Chief Financial Officer (Cfo)

We are seeking an astute finance professional, with experience of insurance industry finance, to provide strategic financial leadership to an innovative new non-profit that protects investigative reporters worldwide against legal harassment.

The Role

This is a new position within an organization that has the potential to transform the investigative journalism ecosystem globally. Working alongside the Executive Director, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) will play a key role in setting the organization’s direction and ensuring its long-term sustainability. The CFO will provide strategic financial leadership by rigorously assessing the financial implications of the mission of Reporters Shield, clearly communicating that assessment to the other members of the leadership team, and ensuring that Reporters Shield has adequate financial resources to fulfill its mission. The Reporters Shield financial model is innovative and the CFO will commission such actuarial studies as may be required to inform its likely evolution. The CFO will also maintain oversight of funds transfers within Reporters Shield, maximizing returns on any investments whilst maintaining liquidity in line with financial forecasts and expected legal defense payments for members.

It is highly desirable for the CFO to have experience of insurance industry finance or a demonstrated ability to analyze and manage pooled financial risk.

Reporters Shield is a start-up expected to expand rapidly; its growth plan assumes that it will have approximately 250 member organizations by 2027. The CFO will help Reporters Shield manage this growth successfully by ensuring that the financial systems and processes are robust, enabling Reporters Shield to quickly and efficiently fulfill its financial obligations towards its members, and to provide financial reporting and analysis as required to internal and external stakeholders in a timely fashion. Reporters Shield maintains a small core staff, and many functions, including bookkeeping, are outsourced. While these functions require oversight, this will allow the CFO to focus on strategic finance.

Reporters Shield is US-registered, and for this role we prefer applicants who are based and have the right to work in the US. Reporters Shield is open to considering applications from candidates to fulfill the role on a part-time basis.

Background

Reporters Shield is a new global program that aims to defend investigative reporting against abusive lawsuits by covering the costs of lawyers to defend cases and respond to threats, and by offering pre-publication review in high-risk circumstances. Its ultimate goals are deterring bad actors from waging these suits and strengthening the field of investigative reporting. Legal harassment, particularly so-called ‘SLAPP’ lawsuits (the acronym stands for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation), has long been used by the rich and powerful to intimidate journalists, human rights defenders, and independent media. SLAPPs are on the rise and impose a significant burden on those targeted.

Reporters Shield is a membership program; members receive legal defense services as a benefit of membership. Legal defense benefits are funded from membership dues as well as through financial support from private philanthropies and public human rights funding mechanisms.

Reporters Shield was developed by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and the Cyrus Vance Center for International Justice. Its design draws on lessons learned by journalists at OCCRP, who have had dozens of SLAPP lawsuits brought against them and their collaborators, and lawyers at the Vance Center who have worked on the legal defense of many of these SLAPP suits.

Key functions of the role include:

1. Planning and Strategy:

• Analyze the financial implications of the organization’s strategy and mission.
• Develop and maintain the organization’s financial forecasts, short term and longer term, and ensure that financial projections are kept up-to-date.
• Communicate the financial implications of the organization’s strategy and mission to other members of the senior team clearly, enabling the senior team together to make financially well-informed strategic decisions.
• Evaluate financial performance and advise on necessary adjustments, including adjustments of membership fees.
• Commission such actuarial studies as may be required to inform the likely evolution of Reporters Shield’s financial model, and incorporate the outcomes of these studies in organizational finance strategies.

2. Budgeting and Reporting:

• Lead the annual budgeting process and regularly update forecasts.
• Oversee the preparation and presentation of accurate and timely financial reports, including income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements.
• Monitor actual financial results against budgets and forecasts.
• Recommend corrective actions when necessary.

3. Risk Management:

• Develop appropriate tools to assess the organization’s financial risks, including the financial risk profile of its membership.
• Manage the organization’s risk exposure by assessing financial risks and recommending appropriate mitigation.
• Ensure that the organization maintains adequate reserves.

4. Cash and Investment Management:

• Manage the organization’s cash flow and liquidity.
• Monitoring and reviewing return on investments.
• Support the organization’s Investment Committee, including by ensuring that resources are invested in compliance with the organization’s investment policies, and by preparing assessments of the organization’s investment managers.
• Ensure that the organization maintains sufficient balances of liquid resources, in compliance with the organization’s investment policies.

5. Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and reporting requirements.

6. Audit and Internal Controls:

• Implement and maintain strong and appropriate internal financial control systems, including to reduce the risk of financial fraud.
• Oversee internal and external audits.

Qualifications

Essential

• A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field.
• Ability to think strategically, including the ability to provide sophisticated analysis of strategic plans.
• In-depth knowledge of relevant accounting standards.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Proficiency in financial software and tools.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex financial information clearly.
• Extensive experience in financial management at senior level.
• Successful experience in the insurance industry, or a well-demonstrated ability to analyze and manage pooled financial risk.

Desirable

• Master’s degree in finance, accounting, or a related field (MBA or MFinance) and/or CPA certification.

What’s In It For You?

• Salary up to $150,000, dependent on location and experience, pension contribution, and ongoing financial recognition of success.
• Leadership position in an innovative organization that is at the forefront of protecting investigative journalism worldwide.
• Being able to work from home.
• Working with a small and friendly team.

To Apply

For further information about this role and about Reporters Shield, please get in touch by emailing executive.director@reporters-shield.org.

To apply, please email your CV as well as a Cover Letter explaining why you would be the best candidate for this position to info@reporters-shield.org with the subject line “application for CFO”.

Deadline for applications is April 1, 23:59 Eastern Time. Strong candidates will be interviewed on a rolling basis and such interviews will start before the deadline.

All applications must be submitted in English. Incomplete applications will not be considered. We regret that the high number of applicants greatly exceeds our capacity to respond to each person. We apologize that we will not be able to reply to any unsuccessful applicants and are unable to sponsor work visas.

We value having a diverse workforce and we strive to maintain an inclusive and equitable workplace. We encourage people from all different backgrounds to apply. We do not discriminate against any person based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex, medical conditions, family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristics. If you are a qualified applicant requiring assistance or an accommodation to complete any step of the application process, please contact info@reporters-shield.org.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Salary: Up to $150,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) 6% Match
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Family leave
• Flexible schedule
• Life insurance
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• Remote

Application Question(s):

• Can you tell us about your experience in the insurance industry, or if you don't have such experience, can you elaborate on your ability to analyze and manage pooled financial risk?
• Can you tell us what attracts you to this job?

Work Location: Remote