Chief Financial Officer
SkyWater has been retained by Wespath Benefits & Investments in Chicago to identify their next Chief Financial Officer:
A great repeat client of ours, Wespath is a 75-year old mission-driven organization that is known for their phenomenal corporate culture, strong senior leadership team, and challenging work. One of the largest faith-based pension funds in the world, Wespath employs about 300 people, managing around $25B in assets for their 100,000 members, including their retirement, investment & benefit plans. Only open due to the current CFO’s upcoming retirement, the Chief Financial Officer sits on the executive leadership team, reporting to the CEO, and oversees Wespath’s financial strategy, planning, and operations, ensuring alignment with their mission and long-term growth objectives.
*** Wespath offers a very strong overall package; including a competitive base salary, bonus incentives, and robust benefits. ***
*** We are currently only considering candidates in the Chicago area, or willing to relocate to the Chicago area. It is expected that the CFO is on-site at their HQ in Glenview ~50% of the time. ***
Responsibilities
- Strategic Financial Leadership
- Evolve the organization’s financial strategy, aligning with organizational goals and market opportunities.
- Collaborate with executive leadership on key business decisions to optimize revenue and expense, mitigate risks, and support sustainable growth.
- Provide financial guidance for strategic initiatives, including current institutional growth strategy, benefit program, optimization, new product development, and any further opportunities for market expansion. Financial Planning & Analysis
- Oversee the preparation and analysis of financial reports, budgets, forecasts, and performance metrics.
- Monitor and assess the organization’s financial performance, providing actionable insights to drive efficiency, measure and improve ROI.
- Lead fee-setting strategy to ensure offerings are priced to meet the needs of the market while also demonstrating adherence to fiduciary standards. Operational Excellence
- Supervise investment accounting operations, general accounting, treasury, and tax functions, through oversight of Controller, ensuring compliance with all regulatory requirements.
- Maintain and enhance robust internal controls, risk management practices, and reporting systems to protect organization assets.
- Streamline financial processes and systems to enhance operational efficiency and scalability.
- Oversee strategic relationships with custodian and operating banks. Stakeholder Management
- Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO, Board of Directors, audit committee, and other key stakeholders.
- Maintain strong relationships with external partners, including investors, plan sponsors, auditors, and financial institutions.
- Lead engagement with stakeholders on financial results, forecasts, and key initiatives. Leadership & Team Development
- Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of accountability and innovation.
- Promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across the finance function.
- Serve as a role model for ethical and values-driven leadership.
Desired Skills and Experience
- MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a related field; or equivalent work experience
- Minimum of 15 years of progressive financial leadership experience, including at least 5 years as a CFO or in a senior executive finance role.
- Expertise in the financial services industry, particularly within investment management or benefits administration.
- Advanced knowledge of regulatory compliance and industry standards.
- Proficiency in complex financial systems with multi-billion-dollar assets under management, data analytics, and emerging financial technologies.
- Proven ability to lead in dynamic, high-growth environments while maintaining operational excellence. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master of Business Administration
- Certified Public Accountant KNOWLEDGE, SKILL & ABILITIES
- Accountability -Take responsibility for meeting commitments and ensuring that results are achieved. Encourage others to take responsibility for key goals and objectives.
- Communication - Listen to others to gain a full understanding of issues. Present information in a clear and concise manner in multiple mediums to ensure others understand the information. Appropriately adapt messages, style, and tone of voice based on the audience or setting.
- Customer Satisfaction - Strive to understand our customers’ needs and exceed their expectations.
- Initiative - Identify what needs to be done and doing it before being asked to or required by the situation.
- Teamwork - Demonstrate the ability and desire to work cooperatively with others within and across work groups. Bring out the best in each other by sharing one’s knowledge, experience and ideas. Position Unique Competencies
- Business Insight – Expertise in strategic planning, investment management, and risk assessment.
- Financial Acumen – Interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.
- Action Oriented – Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm.
- Resourcefulness – Securing and deploying resources effectively and efficiently.
- Collaborates – Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
- Courage – Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
- Instills Trust – Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity and authenticity.
- Manages Complexity – Making sense of complex, high quality, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
- Decision Quality – Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
- Ensures Accountability – Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
- Drives Results – Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
- Attracts Top Talent – Attracting and selecting the best talent to meet the current and future business needs.
- Cultivates Innovation – Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
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