Chief Financial Officer
| Req Number: | 0GRWUY |
| Location: | Remote |
| Posted: | 3/11/2026 |
| Category: | Government/Not-For-Profit : Not-For-Profit |
| Job Type: | Permanent |
| Compensation: | USD 450,000.00 - 550,000.00 Yearly |
The American Cancer Society
Chief Financial Officer
THE OPPORTUNITY
The American Cancer Society (ACS) is seeking a Chief Financial Officer at a pivotal moment for the organization. As ACS advances an ambitious mission, scales its impact, and executes a new strategic plan, the CFO will serve as a key strategic partner to the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Team, responsible for defining and executing ACS’ financial strategy and ensuring the long-term financial health of the enterprise. This leader will leverage ACS’ financial assets to maximize ROI, strengthen financial reliability, and support operational performance, while building stakeholder confidence.
The Chief Financial Officer serves as a strategic architect and financial catalyst for the organization, blending long-term vision with disciplined execution to unlock growth, resilience, and impact. This leader brings a sharp, analytical mindset and a creative approach to extracting greater revenue, margin, and return on investment from our operating model, ensuring every dollar advances both performance and purpose. As a core driver of enterprise strategy, the CFO identifies, evaluates, and activates new pathways for sustainable and net new revenue, translating financial insight into bold, actionable opportunities. Beyond the organization, the CFO is a visible and trusted ambassador for our mission, engaging donors, industry partners, and key stakeholders with credibility and clarity. Through a partnership mindset, the CFO elevates financial leadership as a force multiplier that accelerates business success and mission delivery.
Reporting to the CEO, the CFO will serve as a critical member of the Executive Team with clear line authority over financial strategy, planning, and operations. The CFO will lead all aspects of ACS’ financial management including day-to-day financial operations, financial planning, cash flow management, the currently outsourced Chief Investment Officer model, and compliance while serving as a strategic partner to the CEO on enterprise decisions. The CFO will translate ACS’ strategic plan into a coherent financial roadmap that achieves fiscal discipline, optimal performance, and long-term sustainability. The CFO will be a key partner to the COO, ensuring financial and operational strategies are aligned. The CFO will ensure timely, accurate financial reporting in accordance with GAAP and all regulatory and compliance requirements. The CFO will present financial results and insights to the Board, Audit & Finance Committees and manage relationships with external auditors.
The CFO will oversee the enterprise’s core financial functions, ensuring they operate with rigor, transparency, and a continuous improvement mindset. This includes Financial Strategy; Financial Planning and Analysis; Accounting, Tax, and Procurement; Real Estate and Facilities Management; Treasury and Cash Management; Auditing; and BrightEdge (our venture and innovation fund). The CFO will serve as the primary liaison to both the ACS Board and Finance and Investment Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee, ensuring clear visibility into financial performance, risk posture, enterprise controls, investment opportunities, and improvement mindset.
In partnership with Executive Team colleagues, the CFO will embed financial rigor into enterprise planning and decision making, ensuring operational plans are financially viable, investments are sequenced wisely, and resources are deployed to maximize both mission impact and financial stewardship for the ACS and its advocacy affiliate, the ACS Cancer Action Network.
Ultimately, this role requires a leader who brings both strategic foresight and operational command to guide the organization toward long term sustainability while enabling innovation and growth. The CFO will shape the financial future of ACS, empowering the mission to expand its reach and impact for generations to come.
ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND
The American Cancer Society exists because the burden of cancer is unacceptably high. We are committed to ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. Through our mission pillar work in advocacy, research, and patient support, along with our development efforts, we are working to reduce these cancer disparities and advance health equity. We leverage our more than 110 years of expertise to invest in groundbreaking cancer research, sustain and grow vital patients, caregivers, and clinician support programs, and advocate for legislative priorities that help reduce the impact of cancer for people in every community. We challenge ourselves to expand our reach, better amplify the many ways our work impacts the people we serve and find new ways to help ensure everyone has an opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer.
