Vice President of Global Finance

Wildlife Conservation Society; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

The Wildlife Conservation Society seeks a dynamic Vice President of Global Finance in New York. You will guide financial planning, budgeting, and grants management for a global, grant-funded portfolio, aligning resources with conservation priorities and donor requirements.

Leading a dispersed finance team, you will drive procurement excellence, strengthen internal controls, and partner with senior leadership to ensure long-term sustainability and transparent financial performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting; MBA/CPA preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of management experience; 10+ years in a complex global org.
• Strong nonprofit accounting, grants management, procurement and grant-cost knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Oversee FP&A, budgeting, variance analysis, and financial modeling for WCS Global.
• Redesign and oversee spending approval processes with defined thresholds and accountability.
• Lead grant budgeting and donor funding alignment; reflect program costs and cost recovery.
• Ensure financial policy compliance, risk management, and global audit oversight.
• Oversee global procurement policies, systems, and organizational capacity.

Skills

Strategic financial leadership

Nonprofit accounting

Grants management

Procurement

Financial planning & analysis

ERP systems

Staff management

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

SRI Executive Search has been contracted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to assist with the search for an exceptional candidate to fill the position of Vice President of Global Finance.

About Wildlife Conservation Society

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.

For more information, visit: www.wcs.org.

Role 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 Duties and Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• 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.

Profile

Minimum Requirements and Job Skills:

• 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).

Terms of Appointment

Reports to: Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer

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

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.

Role Location