WHAT DOES AN INTERIM CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DO?

Updated: Nov 12, 2025 - The Interim Chief Financial Officer provides strategic and operational financial leadership by directing accounting, tax, treasury, grants, and financial reporting functions. This role develops and manages budgets, financial models, and performance metrics to support decision-making, ensure compliance, and align resources with long-term strategic goals. The chief also enhances financial systems and controls, oversees audits, and manages cash flow and capital to strengthen organizational growth.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Interim Chief Financial Officer

1. Interim Chief Financial Officer Duties

  • Strategic Collaboration: Collaborate with the CEO and the Private equity firm in a time-sensitive restructuring environment to measure and lead the operational and transformation goals and strategies
  • Financial Leadership: Accountable for providing direction and leadership to finance and business operations and serving as a developer of solutions to business challenges
  • Accounting Expertise: Expert in all areas of accounting for acquisition and restructuring-related costs and asset liabilities
  • Equity Coordination: Work closely with a Private Equity firm to perform financial and operational tasks
  • Financial Modeling: Provide financial modeling, assessments, due diligence reviews, and strategies to architect and implement a restructuring plan
  • Performance Evaluation: Assess and evaluate the organization’s fiscal functions and performance
  • System Implementation: Provide financial modeling and strategies for building out and improving internal back-office operations including systems implementation
  • Closing Oversight: Review and improve all month-end closing activities including general ledger maintenance, balance sheet reconciliations and corporate/overhead cost allocation
  • Metrics Development: Design, develop and utilize a system of financial metrics, KPI, and other financial reports to assess operating performance
  • Budget Management: Partner with executive management to closely manage and analyze operational expenses, budget and income statements to build the annual budget and the company’s long-term strategy
  • Market Analysis: Evaluate market trends and analysis to provide revenue, expansion and improvement opportunities
  • Cash Management: Manage the working capital and cash flow and identify sources for new capital
  • Control Implementation: Assess, establish and implement internal controls
  • Risk Management: Oversee financial risk management

2. Interim Chief Financial Officer Details

  • Statement Oversight: Oversees the preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements and reports
  • Regulatory Reporting: Oversees the preparation of Form 990 and any other statutory reports for the agency
  • Financial Guidance: Provides financial guidance to management on budgetary controls, costs, pricing, cost estimating or other special assignments
  • Audit Oversight: Directs oversight of audit matters in consultation with the COO
  • System Development: Builds infrastructure and systems, aligned with organizational goals, to support the timely and accurate reporting of financial results
  • Control Assurance: Ensures global financial controls on all awarded funding
  • Compliance Management: Ensures compliance with USG and Non-USG funding regulatory requirements
  • Tax Compliance: Complies with local, state and federal government reporting requirements and tax filings and ensures all returns are filed timely and accurately
  • Policy Implementation: Formulates, recommends and implements sound fiscal policies, procedures and internal controls
  • Budget Oversight: Directs the annual budget process with support from the COO
  • Financial Health: Working closely with the COO, oversees short- and long-term financial health of the organization
  • Performance Evaluation: Evaluate the effectiveness of the organization's performance, financial and risk objectives

3. Interim Chief Financial Officer Responsibilities

  • Metric Management: Directs all key metrics, financial evaluations and reviews with the COO
  • Strategic Insight: See beyond the numbers and serve as a true voice at the table amongst the Leadership Team regarding all strategic matters facing the organization
  • Result Orientation: Results-oriented, with a track record of accomplishing objectives in a complex environment
  • Business Judgment: Solid business judgment, high integrity and a passion for protecting capital and increasing value
  • Executive Presence: Strong presence to lead discussions at all levels and across functional disciplines, with an ability to explain complex information coherently
  • Team Leadership: Provides leadership to accounting personnel through effective objective setting, delegation, and communication
  • Staff Communication: Conducts meetings to ensure that personnel are well informed of changes in programs, policies, and procedures
  • Board Support: Assists the COO and other members of the Executive Leadership Team with analysis and Board communication
  • Policy Communication: Communicates fiscal policies and procedures to all HIAS employees
  • Project Leadership: Leads and participates in special projects that further the goals of the Finance Department
  • Trend Monitoring: Stays abreast of trends and changes in the accounting field
  • Confidentiality Management: Maintains the highest level of confidentiality regarding discussions and decisions made by the Executive Leadership Team and takes all actions to ensure that staff adhere to these requirements
  • Stakeholder Liaison: Serve as a liaison with company bankers, lenders, external audit service provider and legal counsel

4. Interim Chief Financial Officer Job Summary

  • Strategic Elevation: Elevate the strategic value of the finance department to the organization
  • Goal Alignment: Guide the ongoing development and refinement of financial goals/objectives, strategies that are aligned with the vision and priorities of the organization
  • Financial Roadmap: Establish the financial roadmap to support the future goal of the organization
  • Fiscal Oversight: Oversee all fiscal activities, manage the finance, budget and decision support functions
  • Leadership Advisory: Advise senior leadership on strategic and operational financial challenges related to funding changes, business planning, budget management, and risk management
  • Investment Strategy: Develop a cash and investment strategy in response to depleting resources (primarily due to increased headcount and compensation costs)
  • Manager Evaluation: Evaluation of external Investment Manager candidates
  • Revenue Guidance: Provide guidance and advice for potential increased revenue solutions (fee structure, changes that need to be made to get to stable revenue, build-up of appropriate reserves)
  • Funding Case: Writing a business case for Government Funding
  • Budget Execution: Execute organizational planning and oversight of budgeting and forecasting
  • Budget Efficiency: Ensure efficiency and effectiveness of complex budgeting across the organization
  • Report Enhancement: Elevate the monthly reporting for management through scorecarding and deeper analytics on core metrics
  • Risk Assessment: Assess business risks and risk management initiatives
  • Financial Planning: Direct financial planning, forecast budgetary needs and supervise the monthly activities through the Director of Finance
  • Risk Leadership: Lead the corporate focus to support the identification, monitoring, minimization and/or resolution of financial risk

5. Interim Chief Financial Officer Accountabilities

  • Strategic Support: Provide strategic and operational financial support to the organization
  • Operational Leadership: Lead and direct all areas of accounting and finance operations, grant funding, tax and treasury operations, while supervising a Controller and additional staff
  • Statement Supervision: Supervise the preparation of the month-end and year-end financial statements
  • Metrics Management: Develop and manage financial metrics dashboards and reports
  • Closing Review: Review all month-end closing activities including general ledger maintenance, balance sheet reconciliations and corporate/overhead cost allocation
  • System Enhancement: Enhance and implement financial and accounting systems, processes, tools and control systems
  • Budget Partnership: Partner with executive management in an effort to build the annual budget and the company’s long-term strategy
  • Budget Oversight: Oversee the development of the budget and cost management in alignment with the company’s strategic plan
  • Model Development: Create and/or manage financial models to help support analyses, business scenarios and other financial matters
  • Regulation Compliance: Remain current with Non-Profit Federal laws and nonprofit audit best practices
  • Business Analysis: Develop and execute analysis of various business initiatives (e.g., asset acquisition, new office launches, disposition of non-performing areas, etc.)
  • Cash Management: Manage the working capital and cash flow and identify sources for new capital
Relevant Information
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