridgeway, Esq.
Managing Director, Corporate and Financial Officers Practice
O: 215.656.3580
C: 610.864.6405
‍tyler.ridgeway@divsearch.com

‍Malissa Brennan
Managing Associate
O: 978.961.9616
‍malissa.brennan@koyapartners.com

‍Mary Gorman
Executive Assistant
O: 215.656.3566
‍mary.gorman@divsearch.com

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About DSG Koya

DSG | Koya, a DSG Global company, is the nation’s premier search firm dedicated to mission-driven leadership. Since its founding in 2004, DSG | Koya has had an exclusive focus on mission-driven clients and was founded on the belief that the right leader can transform an organization and have a deep and measurable impact on our world. DSG | Koya works with nonprofits & NGOs, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world. DSG Global is consistently recognized by Forbes on its top 10 list of “America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms” and is an industry leader in recruiting transformational leaders for a changing world. The firm is deliberately different in its approach, with best-in-class teams who have decades of experience in cultivating inclusive leaders, understanding the dimensions of diversity, and building equitable teams. Learn more about DSG | Koya via the firm’s https://www.dsgco.com/industry/nonprofit-and-social-impact/.