Are you excited about scaling a growing organization, and do you thrive in fast-paced, dynamic, highly collaborative environments? The Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) is expanding nationally and internationally and is seeking a Chief Financial Officer to support this growth.

ABOUT CIC

Founded in 1999, CIC’s mission is to improve the world by helping exceptional entrepreneurs innovate better and faster. We offer carefully curated working environments that combine private, secure offices alongside shared amenities in locations across Boston, Cambridge, Miami, Philadelphia, Rotterdam, St. Louis, and Warsaw and are growing into other cities, within the US and abroad. CIC currently has over a million square feet of space under lease, and serves 1400+ startups, growth companies, and branches of larger organizations. Our clients represent for-profit, mission-driven, and non-profit sectors across a wide array of industries. CIC is actively pursuing campuses in six additional cities globally, including Dublin, Tokyo, Bilbao, Philly, Providence, and Sydney, with plans to grow to 50 cities over the next 10 years. We are in the process of creating the first global network of such hubs that bring together purpose-driven, industry-aligned communities in the same or nearby buildings. The spaces are purposefully designed and built for innovation, featuring tailored workspaces such as biotech and robotics laboratories, and bring together frequent, large gatherings of the best and brightest innovators and entrepreneurs.

Recognizing that invention propels innovation, density spurs collaboration, and a shared purpose drives a thriving community, CIC provides innovators a home from which to work and access resources in order to create substantive, positive global impact. We pride ourselves on displaying a high degree of care and accuracy in everything that we do, and we work to ensure that our clients thrive every day that they are in our space. We believe that our ability to support world-changing entrepreneurs is only as good as the people who make up our teams, and as such we are looking for people who are interested in contributing to--and improving--the way we carry out our work.

We invite you to learn more about us here.

ABOUT THE ROLE

With this rapid growth in mind, CIC seeks a seasoned Chief Financial Officer to help grow the organization and be responsible for the organization’s capital strategy and financial management functions. The CFO will be an important strategic contributor to the leadership team as CIC faces increasingly complex demands in the growth and sustainability of its centers nationally and internationally and the need to invest in internal capacity and infrastructure to support quality and efficiency. The successful candidate will forecast the company’s needs for capital to support growth, create and execute a capital formation plan, build and manage relationships with capital partners, provide oversight for the company’s Controller and finance team, and guide the creation and implementation of new financial systems and processes. Optionally, a CFO with the relevant background and experience might also oversee other critical core infrastructure for CIC including the company’s technology and human resources functions.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create and execute finance strategy to support establishment of CIC global sites, managing debt and equity, financial planning, budgeting, cash management, investment priorities and fiscal policy matters.

• Provide forward thinking financial planning support and an entrepreneurial approach to creating and assessing financial strategies.

• Work closely with the CEO/Founder and President to ensure that organizational initiatives and activities are aligned with CIC’s financial growth strategy.

• Refine systems for generating real-time forecasts and other financial tools to drive sound business decisions and support capital initiatives.

• Build capacity for strategic budgeting and program review and analysis.

• Represent CIC to external partners and key constituents including the Board, financial institutions, investors, auditors, public officials, and others.

• Bring current knowledge of financial strategies, tools, and practices through continuing education and/or affiliation with professional development groups. Remain up to date on best practices and US and international laws regarding CIC’s finance operations.

• Understand how to optimize capital asset structures, evaluate the company’s debt and develop creative and smart financing options for the company.

• Lead all aspects of financial oversight including planning and budgeting, audit, compliance, and strategy. This includes recommending improvements to existing systems, as well as using data and analytic reporting tools to integrate tracking of financial outputs.

• Serve as an integral member of CIC’s leadership team taking ownership over key financial health metrics, administrative efficiency, and organizational accountability. 

• Provide guidance and oversight to the ongoing systems build in areas including technology, human resources, and other administrative and financial operations of CIC, including payroll and purchasing.

• Develop and oversee all financial business planning, budgeting, contracting requirements, and agreements with local, national, and international partners.

• Oversee monthly financial reporting, assessment, and annual audits.

• Direct all cash management analysis and forecasting and all project-based and departmental accounting.

• Oversee all compliance-related activities across the organization, including fiscal and human resources, contracts, and all audit requirements.

