Vice President, Global Finance

Wildlife Conservation Society; New York (NY); On-site; USD 250,000 - 310,000; Full time

Job summary

Wildlife Conservation Society seeks a Vice President of Global Finance to oversee financial decision-making, planning, and administrative support for its global portfolio.

You will manage a globally distributed finance team, ensure programmatic priorities are funded, and coordinate with senior leadership to strengthen financial health and compliance across regions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, or related field.
• 15+ years of management experience, including 10+ years in senior management of a global organization.
• Strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting, grants management, procurement, and grant cost structures.
• Ability to work across matrixed teams and communicate financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders.
• Experience leading teams in a fast-paced, high-volume environment with emphasis on accuracy and timeliness.

Responsibilities

• Oversee financial planning and analysis for WCS Global, including long-range planning and budgeting.
• Redesign spending governance with clear approval authorities across WCS Global operations.
• Lead resource assessment to deliver on grant commitments and strategic priorities.
• Strategically engineer grant budgets in collaboration with proposals to maximize cost recovery and donor funding while ensuring compliance.
• Oversee financial integrity and compliance with policies and regulatory requirements, including global audits and risk management.
• Support leadership on finance policies, controls, and reporting related to global financial risk and audit matters.
• Evaluate organizational structure to identify efficiency and cost optimization opportunities.
• Strengthen global procurement function and related policies and systems.
• Lead ERP and systems initiatives including country office localization and statutory requirements.
• Contribute to alignment of financial, operational, and programmatic planning with leadership.
• Lead a comprehensive review to strengthen WCS Global’s financial position and capital allocation strategies.
• Assess and strengthen finance, procurement, and administrative staffing capacity globally.

Skills

Nonprofit accounting

Grants management

Financial planning

Leadership

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Business/Accounting

15+ years management experience

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Job Description

Position: Vice President of Global Finance

Reports to: Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

Location: WCS New York Headquarters

Function: Global Finance

Position Type: Full-time

Scope: Global

Manages: The position will manage the Executive Director of Financial Operations & Controls, Executive Director of Budget and FP&A, Assistant Director of Global Procurement, and a globally distributed finance team, and oversee global financial and operational functions including financial planning and analysis, grants management and compliance, procurement, and financial operations.

Coordinates with: EVP, Global Conservation; VP Global Operations; VP, Field Conservation; VP, Strategic Development; VP, Comptroller; VP, Budget and Financial Planning; VP, Human Resources; Chief Information Officer

Expected travel: TBD

Organization Background

WCS stands for wildlife and wild places. As the world’s premier wildlife conservation organization, WCS has a long track record of achieving innovative, impactful results at scale. We run field programs spanning 60 countries and the entire ocean. We build on a unique foundation: Our reach is global; we discover through best-in-class science; we protect through work on the ground with local and indigenous people; we inspire through our world‑class zoos, aquarium, and education programs; and we leverage our resources through partnerships and powerful policy influence. Our more than 4,000 diverse, passionately committed team members in New York City and around the world work collectively to achieve our conservation mission.

Job Purpose

As Vice President of Global Finance, you will oversee financial decision‑making, organizational planning, and administrative support for WCS Global, supporting the SVP & CFO of WCS and Global leadership across a complex, primarily grant‑funded international portfolio. The role is responsible for ensuring that financial resources, operational structures, and procurement systems support WCS Global’s strategic and programmatic priorities.

You will oversee key global finance functions, including financial planning and analysis, budgeting, financial operations, grants management and compliance, and the continued development of a fit‑for‑purpose global procurement function. As a member of the Global Management Team, you will contribute to organizational planning, operational prioritization, and enterprise‑wide initiatives that support effective delivery of conservation programs globally.

Major Responsibilities

• Oversee the development and implementation of financial planning and analysis systems and processes for WCS Global, including long‑range planning, annual budgeting, variance analysis, and financial modeling, and support executive leadership in financial planning and decision‑making.
• Redesign and oversee a spending decision‑making process that engages appropriate senior executives at defined thresholds, establishes clear approval authorities, and creates greater transparency and accountability in financial commitments across WCS Global operations.
• Lead Global in assessing the financial resources required to deliver on existing grant commitments and strategic priorities while maintaining long‑term financial sustainability.
• Partner closely with the proposal development process to strategically engineer grant budgets, ensuring that budget structures accurately reflect programmatic costs, maximize cost recovery, and position WCS competitively for donor funding while maintaining compliance with funder requirements.
• Oversee the financial integrity of WCS Global financial activities and support compliance with WCS policies/procedures and applicable legal and regulatory requirements, including oversight of global audit, compliance, and risk management activities.
• Support the SVP & CFO, Comptroller, and Global leadership on finance policies, financial controls, investigations, and reporting related to Global financial risk exposure and audit matters.
• Evaluate WCS Global’s financial and operational structure to identify opportunities for efficiency, cost optimization, and improved financial management practices, and support implementation of approved changes.
• Oversee and strengthen the global procurement function, including procurement policies, systems, practices, and organizational capacity to support effective and compliant operations globally.
• Lead the Global finance and administrative workstream associated with ERP and systems initiatives, including localization of systems to support country office management and statutory requirements.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of WCS Global operational and strategic priorities and support alignment between financial, operational, and programmatic planning.
• In coordination with WCS leadership, lead a comprehensive review to strengthen WCS Global’s financial position, including evaluating and redesigning organizational cost structures, capital allocation strategies, and revenue diversification approaches to ensure long‑term institutional resilience and sustainability.
• Assess and strengthen finance, procurement, and administrative staffing capacity globally to support evolving organizational needs.

Qualification Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, or related field.
• At least 15 years of management experience, including at least 10 years in senior management of a complex global organization, with experience leading large, dispersed finance teams.
• Strong knowledge of nonprofit accounting, grants management, procurement, and grant cost structures.
• In‑depth knowledge of financial management practices, including organizational planning, cost restructuring, and financial systems.
• Ability to work collaboratively across complex, matrixed teams and communicate financial concepts to non‑financial stakeholders.
• Experience leading teams effectively in a fast‑paced, demanding, and high‑volume environment with emphasis on accuracy and timeliness.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and leadership skills, including the ability to prioritize, delegate, and manage multiple competing priorities.
• Preferred Requirements:
  MBA, MPA and/or CPA
  Experience with business process improvement and systems implementation in an international organization.
  Commitment to conservation.
  Proficiency in a language other than English (e.g., French, Spanish, Portuguese).
• WCS is an equal opportunity employer, and the organization complies with all employment and labor laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination in hiring and ensures that candidates from all backgrounds are fairly and consistently considered during the recruitment process. We are dedicated to hiring and engaging a diverse workforce. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value. The organization provides equal employment opportunities for all qualified candidates. The organization does not discriminate for employment based on gender, race/ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, caste, genetic information or any other covered status or characteristic protected by laws and regulations/and similar categories.
• It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment based upon a person’s membership in one of these protected categories in areas such as recruitment, selection, job assignment, supervision, training, promotions, job grading, transfers, termination, compensation, benefits, educational opportunities, WCS sponsored recreational activities and facilities.
• The organization complies with the spirit and intent of relevant local laws and WCS’s employment policies.
• Salary Range $250,000-$310,000