Vice President / Chief Financial Officer

Position description

Vice President / Chief Financial Officer

The Asia Foundation (TAF) is an international nonprofit organization working to solve the toughest social and economic challenges in Asia and the Pacific. Home to half the people on the planet, Asia and the Pacific are diverse, dynamic, and fast growing. In an era of sweeping global challenges, what happens there impacts the globe.

TAF is seeking to fill a key leadership position of Vice President/Chief Financial Officer (VP/CFO), a strategic role responsible for overseeing all business and financial functions of the organization. As a core member of the executive leadership team, the VP/CFO plays a pivotal role in shaping and executing TAF’s financial strategy across a complex international operating environment spanning the US, Asia, and Pacific.

About the Role

The VP/CFO operates at the intersection of finance, operations, and programs, partnering with the CEO, Board of Trustees, Executive Leadership Team, and country-office leaders to navigate a complex and evolving funding environment. This role is critical to maintaining strong financial oversight, enabling effective program delivery, and supporting strategic decision-making across all of TAF. The VP/CFO provides both strategic and functional leadership of TAF’s enterprise-wide finance organization, ensuring strong internal controls, sound fiscal practices, transparency, and compliance. The VP/CFO will have demonstrated expertise in business, finance, and audit. They will lead a high-performing team aligned with TAF’s mission and strategy.

Key responsibilities include developing and implementing financial systems, policies, and processes that drive resource stewardship, operational efficiency, risk mitigation, and strong financial management. The VP/CFO also provides strategic support to the Board and its committees, and ensures financial systems and tools effectively support the organization’s goals. As a forward-looking leader, the VP/CFO will spearhead the modernization of TAF’s financial infrastructure, championing data-driven practices and technology to enhance efficiency, reduce risk, and ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Key Impact Areas

• Strategic financial and business planning, budgeting, forecasting, and aligning of resources with organizational priorities
• Enterprise-wide financial oversight across headquarters, country offices, and business units
• Integrity of financial and operational information through timely and accurate internal and external reporting as well as effective internal controls
• Oversight of donor compliance, including financial reporting, allowable costs, and adherence to grant terms and conditions
• Stewardship of both restricted and unrestricted funds
• Oversight of TAF’s long-term investments including close coordination with external investment advisors
• Risk management, insurance, pension, audit oversight, and regulatory compliance across jurisdictions
• Capacity strengthening in financial literacy for HQ, country offices, and cross-functional teams
• Financial reporting and analysis for the Board of Trustees, donors, and external stakeholders
• Strategic investment in systems and technologies that enhance financial stewardship, accountability and efficiency

Required Competencies

Strategic Stewardship: The VP/CFO brings a forward-thinking, strategic perspective to financial planning and business strategy, aligning organizational resources with mission priorities. This includes modeling financial scenarios to guide executive decisions, support long-term sustainability, and drive measurable impact.

Global Financial Expertise: With deep experience in international financial management, the VP/CFO understands multi-currency operations, donor compliance, and financial management across diverse regulatory environments. They bring fluency in nonprofit accounting, tax regulations, and global reporting standards to ensure consistency, compliance, and accuracy across a complex funding landscape.

Values-Driven Leadership: The VP/CFO leads with integrity, accountability, transparency, and a strong sense of mission. The VP/CFO fosters trust among internal teams and external partners, reinforcing the organization’s mission through ethical and collaborative leadership.

Operational Excellence: A systems thinker and process improver, the VP/CFO modernizes financial infrastructure through strategic investments in technology and internal controls. They ensure scalable operations, audit readiness, and financial performance across grants, contracts and project and operational units.

Collaborative Partnership: As both a mentor and thought partner, the VP/CFO works across the organization to build financial acumen and ownership. They bring clarity to complex financial concepts and communicate with empathy to help bridge financial responsibility with program and operational success.