• Establish the right new finance systems and processes that can serve as building blocks for improving the company’s financial foundation as we undertake future fundraising efforts.

• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality and customer service.

• Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign accountabilities, set objectives, establish priorities, and provide ongoing regular and ad-hoc feedback and support to staff.

• Ensure that staff members receive timely and appropriate training in alignment with their professional development and departmental goals.

• Oversee organization-wide HR management activities including compensation, benefits administration, employee retention, and talent acquisition best practices.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

While no one person may embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes, and experiences:

• Demonstrated success in a high-growth, best-in-class organization and an unwavering commitment to quality and excellence in strategic, operational, and financial management.

• Demonstrated passion for CIC’s mission supporting innovation.

• A commitment to transparency and accountability.

• Experienced in both capital raising and financial management, with the ability to build the kind of controls, reporting, and forecasting capabilities that will support the creative capital strategy the company will wish to consider.

• Have a good grasp of how to successfully manage and optimize the company’s capital and assets. This individual should understand capital asset structures and be creative and smart about the company’s options.

• Be a forward-looking and entrepreneurial thinker with the ability to quickly gather and synthesize information for the leadership of CIC and its staff to drive rigorous planning and decision-making processes.

• Able to identify key opportunities for CIC leadership that support the fiscal growth and sustainability of the business.

• Seasoned and mature leader with at least 12 to 15 years of financial management and supervisory experience overseeing an organization of similar size and scope or larger in a high-growth climate.

• Demonstrated experience overseeing complex funding streams and managing diverse organizational indicators.

• Experience working collaboratively to refine and enhance budgeting practices, drive financial planning, and manage organizational change in a highly entrepreneurial setting.

• Familiarity working in global currencies and managing currency risk.

• Strong analytical skills and experience translating a strategic vision into an operational model. Ability to drive decisions in a quickly evolving environment.

• Comfort with a flat, highly matrixed work environment that values ideas from team members at all levels and which favors persuasion rather than organizational power as the principal mechanism for moving initiatives forward.

• Exceptional communication and organizational skills. Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities, proposing new ways of creating efficiencies, and guiding financial investment in people and systems.

• Be a relationship builder. Excellent management and facilitation skills with the ability to engage staff and stakeholders with tact and diplomacy. Exceptional influencing, interpersonal, and motivational skills with experience collaborating in a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and dynamic team.

• Experience overseeing various administrative functions including HR, Legal and Risk Management.

• Ability to actively participate in problem resolution and to work well under pressure with tight timelines.

• A humble approach and customer service orientation with a willingness to roll up one’s sleeves and pitch in as necessary.

• An optimistic outlook and the humor, integrity, and patience necessary to work within a transformative environment.

• A certified public accountant or MBA-holder is preferred.

ATTRACTIONS OF THE JOB

In addition to helping our clients achieve great things, we work to ensure that our employees are healthy and supported. Some of the benefits of being here include:

• Contributing to a growing organization, collaborating with a team founded on strong communication, integrity, and work ethic

• Fun, engaging people in a dynamic space. We pride ourselves on finding driven and bright collaborators who are eager to lend their own unique skills to the team, as well as to our inspiring clientele. The number one reason CIC’ers say they like working here is because of their colleagues!

• Great benefits for full-time employees! (See below!)

• Regular massages, access to a nursing room, secure bicycle parking, a game room, a gym, and shower rooms with towels

Compensation is commensurate with experience and includes 100% of the cost of a premium healthcare and dental package for candidate and immediate family and full payment of expenses covered by your deductible, long and short-term disability, life insurance, 401k matching after the first year of employment and holidays plus three weeks of vacation from the start (more with seniority). Annual reviews with raises every year for those on track with strong performance.

INTERESTED APPLICANTS AND REFERRALS

Applications should be sent directly to [email protected]. While you may click the "apply" button on this page to submit your application, this will add a delay to your process timeline.

The search is being conducted with assistance from Katherine Jacobs and Nureen Das of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group. Due to the pace of this search, candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications including a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), salary expectations, and where you learned of the position. In order to expedite the internal sorting and reviewing process, please type your name (Last, First) as the only contents in the subject line of your e-mail.

CIC is committed to building teams that reflect the fabric of the cities we support. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, Veteran status, or any other legally protected status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation please let us know.