FULL-TIME JOB VACANCY
Chief Financial Officer
Finance Division
Location: New York or Washington, D.C. Preferred
Application Deadline: Open Until Filled

THE ORGANIZATION

Established in 1978, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. By focusing international attention where human rights are violated – through rigorous, objective investigations and strategic, targeted advocacy – they build intense pressure for action and raise the cost of human rights abuses. For over 40 years, Human Rights Watch has worked tenaciously to lay the legal and moral groundwork for deep-rooted change and has fought to bring greater justice and security to people around the world.

Each year, Human Rights Watch publishes some 60 reports and more than 2,000 briefings on human rights conditions in some 90 countries, generating extensive national and international coverage – nearly 1,000 media mentions per day and more than 11 million social media followers. With the leverage this brings, Human Rights Watch meets with governments, the United Nations, regional groups like the African Union and the European Union, rebel groups, financial institutions, and corporations to press for changes in policy and practice that promote human rights and justice around the world.

Human Rights Watch is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization made up of nearly 600 staff members located in over 30 regional offices across more than 50 countries around the world and regularly covering developments in 90. It is led by Acting Executive Director Tirana Hassan with the support of an engaged Board of Directors co-chaired by Amy Rao and Neil Rimer. The organization has a global operating budget of approximately $110 million and its staff consists of human rights professionals including country experts, lawyers, journalists, former government officials and academics of diverse backgrounds and more than 80 nationalities.

For more information on Human Rights Watch please refer to: www.hrw.org.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer (DED/COO), Wisla Heneghan, and serving on HRW's Operations Leadership Team, this critical position provides an exciting opportunity for an experienced financial leader with a passion for HRW’s mission to guide the organization through a period of transformational change and support the next stage of its growth.

The CFO serves as the organization’s chief financial strategist, providing clear guidance to the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, the DED/COO, and senior management on all financial and administrative matters with a view to stewarding and maximizing HRW’s resources in service of its mission. The CFO will play a key role in supporting HRW’s strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, and impact measurement efforts.

The CFO will ensure best-in-class financial practices throughout a global network of entities and motivate their team to innovate and provide exceptional service to the organization in pursuit of its strategic goals. They will lead and be responsible for the management, oversight, and results of the Finance & Administration global team of direct reports and nearly 50 staff members across four groups: Financial Planning and Analysis, the Global Controller team, Administration, and Regional Operations.

This role is a peer to heads of Development, Human Resources, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Information Technology (IT & Cybersecurity), the General Counsel, and the Physical Security Divisions. While location for this role is flexible, New York or Washington, D.C. is preferred.

The compensation available for the CFO role considers a variety of factors including, but not limited to, work location, individual skill set, previous/applicable experience, and other organizational needs. The estimated salary range for this role is $300,000 to $325,000 if based in the United States. This range represents HRW’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the possible base salary range at the time of posting and is one part of the total rewards HRW provides to employees.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Management and Strategy

• Lead financial management and the multi-year planning of HRW’s $110 million operating budget including: setting tools to support strategic planning and monitoring and evaluation, overseeing annual audits, tax reporting requirements (domestic and international) and bookkeeping.
• Work with the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors on overseeing and managing HRW’s over $150 million in investments under management.
• Responsibly steward and protect the organization's finances through appropriate internal controls and best practices.
• Work closely with the Development team on revenue projections and forecasting.
• Set the strategy for the management and procurement of HRW’s network of physical offices worldwide and its transition toward more flexible workplaces supporting evolving work habits.
• Working with others, including the General Counsel, to support the operation of the organization’s legal entities across the world, including administration; governance; legal, tax and other regulatory requirements; and revenue and expenses management.
• Manage the organization’s commercial insurance portfolio, including ongoing risk analysis.
• Establish, maintain, and monitor implementation of all financial policies of the organization.
• Oversee the banking and cash management functions of HRW.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable financial reporting requirements and regulations.

Organizational Management and Leadership

• Set the strategy for all functions of the department, including accounting, audit, financial planning & analysis, payroll, travel management, investments & treasury, and finance operations.
• Supervise the timely and accurate development of budgets, financial reports, and models that will assist senior management and the Board of Directors in making strategy, resource allocation, and investment decisions.
• Actively provide the DED/COO with financial leadership and insights to evaluate the organizational performance in support of strategic growth and objectives.
• Manage the successful completion of annual audits, governmental tax filings, and other mandated compliance filings and mandated reporting.
• Work with third-party investment advisors to monitor HRW’s investment portfolios.
• Create, institute, and document best-in-class processes in budgeting, financial planning and analysis, cost management, program improvement, metrics, and/or policy changes.
• Ensure that HRW’s resource allocation and financial reporting practices align with best practices monitored by charity ratings organizations.
• Implement financial data systems and process to support data automation and efficiencies.
• Foresee risks and allow for contingencies when planning.
• Lead change management initiatives and improvement strategies that are aligned with organizational goals.
• Recruit, develop, and retain, a globally diverse finance and administration staff.
• Foster and support an inclusive, service-oriented, innovative, and high performing team.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

HRW is seeking an exceptional financial strategist, trusted advisor and change agent who can guide the organization through a period of transformational change, support the continued growth of the organization, and maximize its resources in service of its mission to defend human rights.

