Job openings/CFOO

WMF Job Description: Chief Financial and Operating Officer

JOB TITLE

Chief Financial and Operating Officer

JOB PURPOSE

The primary purpose of this role is to oversee the financial and operational activities of the Wikimedia Foundation. This involves ensuring that the Foundation operates smoothly, effectively, and in compliance with 501(c) standards and generally-accepted accounting principles.

JOB SUMMARY

This position is responsible for the overall administration and business operations of the Wikimedia Foundation. Areas of responsibility include financial management and all administrative responsibilities.

Responsibilities:

• Oversee and manage all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the Foundation, ensuring operations are in sync with strategy. Take a leadership role in the establishment of performance indicators, and monitoring of performance against goals.
• Develop and administer operational and administrative policies, standards and practices.
• Develop and administer financial systems and effective internal controls including budget setting and tracking, expenditure approvals processes, record-keeping and reporting, and the preparation of accurate and timely monthly financial statements. Assure safeguarding of assets. Lead capital planning and budgetary activities. Ensure preparation for quarterly financial audit. Review all receipts and disbursements.
• Prepare monthly and quarterly financial statements for Board Review, and oversee annual audit.
• Manage cash flow projections for the Foundation, and advise Executive Director as to appropriate reserves and spending plans
• Complete quarterly and annual tax filings, as required. Understand and ensure adherence to IRS regulations surrounding non-profit organizations and income classification.
• Develop and administer revenue generation activities, including fundraising, business development and grants applications. Prepare revenue projections and monitor against targets.
• Work with legal counsel to review contracts, and provide guidance from a financial and operational perspective.
• Supervise day-to-day operational activities, including facilities management, administrative areas (banking, vendors, etc.), as well as general staffing needs.
• Develop and administer personnel-related policies and practices. Take a lead role in the development of staff performance objectives and in the evaluation of performance against organizational goals. Provide coaching and counseling where necessary. Foster a staff culture that supports the Foundation’s strategy.
• Ensure compliance with any and all requirements for funders and regulatory bodies.
• Lead internal communications efforts through active communications to all staff including meetings, announcements, reports and bulletins.
• Provide assistance and information for the Board of Trustees as requested.
• Provide strategic guidance and support to the Executive Director in all areas.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Understanding of, and sympathy with, the mission and goals of the Wikimedia Foundation;
• Professional financial certification (e.g., CPA);
• Understanding of and experience with 501(c) filing practices, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, bookkeeping and financial management requirements;
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant laws, regulations, codes, guidelines and administrative best practices related to non-profit management;
• Solid understanding of fundraising, business development, grant applications and other development activities. Experience negotiating contracts and preparing funding proposals;
• Minimum of 12 years increasingly-responsible administrative/operational positions, including at least five in a senior management role with multiple direct reports;
• Experience working in a non-profit environment, or serving on a Board of Directors of a non-profit organization would be an asset;
• Strong personal integrity and a collaborative style; capable of building and sustaining productive, effective working relationships;
• The ability to speak multiple languages is a major plus;
• Experience living or working outside the United States is a major plus;
• You must be comfortable in a highly collaborative, consensus-oriented environment.

ABOUT WMF

The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit charitable corporation. It is fully audited and has 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in the United States. The mission of the Wikimedia Foundation is to empower and engage people around the world to collect and develop educational content under a free license or in the public domain, and to disseminate it effectively and globally. The Wikimedia Foundation operates some of the largest collaboratively edited reference projects in the world, including Wikipedia, one of the 10 most-visited websites in the world.

TO APPLY

Please send a CV and cover letter to jobs@wikimedia.org, before December 15, 2007. Please put the position title in your subjectline.

Applications that do not include a cover letter will not be considered.

Please copy and paste the text of your CV into the e-mail, in addition to attaching the file.

Due to the volume of applications we receive, we regret that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

This position is based in our San Francisco headquarters. If you are not currently living in the San Francisco Bay Area, please make that clear in your cover letter.

Before the Wikimedia Foundation announced its intention to relocate to San Francisco, this position was advertised as based in Florida. If you applied for the Florida opening and want to be considered now for the San Francisco position, please reapply. We're sorry if this has caused you any inconvenience.