Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

(This position requires professional proficiency in Finnish.)

Are you looking for a meaningful job in a value-driven organisation? Are you a seasoned professional with experience in either finance, or finance, administration and operations management? If yes, then maybe you are the person we are looking for to join us in leading societal transformation.

Our CFO is moving on to new projects through partial retirement, creating a gap in our financial knowledge. You can either step directly into the role of CFO, or broaden the scope by taking on a role including operational leadership and accountability for overall administration. You will report directly to the Managing Director. As long as you have the skills to close the knowledge gap in finance management, the job description, the title, and the team setup can be tailored to your expertise and motivation.

As CFO, you will:

• Take full ownership of our financial management in order to maintain our resilience and stability

• Act as supervisor and sparring partner for our Finance team. The team currently consists of a finance manager, project controller, research funding expert, and contract lawyer.

• Support our mission to lead societal transformation by acting as operational and strategic sparring partner for our Managing Director and our team leads

• Work closely with, manage, and strengthen our network of external partners and advisors, such as our accountant, auditor, and external lawyers

If motivated, you can expand your role to take on broader operative leadership. In this case, you will additionally get to:

• Strengthen our organisation and support our Managing Director by taking ownership of developing Demos Helsinki’s overall administrative processes

• Oversee our people matters and act as a supervisor and sparring partner to our People Lead

• Oversee and develop our Legal function

• Be accountable for developing and upkeeping a top-notch working environment

What kind of traits indicate success?

Motivation and ways of working

• You are motivated by the goals of Demos Helsinki

• You are curious and enjoy learning new things

• You are comfortable with both getting tasks done yourself and delegating them

• You like working autonomously and are motivated by wide accountability

• You enjoy supporting people and developing organisational processes

Leadership skills

• Commitment to being a kind and excellent supervisor

• Strong sense of organisational accountability

• Ability to manage and strengthen our network of external service providers and advisors

Financial skills

• Experience of running statutory financial closing and auditing processes is expected

• Financial forecasting and analysis

• Familiarity with different forms of public and third sector funding

• Analytical skills

• Ability to balance between control and flexibility

• Ability to identify potential risks and areas for development

• Understanding the logic of different kinds of projects (e.g., long-term research project vs short-term consultative project)

• Experience of publicly funded research projects and basic understanding of reporting and auditing procedures is a plus (Horizon Europe, Academy of Finland)

Please be brave and apply even if you do not meet each and every requirement listed above.