The CFO will bring a proven track record of managing the finances of global and complex organizations and the proven ability to manage change and implement best-in-class financial and administrative tools to support long term strategic planning and monitoring and evaluation. They will have the ability to assess HRW’s current financial and administrative processes and systems and drive the necessary changes to support the current and projected scale of the organization. The CFO will also have a proven track record managing the finances of an international organization with a complex structure in multiple locations and experience in overseeing an organization’s investment portfolio.

The successful candidate will have exceptional communication skills and the ability to think creatively, challenge conventional thinking, and stay ahead of the demands of a rapidly growing organization. The CFO must have the ability to convey complex financial information, including to non-finance experts, in a manner that allows for clear understanding and informed decision making.

The CFO must have excellent management skills and the ability to motivate and inspire an experienced and diverse team of professionals who are passionate about HRW’s mission and dedicated to supporting it. The CFO must be values driven, accessible, with a high emotional IQ and a sophisticated understanding of the challenges facing a globally distributed organization working in difficult environments. They will break down silos, foster team collaboration and a drive for excellence, becoming an essential partner for the Board, the DED/COO, the leadership team, and staff.

The ideal candidate will bring experience as a senior, tested financial officer. This experience must include credibility overseeing the aforementioned areas, most importantly related to strategic financial planning, analysis, and reporting. Setting a strategy, leading people and an organization, and providing executive counsel are all critical competencies.

The CFO will have a minimum 15 years of experience in progressively responsible financial and administrative leadership roles and a minimum 5 years in a financial leadership role. A bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, or a related field is required. Prior experience in financial and administrative operations in an international non-profit or other sector and an advance degree are highly desirable. Experience in the laws and regulations governing US tax exempt 501(c)(3) organizations is also highly desirable.

Strategic Acumen and Leadership

• The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the organization, not only for the areas they are directly responsible for, but the enterprise as a whole.
• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's overall strategy.
• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas.
• The ability to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful.

Executing for Results

• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations.
• A forward-looking leader who can foresee possible threats or unintended consequences from decisions; someone who takes smart and calculated risks.
• Ability to lead the development and adoption of data-driven technology solutions to improve financial and administrative operations.
• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in their approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always doing what is best for the organization.
• Understands and incorporates viewpoints from all key stakeholders to drive decision making.

Leading Teams

• The ability to attract, recruit, and support top talent, motivate the team, and delegate effectively. Celebrates and values diversity equity, inclusion, and shared learning. Widely viewed as a strong developer of others who nurtures talent.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate clearly and provide excellent service at all levels of the organization and with staff across different locations and cultures.
• The ability to persevere in the face of challenges and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to higher standards, which commands respect from followers.
• A leader who is self-reflective and aware of their own limitations; leads by example and drives the organization's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.

Relationships and Influence

• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively.
• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, charisma, passion in their beliefs, and active drive.
• Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team.
• Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization as a whole.

Values and Personal Attributes

• An unshakeable commitment to human rights with the energy to execute on this commitment.
• The character and background to command credibility, legitimacy and respect across the diverse external stakeholder groups and those in the communities and countries that HRW is committed to support.
• An understanding of the regions affected and served by HRW and the geo-political dynamics surrounding them.

CONTACT

John McNaught
Russell Reynolds Associates
101 California Street Suite 4200
San Francisco, CA 94111-5867
Direct: +1-415-352-3378
Mobile: +1-317-439-1651
john.mcnaught@russellreynolds.com

TR Straub
Russell Reynolds Associates
1700 New York Avenue, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006-5208
Direct: +1-202-654-7857
Mobile: +1-917-767-0630
tr.straub@russellreynolds.com

Russell Reynolds Associates has been exclusively retained for this search and prospective candidates are invited to contact Russell Reynolds Associates directly. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.

Human Rights Watch statement on diversity, equity and inclusion in its hiring practices:

Human Rights Watch is strong because it is diverse. We actively seek a diverse applicant pool and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. Human Rights Watch does not discriminate on the basis of disability, age, gender identity and expression, national origin, race and ethnicity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. We welcome all kinds of diversity. Our employees include people who are parents and nonparents, the self-taught and university educated, and from a wide span of socio-economic backgrounds and perspectives on the world. Human Rights Watch is an equal opportunity employer.