Qualifications

Ideal Background

• Senior-level financial leadership in international nonprofits or other international mission-driven organizations
• Proven experience managing complex, multi-million-dollar budgets and business plans, with diverse public and private donor portfolios
• Demonstrated success in financial transformation, modernizing financial systems, or scaling financial systems
• Proven ability to work cross-culturally, with strong interpersonal skills

Required Qualifications

Education

• Advanced degree (e.g., MBA, Master’s in Finance, or Master’s in Public Administration) required

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive financial leadership, including 5+ years in a senior executive role
• Substantial experience in the nonprofit or similar international sector
• Expertise in managing complex financial operations including multi-currency budgets and highly regulated donor-funded programs
• Proven track record in audit management, regulatory compliance, and risk oversight
• Deep knowledge of donor compliance, grants management, restricted/unrestricted funding, and donor reporting
• Experience leading enterprise-wide change or modernization initiatives, such as ERP implementation, shared services development, or process reengineering

Professional Certifications

• Desirable: CPA or equivalent financial certification

Professional Certifications

• Desirable: CPA or equivalent financial certification

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in GAAP and US government compliance and cost accounting regulations (2 CFR 200)
• Familiarity with enterprise financial and reporting systems, e.g., ERP platforms like Unit4, NetSuite, Oracle, SAP, or similar ERP platforms
• Advanced financial planning and analysis (FP&A), Excel and financial modeling capabilities
• Understanding of US and international tax and compliance frameworks
• Familiarity with emerging technologies and AI tools (e.g., Microsoft Co-Pilot) a plus

Strategic Leadership & Management

• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing, geographically dispersed teams
• Experience advising executive leadership and working with Boards, including finance, audit, and investment committees
• Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise-level financial strategy, including scenario planning, cost modeling, and capital allocation aligned with organizational priorities
• Strong business acumen and operational insight, strategic thinker with a pragmatic, hands-on, collaborative leadership style

Soft Skills & Alignment

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to translate and explain complex finance to non-financial stakeholders
• Highest integrity and ethical standards
• Alignment with the organization’s mission and values
• Cultural fluency and ability to work effectively in diverse, cross-cultural teams
• Resilience and adaptability in fast-paced, resource-constrained environments

About TAF

The Asia Foundation is an internationally recognized nonprofit committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. Societies in Asia and the Pacific continue to face complex challenges that affect their stability and development, including limited access to essential services, gaps in economic and social development, pressures from rapid urbanization, and barriers to participation in civil society.

The Asia Foundation, founded in 1954, seeks to expand opportunities and improve lives in over 20 countries in Asia and the Pacific. Over 85% of the Foundation’s staff are locally-based. The Foundation builds partnerships and brings together individuals, communities, and governments to shape solutions to long-term development goals. Informed by its decades of experience and deep local expertise, the Foundation focuses on strengthening institutions, enhancing economic opportunity, supporting education and leadership development, expanding opportunities for women and girls, addressing environmental challenges, and fostering international cooperation. TAF’s particular strength is the ability to navigate political contexts to facilitate reform and play a catalytic role in advancing development and social progress.

TAF’s offices and programs in Asia and the Pacific are supported by a headquarters office in San Francisco and staff in Washington, DC.

TAF’s geographic reach and the complexity of its multi-country operating model have prompted the need for more integrated, cohesive, and supportive financial systems and processes—core to the VP/CFO’s mandate.

Key Relationships

The VP/CFO reports to the President and CEO and is a member of the Executive Leadership Team. The VP/CFO interacts closely with country leadership and senior finance staff. In terms of key relationships, the VP/CFO:

Reports to:

• President and CEO

Manages direct reports including:

• Senior Director of Financial Planning and Analysis
• Senior Director of Finance and Controller
• Director of Business Systems
   

Collaborates closely with:

• Vice President/Chief Operating Officer
• Vice President for Programs
• Vice President for Strategic Partnerships
• Head of the Washington office
• Board of Trustees, including Treasurer of the Board and Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, Chair of the Audit Committee, and Chair of the Investment Committee
• Country Representatives
• Chief People Officer
• External partners, peers and donors including investment advisors, banks, and others

Location

TAF prefers that the VP/CFO be based in California or in the Washington, DC area.

Compensation

A competitive compensation package of salary and benefits will be offered to attract an outstanding candidate. The anticipated range for base compensation is $245,000-$275,000.