Job Description

Job Title: Chief Financial Officer

Department: Executive

Location: Hybrid within the DC Metro area

Reports to: President

Direct Reports: Yes

Classification: Exempt

Position Type: Full-time

Anticipated Pay Range at Commencement of Employment: $159,000 - $238,000

Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is the largest nonprofit dedicated to making military life better for families. Each year, we support over 1.5 million military- and veteran-connected family members through a national network of 300,000+ members and local chapters in communities across the country.

Our mission is simple and bold: We make military life awesome for families. We listen, share, partner, and act to deliver evidence-based, data-driven solutions that work for real people. We’re a lifestyle organization, a friend and neighbor, and a trusted partner. Our approach is collaborative, human-centered, and designed with the whole family in mind.

A Blue Star Family is one with an immediate family member — a spouse, parent, or child — actively serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the Guard and Reserves. These families face unique challenges, including frequent relocations, deployments, career disruptions, and isolation. We respond with research-informed programs that create connection, build resilience, and foster a true sense of belonging.

We serve with urgency but build trust over time — because change happens at the speed of trust. Whether we’re driving spouse employment, supporting caregivers, or helping communities welcome military families, we strive for upstream solutions.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Bold thinkers. Fast movers. Smart collaborators. People who want to build, lead, and drive measurable change — and who care deeply about making an impact that matters.

What You’ll Do Here:

• Solve complex challenges with data, heart, and humility
• Build cross-sector partnerships that get things done
• Help military families feel at home wherever they live

If you're ready to work in a high-performance, mission-driven environment — and to make life better for those who serve — Blue Star Families is where you belong.

As a fully remote organization, we rely on scheduled in-person gatherings to foster alignment, collaboration, and organizational culture. This role requires the ability to travel out of town overnight several times per year for staff offsites, planning retreats, and company-wide events. These gatherings are essential for connection, brainstorming, and staying strategically aligned across teams. Participation is required as a core part of the role.

General Position Description

The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) serves as a strategic leader and trusted advisor responsible for advancing Blue Star Families' mission through sound financial stewardship, operational excellence, and organizational innovation. Reporting to the President and partnering with the CEO, the CFO helps shape the financial future of a nationally recognized nonprofit organization, leveraging financial leadership and operational expertise to strengthen support for military and Veteran families across the country.

As a member of the senior leadership team, the CFO helps shape and execute the organization's national strategy, providing guidance on financial planning, economic modeling, organizational growth, and long-term sustainability. The CFO oversees all fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities of the organization in partnership with the Board of Directors, including the Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees.

The CFO also provides executive oversight of the organization's Technology function, ensuring enterprise technology, data, cybersecurity, and digital transformation initiatives effectively support operational excellence, organizational scalability, innovation, and mission impact.

This is a hybrid position requiring regular on-site presence in a Blue Star Families office in addition to remote work. In-person attendance in a Blue Star Families office is an essential function of the role and is necessary to support collaboration, communication, and the successful performance of essential job responsibilities.

Periodic overnight travel is an essential function of the role. Team members are required to travel several times per year to attend meetings, training, offsites, and organization-wide events. Attendance and participation in these in-person gatherings are necessary to support collaboration, organizational alignment, and the successful performance of essential job responsibilities.

Key Job Functions

Strategy

• Assess organizational performance against both the annual budget and BSF's long-term strategic plan.
• Develop financial and operational reporting tools that provide executive leadership with timely insights to support data-informed decision-making.
• Identify and evaluate new revenue opportunities and sustainable funding models.
• Evaluate the organization's operating model and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, effectiveness, and long-term sustainability.
• Partner with the Finance and Investment Committees on best practices, emerging trends, strategic priorities, and governance matters.
• Support committee planning, including annual objectives, meeting agendas, and engagement of external advisors (e.g., auditors and investment consultants).
• Lead long-term financial planning and cost management aligned with BSF's strategic plan, including financial evaluation of partnerships, sponsorships, acquisitions, and other strategic opportunities.
• Partner with technology leadership to align enterprise technology, data, and business intelligence strategies with organizational priorities.
• Evaluate and prioritize technology investments, balancing innovation, scalability, risk management, and financial stewardship.

Financial & Operational Management

• Oversee accounting, financial reporting, and internal controls, ensuring compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), regulatory requirements, and Office of Management and Budget Uniform Guidance. Coordinate all audit activities.
• Manage organizational cash flow, forecasting, and liquidity through robust projection models and reporting processes that maintain sufficient cash to meet operating needs.
• Optimize banking and financial institution relationships and implement strategies to strengthen liquidity and cash management.
• Lead the annual budgeting process and monitor organizational performance against approved budgets through regular financial reporting.
• Manage and monitor the performance of BSF's investments in accordance with policies and guidelines established by the Investment Committee.
• Partner with IT staff to evaluate, implement, and optimize financial systems and technology solutions that support organizational objectives.
• Provide executive oversight of enterprise technology, data governance, vendor relationships, and cybersecurity, ensuring technology investments, security practices, and information governance effectively support organizational operations and strategic objectives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Experience, Skills, Background

• 10+ years of progressively responsible leadership experience in finance and accounting, including advising senior executives and boards.
• Significant experience leading accounting, budgeting, financial reporting, and internal controls.
• A BS/BA in a related field.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Master of Business Administration (MBA).
• Demonstrated commitment to the Blue Star Families mission, with a reputation for integrity, collaboration, and servant leadership.
• Proven experience serving as a strategic thought partner to executive leadership and governing boards.
• Demonstrated ability to translate strategic priorities into operational and financial plans.
• Experience successfully partnering with IT staff to manage critical financial management systems.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage stakeholders at all organizational levels.
• A collaborative and flexible leadership style with a strong service orientation.
• Demonstrated ability to develop sustainable funding strategies and evaluate innovative financing opportunities.
• Ability to travel locally as required to perform essential job responsibilities.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, as necessary to perform essential job responsibilities.
• Ability to travel overnight on a limited basis to attend meetings, trainings, conferences, and organizational events.

Desired Experience, Skills, Background

• Experience with nonprofits
• Experience working in a fast-paced dynamic environment
• Cultural competence in the military and Veteran community

More About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families empowers military and Veteran families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of mutual support. We believe we're all stronger when we take care of one another.

Our groundbreaking research is raising the nation's awareness of the unique challenges of military family life. With the help of neighbors across the country, Blue Star Families is overcoming the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government. Our innovative programs are solving specific challenges for military families, including fighting economic insecurity with resources that foster spouse career development, creating family strength with rich family programming, and providing critical peer support for caregivers, whose numbers are only increasing.

Blue Star Families is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

EEO Policy

Blue Star Families is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.