Job Description

About Book Harvest

Book Harvest is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization based in Durham, NC, with an ambitious mission: books for every child, support for every parent, and literacy for every community. Since 2011, Book Harvest has placed more than three million books in the hands of children and families — grounded in the belief that literacy starts at birth, in the home, powered by parents, and nourished with books.

Book Harvest is now at a defining moment. The organization is embarking on a national movement to ensure that every child has the home library they need to become a reader and is building the research, policy, and field infrastructure to realize a new standard of care. With annual revenues exceeding $10 million and programmatic reach expanding nationally, this is an organization accelerating toward national impact.

The Opportunity

Book Harvest seeks a Chief Financial Officer who is equal parts financial architect and people leader. This is a moment of real organizational ambition—we are building the infrastructure for national scale, and we need a CFO who asks, "how do we make this possible" rather than suggesting "why we can't."

This means holding a meaningful duality: optimistic by default, disciplined by design. The CFO will bring to the organization a proactive, strategic, and curious mind – someone who wishes to seek solutions, not deny opportunities. The CFO will also bring the rigor of a best-in-class audit and grant compliance operation while serving as a thought partner to the CEO, C-Suite, and Board of Directors on the financial strategy that enables bold, responsible, and sustainable growth. We seek a CFO who is comfortable with the uncertainty that will at times be present during periods of growth, in pursuit of the organization’s vision of literacy and justice for all.

What We're Looking For: Three Leadership Priorities

We have structured this profile around the three capabilities that will define success in this role. Technical qualifications matter—but they support these priorities, not the other way around.

1. Build the Systems for Scale

Book Harvest is in active organizational growth. The CFO will build and own the financial infrastructure—systems, processes, and frameworks—that can support an organization moving from $10M toward a significantly larger scale. This includes:

• Developing P&L frameworks and unit economics for each program, establishing cost-per-outcome metrics that support replication, partnership negotiations, and sustainable national expansion—turning programs into scalable products.
• Leading the annual budgeting process in close alignment with the Strategic Plan and CEO, and translating budget decisions into actionable management reporting that enables timely, data-informed decisions.
• Communicating financial forecasts and performance clearly to diverse audiences—board members, staff, partners, and funders—removing the intimidation often inherent in fiscal oversight.
• Overseeing all accounting software, including QuickBooks, and driving alignment between fiscal records and the Advancement team’s donor database to ensure a seamless bridge between development and finance
• Advising programmatic leadership on pricing, cost-setting, and expansion timing based on revenue and cash projections.

2. Deliver Rigor in Service of Possibility

The CFO is the organization's chief guardian of financial integrity—and also its chief enabler of financial possibility. Ideal candidates will be comfortable holding both. This includes:

• Directing the annual audit and 990 filing process with excellence, ensuring continuous compliance with all federal, state, and local requirements, grants, and contracts.
• Providing high-level financial analysis and insight to the C-Suite and Board Finance & Audit Committee, offering clear guidance for operations, human resources, and compensation frameworks, and long-term planning.
• Overseeing cash management and investment portfolio oversight, and stewarding the relationship with Book Harvest’s third-party management firm, and leading long-term fiscal health strategies, including the Operating Reserve Fund, potential endowment funds, and planned giving opportunities.
• Partnering closely with the Advancement team on strategies for financial stability, with particular attention to the interplay between restricted and unrestricted funds, and cash flow versus accrued gifts and accrual accounting.
• Serving as staff liaison to the Board Finance & Audit Committee and as a principal source of financial information for the full board. 

3. Lead and Grow a High-Functioning Team

The CFO will inherit a Finance Department team of three full-time staff. This role requires a leader with cultural competence, strong coaching instincts, and the ability to build capacity thoughtfully. This includes:

• Actively mentoring team members: establishing clear, repeatable SOPs that empower staff to succeed independently.
• Creating a management environment where team members feel safe to flag ambiguity or potential errors ensure psychological safety as an operational standard.
• Managing performance through a High Support / High Challenge framework: setting non-negotiable technical benchmarks while providing the coaching and resources required to reach them.
• Proactively assessing team bandwidth and capacity needs; addressing processes, scope, and staffing to ensure accuracy and operational sustainability.
• Bringing demonstrated experience in developing the technical capacity of mid-level finance staff who may not have formal accounting backgrounds.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participate actively in C-Suite meetings, providing critical financial context to strategic decisions across all departments.
• Contribute to a strong, inclusive culture by advancing Book Harvest's Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI) commitments—including institutionalizing equitable practices within the Finance function.
• Research and connect with peer executives at similarly scaled organizations to stay current on financial best practices.
• Engage in ongoing professional development.

About the Ideal Candidate

The ideal CFO brings deep expertise in nonprofit finance and a sophisticated approach to people leadership. Our ideal candidate:

• Holds a CPA designation (strongly preferred) or equivalent high-level financial training.
• Has 12+ years of progressive financial leadership, with at least eight years managing full-scope finance for a nonprofit with revenues exceeding $10 million.
• Possesses expert knowledge of nonprofit GAAP, fund accounting, grant compliance, and fiscal reporting for government and restricted grants.
• Has a proven track record leading external audit processes and 990 preparation.
• Can translate complex financial concepts into plain language for non-finance colleagues, board members, and community partners.
• Brings high emotional intelligence and experience navigating organizational transitions with grace and stability.
• Is experienced in cash management, investment portfolio oversight, and long-term fiscal health strategy.

Core Competencies

Across all dimensions of this role, we look for evidence of the following—and how they show up specifically in a finance context:

• Integrity & Governance: You define the ethical standard for the organization's finances. You hold compliance not as a constraint but as a competitive advantage.
• Communication: You translate financial complexity into strategic clarity. Board members, staff, and partners trust you to make the numbers meaningful.
• People Leadership: You build environments where people do their best work. High support and high challenge aren't in tension for you—they're the job.
• Decision-Making: You make well-reasoned calls under ambiguity, using data and judgment. You're decisive without being rigid.
• Strategic Thinking: You connect financial architecture to organizational vision. You think beyond the current budget cycle.
• DEBI Commitment: You institutionalize equitable practices within your function and advocate for broader organizational impact.
• Agility: You adapt financial systems and team structures as the organization grows and changes—without seeing this as a problem or losing accuracy or control.

Structure & Location & Compensation

• Reports to the Founder and CEO.
• Works closely with the COO, CAO, and Chief External Relations Officer as part of the C-Suite.
• Directly supervises the Finance Department (currently three full-time staff).
• Serves as staff liaison to the Board Finance & Audit Committee.
• Book Harvest is open to remote candidates, with a preference for candidates based in central North Carolina. In-person presence is expected for key organizational moments, including board meetings, audit season, and all-staff events.
• A competitive compensation range is expected to be $119,000 to $139,300, plus a generous benefits package.
• Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, generous paid time off, access to an Employee Assistance Program, Paid Family Leave, 401(k), short-and long-term disability insurance, and more.

Book Harvest is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.