ACS and ACS CAN rely on the strength of 1.3 million dedicated volunteers. From volunteers who impact national and local policies, to community volunteers who organize patient support programs and fundraising activities, the Society’s volunteers, supported by our workforce, drive every part of the mission.
Discovery: Since 1946, the American Cancer Society has invested more than $5 billion in research grants to the best scientists across the country to find more – and better – treatments for cancer, uncover factors that may cause cancer, and improve the quality of life for every person facing cancer, with over 50 of these researchers having gone on to win the Nobel Prize. No single nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization in the US has invested more to find the causes and cures of cancer than the American Cancer Society.
Advocacy: The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. We engage volunteers across the country to make their voices heard by policymakers at every level of government. Since 2001, as the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We stand with our volunteers, working to make cancer a top priority for policymakers in cities, states, territories and our nation’s capital. We’re the only cancer organization in all 50 states, working at every level of government (local, state, federal) and in every branch of government (legislative, executive, judicial). We engage thousands of dedicated individuals in every congressional district across the country to share their time, skills and stories to advance ACS CAN’s mission to advocate for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone.
Patient Support: When a cancer diagnosis upends a person’s life, having somewhere to turn for support means everything. Our Patient Support Pillar is the largest non-governmental provider of education and patient and caregiver services to people with cancer in the United States. ACS Patient Support programs are there for people in every community, working to ease the burdens people face throughout the cancer experience. Collaborating with health care providers, health systems, and public health organizations, we continue our work to eliminate barriers for all people and improve accessibility to treatments and support services.
Access to Care: For too many people facing cancer, their health outcomes are often determined by their ability to access care. Each barrier of care can decrease a person’s chance of survival. Lack of transportation is the number one barrier to people accessing timely, high-quality cancer care. Road To Recovery’s provides more people with free rides to their important cancer-related appointments, ultimately improving outcomes and helping save lives.
Hope Lodges: Our Hope Lodges enable us to support our guests throughout their cancer journey. Thousands of people and their caregivers call a Hope Lodge facility their home away from home during treatment each year. Hope Lodge communities go beyond a place to stay; they offer healing spaces and create communities where patients and caregivers can find strength in themselves and in one another.
Reducing Cancer Health Disparities: ACS and ACS CAN work to end cancer as we know it, for everyone, by reducing disparities across the entire cancer continuum. To improve cancer outcomes, the team uses evidence-based decision-making and actions by employing scientific research, data, and quantifiable results to inform and optimize our practices and interventions. With a focus on measurable cancer outcomes, ACS and ACS CAN deliver tailored interventions with the goal of giving everyone a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Our guiding principles are further grounded in accountability, transparency, and flexibility, which builds capacity to advance our mission, and creates active engagement with shared ownership.
African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, and uninsured individuals disproportionately develop and die from cancer in the US. Limited access to quality health care greatly impacts one’s ability to access early detection resources. This often results in late-stage cancer diagnoses, which limits lifesaving treatment options. Focusing our efforts on these historically underserved and uninsured individuals is a critical step in reducing health disparities.
Acting as a Partner and Convener: ACS and ACS CAN convene roundtables bringing together allied organizations to work collaboratively and achieve an even greater impact. We work to unite organizations in collaborative partnerships through six national roundtables focusing on breast, colorectal, lung, and cervical cancers, as well as HPV vaccination and navigation. We bring together thought leaders from different organizations who are committed to taking collective action to help improve cancer outcomes through targeted and strategic solutions.
Organizational Structure
The American Cancer Society, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation governed by a single fiduciary Board of Directors that is responsible for setting policy, establishing long-term goals, monitoring general operations, assessing organizational outcomes, and reviewing and approving the annual budget. The Board is comprised entirely of volunteers from the medical and lay communities. Our system of organizational governance ensures the input of appropriate experts on decision making and strategic oversight of comprehensive nationwide operations.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is a separate 501(c)(4) nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. Led by Lisa Lacasse, MBA, ACS CAN is governed by a separate Board of Directors, all of whom are dedicated to leveraging the power of government to end suffering and death from cancer.
ACS is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with our workforce and volunteers throughout the country supporting five geographic regions and Puerto Rico. The organization has approximately 3,130 employees. ACS CAN is based in Washington, DC, with team members and volunteers across the country supporting federal, local, and state advocacy initiatives.
Other Information
The American Cancer Society is proud to hold top ratings from Charity Navigator, the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, and Candid, all widely recognized and respected charity rating and watchdog groups, demonstrating our continuing commitment to accountability, transparency, and ethical practices. Every year, at least 80% of our expenses go directly to fund our mission to improve the lives of people with cancer and their families through advocacy, research, and patient support.
CORE PURPOSE & SCOPE OF THE CFO ROLE
- Serve as the CEO’s partner in stewarding ACS’ financial health, with clear line authority over all financial functions and accountability for delivering a disciplined, mission-aligned financial plan that supports enterprise strategy and long-term sustainability.
- Provide enterprise leadership across Financial Strategy, Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting, Tax, Procurement, Treasury, Auditing, Real Estate and Facilities Management, and BrightEdge ensuring integrated performance, financial reliability, and stakeholder confidence.
- Act as a key member of the Executive Team, bringing a whole enterprise financial perspective to decisions, clarifying strategic tradeoffs, and ensuring fiscal discipline.
- Build and sustain a financial model that emphasizes clarity, discipline, efficiency, integration, and long-term value creation, ensuring ACS’ financial assets are deployed effectively and that systems and processes support strong execution and agile decision-making.
- Serve as the primary liaison to the ACS Board on finance, audit, and investment matters, providing transparent insights into financial performance, risk, and portfolio strategy while strengthening enterprise-wide financial accountability and literacy.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Enterprise Partnership & Financial Leadership:
- Define and execute ACS’ enterprise financial strategy, ensuring alignment with mission priorities and long-term sustainability.
- Oversee all financial domains including Financial Planning and Analysis, Accounting, Tax, Procurement, Treasury, Auditing, Real Estate and Facilities, and BrightEdge to ensure cohesion, rigor, and high performance.
- Ensure financial reliability, operational excellence, and strong internal controls that build stakeholder confidence.
- Serve as a key member of the Executive Team, bringing a whole enterprise financial perspective to strategy, decision-making, and trade-off discussions.
- Build strong, trusted relationships across mission, development, advocacy, and operations to elevate financial literacy and shared responsibility.
- Provide sound judgment and strategic insight, ensuring ACS maintains fiscal discipline while pursuing bold mission outcomes.
Strategic Planning & Resource Allocation:
- In partnership with the COO, translate ACS’ strategic plan into a financially grounded operating plan with clear targets, assumptions, risks, and investment priorities.
- Lead enterprise budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management to ensure disciplined, mission-aligned deployment of resources.
- Partner with the Executive Team to align or repurpose resources when initiatives underperform or strategic priorities shift.
Financial Performance & Risk Management:
- Monitor financial performance against commitments, ensuring early identification of variances or risks to mission, operations, or sustainability.
- Recommend action to take advantage of new opportunities and mitigate risk.
- Lead enterprise financial risk management, including liquidity strategy, compliance, regulatory oversight, and enterprise insurance programs.
- Ensure timely, transparent reporting that enables data driven decisions across the organization.
Investment Strategy & Portfolio Stewardship:
- Steward ACS’ financial assets to maximize ROI within appropriate risk parameters.
- Lead BrightEdge’s financial oversight, ensuring investments align with ACS’ mission and long-term financial strategy.
- Serve as primary liaison to the Board and Finance and Investment Committee, providing insights on performance, risk posture, and portfolio strategy.
Financial Systems, Processes & Modernization:
- Strengthen and modernize financial systems, processes, and analytics to support speed, accuracy, and enterprise-wide visibility.
- Drive simplification, standardization, and automation across all financial workflows.
- Ensure finance capabilities and talent can scale with organizational complexity.
Fundraising & External Relations:
- In collaboration with the CEO and the Chief Development Officer, strategically engage with donors and industry partners to cultivate, solicit, close, and steward transformative philanthropy that advances mission and campaign priorities.
- Sustain and elevate confidence in ACS’ approach to stewarding donor gifts.
- Represent ACS publicly on an as-needed basis.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS
- Significant senior executive experience (typically 15+ years) as a financial leader, leading complex, multi-site, or multi-pillar organizations, ideally in large nonprofits, health, or mission driven enterprises.
- Demonstrated experience with investment strategy and portfolio management within a nonprofit or mission driven organization.
- A strong business orientation with the ability to “go beyond the numbers” helping executive teams identify and develop opportunities to optimize and strengthen financial performance.
- Proven track record translating strategy into clear financial planning and results.
- Experience managing complex financial portfolios such as endowments, diversified assets, or mission aligned investment vehicles.
- Demonstrated success modernizing financial systems, analytics platforms, or ERP environments to improve accuracy, efficiency, and enterprise-wide visibility.
- Expertise overseeing liquidity strategy, treasury operations, capital allocation, and cash flow optimization in dynamic or multi-stream revenue environments.
- Experience leading enterprise risk management, internal controls, audits, and compliance functions in highly regulated or nonprofit contexts.
- Background overseeing real estate portfolios, leases, and facilities related financial strategy to support organizational efficiency and cost effectiveness.
- Proven ability to engage effectively with Board Finance, Audit, or Investment Committees, providing clear insights and guiding informed governance decisions.
- Experience evaluating, structuring, or integrating partnerships, joint ventures, acquisitions, or innovation oriented financial ventures.
- Demonstrated ability to lead organizations through periods of financial uncertainty, operational transformation, or economic volatility.
- Experience leading cross functional teams to align operating plans and budgets.
- Demonstrated leadership of high performing teams and leaders, including building diverse, inclusive teams and improving culture at scale.
- Prior exposure to or passion for mission driven work, connected to cancer or a large nonprofit strongly preferred.
LEADERSHIP STYLE & PERSONAL CHARACTERISITCS
- People-centered leader who sets a positive tone and builds a strong, supportive team environment.
- Champion of excellence who drives best practices and high performance where it matters most.
- Authentic, joyful executive who energizes teams and celebrates collective success.
- Enterprise thinker who sees the full system, connects dots, and focuses on what advances the organization.
- Decisive, accountable leader who navigates tradeoffs, makes sound decisions, and sustains strong relationships.
- Builder and simplifier who streamlines processes and operating models to make work clearer and more effective.
- Collaborative, low ego partner who listens deeply and earns trust across all levels, including the Board.
- Clear communicator who translates complex financial or operational issues into accessible insights.
- Adaptive change leader who diagnoses quickly, manages ambiguity, and guides teams through transition.
- Culture and DEI champion who models inclusion, transparency, and shared success.
- Integrity and sound judgment, with deep alignment to ACS’ mission and those it serves.
EDUCATION
A bachelor’s degree is required. An advanced or terminal degree is preferred.
COMPENSATION
A competitive compensation package will be provided to outstanding candidates. The anticipated salary range for this position is $450,000 – $550,000 with a highly competitive incentive plan. Salary will be dependent on several factors, including previous work experience, specific industry experience, qualifications, and skill set.
LOCATION
ACS is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and ACS CAN is based in Washington, DC. The organization has a presence in communities nationwide. The CFO’s home base is flexible with a regular presence in ATL, DC, and nationally.
KORN FERRY CONTACTS
Beau Lambert
Senior Client Partner, Financial Officers Practice
Phone: 404-518-3663
Beau.Lambert@kornferry.com
Sara Panarese
Senior Associate, Financial Officers Practice
Phone: 484-885-7105
Sara.Panarese@kornferry.com
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Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.
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