Careers

JOB PURPOSE

INvestEd is a mission-driven, nonprofit, public-benefit organization dedicated to making college more affordable and accessible for Hoosier students and families. Established in Indiana more than four decades ago, INvestEd provides free financial aid and college planning guidance to students, families, and school counselors statewide, and serves as a nonprofit education lender and refinancing provider. The organization operates at the intersection of education, public policy, workforce readiness, and responsible lending, with a mission rooted in helping Hoosiers pursue education beyond high school with the least possible debt.

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible for the organization’s financial strategy, stewardship, integrity, and long-term sustainability. The CFO provides enterprise-wide leadership across accounting, financial planning and analysis, treasury, investments, capital structure, loan portfolio finance, tax and regulatory reporting, internal controls, audit, and financial risk management.

The CFO serves as a strategic partner to the President & CEO, Chief Operating Officer, board of directors, and management team. The role translates complex financial, portfolio, and market information into clear decisions regarding resource allocation, pricing, liquidity, reserves, capital deployment, strategic investments, and organizational risk. The CFO must balance mission impact with fiscal discipline, ensuring that INvestEd can expand access to education and financial literacy while protecting public trust and maintaining strong financial capacity.

As the senior finance executive, the CFO leads the annual budget and multi-year financial planning processes, oversees timely and accurate financial reporting, supports Board and committee governance, and maintains a strong control environment. The CFO is also responsible for the financial performance and sustainability of INvestEd’s lending and refinancing activities, including portfolio analytics, credit performance, loan loss reserves, funding structures, servicing economics, and the evaluation of new products or partnerships.

The CFO will inherit a financially sophisticated organization with a long operating history and significant public responsibility. The successful candidate will be expected to preserve INvestEd’s culture of prudent stewardship while modernizing financial systems, strengthening analytical capabilities, developing talent, and improving the speed and clarity of management information. This role requires technical depth, executive judgment, a collaborative leadership style, and an authentic commitment to INvestEd’s mission and statewide impact

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Strategy and Enterprise Leadership

1. Develop and execute a long-term financial strategy aligned with INvestEd’s mission, strategic priorities, operating model, and growth objectives.
2. Advise the President & CEO, COO, board, and management team on financial sustainability, capital structure, resource allocation, pricing, investment priorities, and enterprise risk.
3. Lead scenario planning and financial modeling for strategic initiatives, partnerships, new loan products, mission programs, and potential acquisitions or asset transactions.
4. Translate financial and market data into concise, decision-oriented insights and recommendations for executive and board consideration.
5. Partner across the executive team to ensure financial implications are embedded in organizational planning, performance management, and major decisions.
6. Anticipate the effects of changing economic and capital-market conditions – interest rates, credit cycles, and funding markets – on INvestEd’s balance sheet, loan portfolio, and long-term financial plan, and advise leadership accordingly.

Accounting, Reporting, Budgeting, and Controls

1. Oversee all accounting, financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and financial administration activities.
2. Lead the annual operating and capital budget process and maintain rolling forecasts and multi-year financial plans.
3. Ensure timely, accurate, and decision-useful financial reporting in accordance with applicable accounting standards and organizational policies.
4. Maintain a strong system of internal controls, segregation of duties, financial policies, approval authorities, and documentation that safeguards assets and supports accountability.
5. Oversee the annual independent audit, tax filings, regulatory filings, and coordination with external auditors, advisors, and service providers.
6. Drive continuous improvement and appropriate automation within finance processes, systems, data architecture, and reporting tools.

Loan Portfolio Finance and Credit Performance

1. Provide financial leadership for INvestEd’s private education loan and refinancing portfolios, including profitability, credit performance, pricing, funding, liquidity, and long-term sustainability.
2. Monitor originations, approvals, disbursements, delinquencies, defaults, prepayments, recoveries, servicing costs, net interest margin, and portfolio concentration against approved risk parameters.
3. Oversee allowance and reserve methodologies, portfolio stress testing, vintage and cohort analysis, and management reporting related to expected credit losses and capital adequacy.
4. Evaluate the economics and financial risks of new products, underwriting changes, servicing arrangements, capital sources, and strategic lending partnerships.
5. Collaborate with operations, compliance, legal, marketing, and external service providers to ensure responsible lending practices and accurate financial execution across the loan lifecycle.

Treasury, Investments, Capital, and Liquidity

1. Lead treasury strategy, cash forecasting, liquidity management, reserve policy, investment oversight, and the prudent deployment of organizational assets.
2. Manage relationships with banks, trustees, investment managers, rating agencies, lenders, capital providers, and other financial counterparties.
3. Assess and manage interest-rate, liquidity, counterparty, market, and funding risks, including the financial implications of changing economic and capital-market conditions.
4. Support debt issuance, refinancing, credit facilities, securitization or structured funding activity, and other capital transactions as appropriate to INvestEd’s strategy.
5. Ensure compliance with board-approved investment policies, debt covenants, reserve requirements, and restrictions governing designated or restricted funds.

