Chief Financial Officer - Non-Profit Legal

Position: Chief Financial Officer 

Reports to: NYC Bar Association Executive Director  

Department: Finance 

Start Date: December 2024 

The Organization: The New York City Bar Association (City Bar), founded in 1870, is a voluntary association of lawyers, judges and law students. Since 1896, the organization, officially known as the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, has been headquartered in a landmark building in mid-town Manhattan. The City Bar has close to 23,000 members.  

The City Bar’s mission is to equip and mobilize a diverse legal profession to practice with excellence, promote reform of the law, and uphold the rule of law and access to justice in support of a fair society and the public interest in our community, our nation, and throughout the world. 

The Position: The Chief Financial Officer reports to the Executive Director and is responsible for leading the financial and accounting operations of the organization by directing and overseeing the financial activities of the Association and City Bar Fund. This includes the preparation of current financial reports and summaries, budget, creation of forecasts and predicting future growth to ensure the financial health of the organization, budget, and pension administration. 

This position is primarily remote with occasional in-person workdays for meetings, events, training, and other times, as needed (approximately 12 times/year, though this may vary). The Finance Department is also primarily remote. The remote work setup may be reconsidered, on occasion, based on the needs of the organization. 
 

PRINCIPAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY include, but are not limited to: 

Finance: 

• Oversee and analyze asset management, cash flow planning and investments, and ensure sufficient funds are always available as needed. 

• Manage payroll, banking relations and daily cash management. 

• Oversee financing strategies and activities. 

• Develop and utilize forward-looking, predictive models and activity-based financial analyses to provide insight into the organization’s operations and business plans. 

Planning, Policy, Investor Relations: 

• Coordinate the development and monitoring of budgets. 

• Develop financial business plans and forecasts.  Recommending and managing processes when instituting new procedures, systems and policies. 

• Participate in organizational policy development as a member of the senior management team. 

• Represent the company to financial partners, including financial institutions, foundation executives, auditors, public officials, donors both private and public, etc. 

• Finding ways to streamline financial processes throughout the organization, where possible. 

• Partner with senior leadership to develop, suggest, and implement actionable recommendations for strategic planning across the organization.  

• Keeping current on all the best practices for a non-profit organization. 

Accounting and Administration: 

• Lead all financial management and accounting functions for both sides of this organization (the Association, a 501(c)6 with a budget of $16.2 million and the City Bar Fund, a 501(c)3 affiliate of the Association with a budget of $10.4 million. 

• Ongoing financial reporting monthly, quarterly and annually for each entity and issue financial reports to department heads, management and appropriate board members. 

• Manage the annual audit (GAAP, Single Audit & Pension) and filing of all appropriate tax returns. 

• Attend and report at numerous board meetings and committee meetings throughout the year including the Association Committee on Administration, Association Audit Committee, City Bar Fund Finance Committee, City Bar Fund Audit Committee, Investment Committee, and Employee Benefits Committee. 

• Manage the defined contribution (401K) and defined benefit (frozen pension plan) pensions.   

• Develop strong professional relationships with outside consultants including investment advisors, insurance brokers, 401K and defined benefit pension plan, auditors, ADP payroll and PEO provider. 

• Ensure appropriate internal controls  

• Responsible for maintaining oversight and providing guidance for a Finance team of 8 including 3 direct reports 

• Manage compliance and risk management. 

• Ensure financial membership practices are easy to follow to encourage additional growth.  

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS & REQUIREMENTS 

• BS or Master’s degree in Finance, Business Administration or Accounting; CPA designation is a plus 

• 10+ years of broad Finance experience effectively managing Finance and Accounting. 

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a senior financial management role in a non-profit organization with at least a $5 million budget 

• Working knowledge of systems including budgeting/forecasting, banking, database, management, accounting software 

• Experience working with the Board of Directors and sub-committees of the board

• Familiar with the requirements to be the pension administrator 

• Strategic planning experience at the board and senior staff levels 

• Hands-on experience working in an organization that is subject to the Federal Single Audit preferred 

• Strong leadership ability, team management, clear communication (both written and verbal) and collaborative interpersonal skills 

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. We are not able to sponsor visas for this position. 

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS 

Salary for this position is in the $170,000-$200,000 range (annualized) depending on depth and diversity of skills and years of professional experience. The City Bar’s competitive benefits package includes generous paid time off (vacation, personal, sick time, holidays including closing this year between Christmas and New Year’s day, day off for volunteer work, extra time off in the summer), choice of medical plans, dental, vision, 401K, life insurance, commuter benefits, Employee Assistance Program, short-term/long-term disability insurance, employee discounts, many free City Bar CLEs, and others. 

To apply: We encourage qualified candidates to submit a cover letter explaining why you are interested in the position when applying. Candidates will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

Note: A minimum of three professional references (including prior supervisors) will be required later on in the process for candidates being given serious consideration. A background check will also be conducted utilizing an outside background check company. 

We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds and unique experiences to apply, especially those candidates belonging to historically under-represented communities. We welcome diversity of all kinds. It is the policy of the Organization to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, creed, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, gender (including gender identity), sexual orientation, disability, arrest or conviction record, pregnancy, credit history, salary history, caregiver status, marital status, partnership status, or status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, religion, sex, genetic information, military status, unemployment status or any other characteristic as protected by law. With regard to the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related laws, the organization will endeavor to make reasonable accommodations for persons due to their religious beliefs, disability, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition or because the individual was a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking.