About the Organization:
Lao Family Community Development, Inc. (LFCD) is a community-based non-profit organization established in Richmond, Contra Costa County, California, in 1980. Since then, LFCD has expanded its operations to Alameda and Sacramento counties with its headquarters located in Oakland, California.
LFCD delivers programs and services from seven locations in more than 35 languages. The organization provides community development, affordable real estate, workforce development, education, and human services that primarily support low-income individuals and families, refugees, immigrants, transitional-age youth, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and other underserved populations.
LFCD is seeking a hands-on CFO-systems builder, financial architect, and strategic partner to the CEO, Board, and Leadership Team.
We invite a collaborative, forward thinking leader to partner with us in shaping the next chapter of our organization’s growth and evolution as a strong sustainable institution.
The Opportunity:
LFCD is entering a major period of institutional transformation. The organization currently operates at approximately $34 million in approved/committed contracts and is approaching a projected $39 million budget within five years. Its 2030 Operational Strategy prioritizes financial sustainability, scalable infrastructure, documented standards, leadership development, quality, accountability and diversification of revenue.
Over the last 46-years, LFCD has evolved from a community-based nonprofit development organization serving Northern California, into an anchor institution–deeply rooted in the neighborhoods it serves and provides an integrated continuum of human, social and workforce services; healthcare; housing; and commercial/community facilities. LFCD’s services are delivered in approximately 35 languages and it has positively impacted more than 500,000 people over its history. It is an organization that has a solid culture of innovation, community impact outcomes, and proven field leaders.
The CFO will serve as the CEO’s principal financial strategist and business partner and will work closely with the Board, executive leadership, finance/accounting staff, operations, technology, research and evaluation, HR and organizational development, and program leaders. This is a hands-on role for an executive who can build systems and work directly in the details.
The CFO reports directly to the CEO, works closely with the Board and its appropriate committees, and collaborates across LFCD’s program, operations, HR/people, training, healthcare, housing, facilities and enterprise functions. The position is based in Oakland, California and requires regular presence across LFCD sites, with a flexible schedule to support executive responsibilities and events. This CFO position is a financial transformation and institution-building leadership role helping to build the financial architecture for LFCD’s next decade of growth.
LFCD Mission, Populations & Business Model:
LFCD serves populations facing significant barriers to economic stability and self-sufficiency, including unemployed and dislocated workers; WIOA adults and out-of-school youth; CalWORKs families; refugees and newcomers; people returning from incarceration; people experiencing homelessness; and an expanding population of military-connected families, transitioning service members, veterans and reservists.
Across these populations, LFCD’s work is centered on clear outcomes such as stabilization, strengthening skills, employment, earned income, housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency. Programs operate under demanding federal, state, and local requirements, including Department of Labor/WIOA, California social services and health programs, refugee services, reentry/probation contracts, Medi-Cal/CalAIM, housing requirements and CARF accreditation.
Approximately 95% of current funding is derived from government contracts on a cost-reimbursement basis, performance-based, hybrid, competitive bidding, and various negotiated contracts. The organization is a member of multiple partnerships and contracting relationships with other agencies. There are multiple projects that were developed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits, New Markets Tax Credits, Voter Approved Bonds, and various capital grants and loan products. LFCD is intentionally building a more resilient model with a long-term aspiration of approximately 70% government and public funding and 30% diversified earned income, private contributions, and complex charitable gifts, including donor advised funds, gifts of appreciated securities, and non-cash assets.
The Leadership Profile:
LFCD is seeking an entrepreneurial, mission-grounded financial executive who combines nonprofit and government-contract expertise with the discipline of a strong operator and the curiosity of a business builder. The successful candidate will be comfortable moving between Board-level strategy and hands-on problem solving with accountants, program managers and operational teams.
Core Responsibilities:
1. Financial Strategy, Revenue Realization & Cash
- Partner with the CEO and Board on multi-year financial strategy, growth scenarios, capital allocation, reserves, liquidity, risk and organizational sustainability.
- Establish contract-level and enterprise forecasting that links awards, staffing, enrollment/utilization, participant supports, deliverables, billing and cash collections.
- Ensure timely invoicing/claims, accounts-receivable management, cash forecasting and resolution of reimbursement barriers.
2. Government Contracting, Compliance & Indirect Cost
- Oversee financial compliance for complex federal, state, county and local cost-reimbursement, performance-based and pass-through funding.
- Lead cost allocation, allowable-cost analysis, contract budgeting, grant/contract reporting, audit schedules and documentation.
- Work with auditors and appropriate cognizant/pass-through agencies to establish, negotiate and maintain compliant indirect-cost recovery and ensure allowable indirect costs are incorporated into bids and renewals wherever permitted.
- Maintain systems supporting CARF expansion and applicable behavioral health, healthcare services, housing, workforce, refugee, reentry and other regulatory standards.
3. Diversified Revenue & Enterprise Sustainability
- Partner with the CEO to build a diversified revenue engine encompassing Medi-Cal/CalAIM reimbursement, specialized housing and room-and-board, commercial/community facility leasing, social enterprise and other mission-aligned earned income.