Governance, Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management

1. Serve as the primary finance liaison to the board of directors and relevant committees, provide transparent reporting, forecasts, risk analysis, and recommendations.
2. Prepare and present high-quality financial materials that allow directors to understand organizational financial performance, portfolio trends, liquidity, investments, risk exposures, and strategic tradeoffs.
3. Partner with the COO and other leaders to maintain an integrated enterprise risk framework addressing financial, credit, operational, regulatory, cybersecurity, vendor, and reputational risk.
4. Ensure compliance with applicable nonprofit, lending, tax, accounting, financial reporting, and regulatory requirements.
5. Maintain effective relationships with auditors, regulators, counsel, consultants, other advisors, and ensure timely remediation of identified findings or control gaps.

Leadership and Organizational Capability

1. Build, lead, mentor, and retain a high-performing finance organization characterized by technical excellence, accountability, responsiveness, and service to internal partners.
2. Establish clear roles, performance expectations, succession plans, and professional development priorities across accounting, financial planning, treasury, portfolio finance, and related functions.
3. Promote a culture of integrity, constructive challenges, disciplined analysis, and continuous improvement.
4. Collaborate effectively with the COO, CMO, operational leaders, program teams, and external partners while maintaining appropriate independence and control discipline.
5. Ensure finance capabilities, systems, and staffing evolve with the organization’s strategic and regulatory needs.

External Representation and Strategic Partnerships

1. Represent INvestEd with financial institutions, capital providers, investment partners, auditors, regulators, public officials, education partners, and other external stakeholders as requested.
2. Support strategic relationships that strengthen INvestEd’s financial capacity, mission reach, market credibility, and long-term sustainability.
3. Communicate INvestEd’s financial model, stewardship practices, and mission impact with clarity and credibility to sophisticated financial and public-sector audiences.
4. Serve as a trusted ambassador for prudent financial management, transparency, and responsible lending.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Office environment in Indianapolis, IN. Remote / Work-from-home days, deadline oriented

DIRECT REPORTS

The Chief Financial Officer is expected to oversee leaders, staff, and contractors responsible for the following areas:

1. Accounting and financial reporting
2. Financial planning, budgeting, and analysis
3. Treasury, investments, and liquidity
4. Loan portfolio finance and analytics
5. Tax, audit coordination, and financial compliance

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

INvestEd seeks a disciplined, mission-driven financial executive who combines strong technical expertise with strategic judgment and a deep respect for public trust. The successful candidate will be comfortable operating in a financially complex, regulated, and policy-adjacent environment where the quality of financial stewardship directly affects the organization’s ability to advance educational access and economic mobility across Indiana.

The ideal candidate will bring significant leadership experience in financial services, lending, nonprofit finance, public finance, banking, insurance, higher education finance, or another asset-intensive and regulated setting. Experience overseeing loan portfolios, investments, liquidity, capital structures, or complex financial assets is highly valued. The candidate must be able to move fluidly between detailed technical matters and enterprise-level strategy, providing both rigorous analysis and clear executive counsel.

A strong governance orientation is essential. The CFO must earn the confidence of the President & CEO, COO, board, auditors, regulators, financial partners, and staff through accuracy, transparency, sound judgment, and follow-through. The role requires a leader who can constructively challenge assumptions, identify emerging risks, and support decisive action without losing sight of INvestEd’s mission, culture, and long-term responsibilities.

Equally important, INvestEd seeks a collaborative leader who will strengthen the finance team, modernize systems and processes, and improve organizational financial fluency. The successful candidate will lead with integrity, humility, emotional intelligence, and a commitment to developing others.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible financial leadership experience, including significant experience in a senior finance role with enterprise-wide responsibility.
• Demonstrated success leading financial strategy, accounting, planning and analysis, treasury, investments, audit, controls, and board reporting in a complex organization.
• Experience in lending, banking, consumer finance, public finance, nonprofit finance, asset management, insurance, or another regulated financial environment; education finance or student lending experience is preferred but not required.
• Strong understanding of student loan portfolio economics, credit performance, reserves, liquidity, capital deployment, interest-rate risk, and financial modeling.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage annual budgets, rolling forecasts, multi-year plans, scenario analyses, and executive performance dashboards.
• Deep knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, audit practices, internal controls, tax and regulatory reporting, and governance expectations applicable to nonprofit or public-benefit organizations.
• Experience presenting complex financial information to boards and committees in a concise, transparent, and decision-oriented manner.
• Track record of building and developing high performing teams and improving finance systems, processes, controls, and analytical capabilities.
• Ability to establish credibility with external financial institutions, auditors, regulators, investment managers, capital providers, and public sector stakeholders.
• Fluency with modern financial systems, business intelligence and reporting platforms, and emerging analytical tools, with a track record of using technology to strengthen forecasting, reporting, and decision support.
• Exceptional integrity and judgment, with the courage to surface risk, challenge assumptions, and protect the organization’s long-term interests.
• Collaborative leadership style characterized by humility, responsiveness, accountability, and an ability to influence across functions.
• Commitment to INvestEd’s mission of helping Hoosiers pursue education beyond high school with the least possible debt.

MINIMUM EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, economics, business administration, or a related field required.

PREFERRED CREDENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

CPA strongly preferred. An MBA, CFA, MPA, or other relevant advanced degree or professional credential is desirable.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

INvestEd offers a competitive executive compensation package, including base salary, a performance- based incentive opportunity, and a comprehensive benefits program. Final compensation will be commensurate with experience and approved in accordance with INvestEd’s governance and compensation practices.