- Develop financial models and unit economics for each enterprise: full cost, utilization/break-even, contribution margin, cash requirements, risk and scalability.
- Support corporate sponsorship, philanthropy, employer giving, planned/estate giving and other flexible revenue strategies in partnership with the CEO, Board and development/partnership leaders.
- Support the LFCD Care Market and product-recovery/reverse-logistics strategy by developing appropriate financial controls, inventory/value methodologies and impact reporting while preserving the program’s community-benefit mission.
4. Finance Operations, Audit & Controls
- Lead accounting, budgeting, forecasting, treasury, financial reporting, tax/compliance, procurement controls and audit preparation.
- Create a reliable monthly close and management-reporting calendar with reconciliations, variance analysis and executive dashboards.
- Maintain robust policies, SOPs, approval authorities, internal controls and backup responsibilities so financial operations do not depend on a single individual.
- Oversee financial systems and technology improvements that reduce manual work, strengthen data integrity and support scale.
5. People, Systems & Organizational Capacity
- Lead, coach and develop LFCD’s finance/accounting team while building succession, cross-training and professional growth pathways.
- Partner with HR, operations and organizational development to improve financial literacy among directors and managers through classroom learning, job shadowing, on-the-job training, virtual learning, written procedures and appropriate professional certifications.
- Build systems that work for a highly diverse workforce and board leaders with varied educational and professional backgrounds, recognizing demonstrated competency as well as formal credentials and university education backgrounds.
- Translate financial concepts into practical operating decisions for non-financial leaders and create accountability without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
Qualifications and Strongly Preferred Experiences:
- Bachelor’s degree minimum in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field required; advanced degree and/or CPA or other relevant professional credential strongly preferred.
- Approximately 12+ years of progressively responsible financial leadership, including significant CFO, Deputy CFO, VP Finance, Controller/Finance Director or equivalent executive responsibility in a complex organization.
- Substantial nonprofit financial leadership and direct experience with government-funded programs are required; experience spanning nonprofit, public-sector/government contracting and for-profit or entrepreneurial environments is strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated command of government cost-reimbursement and performance contracts, federal/state/county/local funding, indirect cost allocation, restricted funding, audits, internal controls, cash-flow forecasting and contract-level financial performance.
- Experience scaling organizations, modernizing financial systems and documenting processes, policies, controls, dashboards and management routines.
- Healthcare reimbursement (especially Medi-Cal/CalAIM), housing/property operations, real estate, social enterprise or other earned-income experience is highly desirable.
- Experience with investor relationship, banking, financing, family offices, capital planning, leases, acquisitions or multi-entity structures is a requirement.
The CFO Transformation Mandate:
- Close the gap between awarded funding, revenue earned, revenue billed and cash collected.
- Build an ‘award-to-cash’ management discipline for major contracts, timely forecasting of participant support, staffing, service capacity, earned revenue, billing, receivables and collections.
- Lead LFCD toward disciplined monthly close, timely billing and continuous audit readiness, preparation of its annual Form 990, property tax welfare and other exemption filings, working closely with independent auditors and internal leaders.
- Strengthen indirect-cost recovery. Develop and support a defensible, compliant indirect-cost methodology/rate based on LFCD’s actual allowable costs, with the objective of materially improving recovery where federal, state and contract rules permit.
- Build the financial architecture required to scale from approximately $34 million toward $39 million without sacrificing compliance, liquidity, quality or mission.
Leadership Competencies:
- Hands-on, analytical and willing to work in the details while maintaining an enterprise perspective.
- Exceptional systems builder who can create repeatable infrastructure for a growing, multi-site organization.
- Teacher and talent developer who can make complex finance understandable and build capability across functions.
- Strong executive judgment, integrity, communication and ability to challenge constructively while remaining a trusted partner to the CEO and Board.
- Comfort with ambiguity, organizational change, multiple priorities and a culturally and professionally diverse workforce.
- Long-term institution-building orientation and genuine interest in helping develop LFCD’s next generation of leaders.
Compensation:
Initial Six-Month Consulting Engagement: $123–$154 per hour, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Following the engagement, the organization will evaluate performance, organizational needs, and mutual fit to determine whether to offer permanent employment, with an anticipated annual base salary of $205,400–$256,800 plus benefits if an offer is made.
Upon permanent appointment, we offer comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance; generous paid time off; retirement contributions; and professional development support.
To Apply:
Please submit a cover letter and resume describing your experience leading financial transformation in complex nonprofit, government-funded or multi-revenue organizations, including examples of systems you built, revenue or cost-recovery improvements you achieved, and teams you developed.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Lao Family Community Development Inc. (LFCD) is an equal opportunity employer and program operator. LFCD provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status as protected by law, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, reproductive health decision-making, marital status, registered domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
LFCD also complies with applicable disability-access and reasonable-accommodation requirements, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and other applicable federal, state, and local laws.
