Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Job ID: 2026-3881)

Overview

This search is being managed by Spencer Stuart, a leading global executive search and leadership consulting firm. To submit confidential comments, nominations, or expressions of interest, please send an email with any supporting materials to: [email protected]. 

The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to equipping decisionmakers with high-quality, independent research and policy strategies that help create a more prosperous and secure country and world.

At the core of Brookings’ mission is the quality, independence, and impact of its research. Through open-minded inquiry, diverse perspectives, and the highest standards of scholarly rigor, Brookings develops bold, pragmatic solutions to complex policy challenges and brings evidence-based ideas into public debate anddecision-making.

Founded in 1916, Brookings has been at the forefront of public policy for more than a century, serving as a trusted bridge between research and practice. Its scholars engage policymakers, the media, and the public through research, events, publications, testimony, and global engagement—always with a commitment toindependence, integrity, and nonpartisanship.

In 2026, Brookings’ scholars continue to produce influential work across a wide range of critical issues—from economic growth, fiscal stability, and global security to democratic governance and the future of work. Brookings’ work is organized around four policy themes:

• Economic growth strategies for a changing world
• Economic and social opportunity for all
• U.S. democracy
• Peace and security worldwide

Brookings is committed to being a modern, world-class nexus of policy insights and solutions that leverages its expertise to bring together coalitions of organizations and leaders to address complex policy challenges. Brookings does so by using sophisticated analytics and new technologies, including AI, to gain insights into not just its reach, but where that reach is translating into impact. These efforts are guided by the understanding that Brookings research is not an output, but rather an input to improved public policy. This is Brookings' strategic North Star.

Brookings' research shapes legislative debates, informs executive-branch decision-making in an AI world, guides philanthropic and private-sector strategy, and elevates public understanding of complex policy challenges. At a time when facts are too often contested, Brookings has remained steadfast in its commitment to rigorousanalysis, intellectual honesty, and real-world impact. Brookings brings to this work a long history of exceptional financial management of an annual operating budget of approximately $100 million and an endowment with a market value of approximately $500 million. Disciplined fiscal stewardship underpins Brookings’ independence and credibility and enables it to invest confidently in its mission over the long term.

Brookings has launched a five-year plan to enhance its impact by strengthening its research enterprise, maximizing Brookings’ visibility and presence, securing larger, more flexible and sustainable funding, and increasing its operational effectiveness and efficiency. Achieving these goals requires strong financial leadership, data-informed decision-making, and actionable business intelligence, making the CFO and their team critical partners in the institution's success.

Position Location: This position is hybrid. Hybrid positions combine regular in-person presence at our Washington, DC office with the option of at least two days of remote work each week.

Responsibilities

Reporting directly to the President, the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) serves as the institution’s chief financial strategist and steward, responsible for the overall integrity, sustainability, and strategic alignment of Brookings’ financial enterprise. The CFO is Brookings' senior financial leader and a core member of the Executive Leadership Team (“ELT”).

As a senior executive, the CFO plays a central role in institutional decision-making—helping leadership and the Board of Trustees (“Board”) navigate financial tradeoffs, evaluate investment choices, and align resources with strategic priorities. The CFO oversees all aspects of financial management, including financial planning and analysis, budgeting, accounting and reporting, audit and compliance, treasury and investments, and financial risk management.

The CFO serves as the principal staff liaison to the Boards’ Finance and Budget Committee and is a trusted advisor to trustees on matters of fiduciary oversight, financial policy, and long-term financial health. The CFO is also a liaison to the Board’s Audit Committee and Investment Committee and attends or presents at other Board committee meetings as needed. A core part of the role is translating complex financial information into clear, decision-ready insight that supports strong governance and effective institutional leadership.

As part of its five-year modernization plan, Brookings is undergoing a transition to a centralized finance model. The CFO will manage the coordination and messaging of the change.

This role offers a distinctive opportunity to steward the financial strategy and long-term sustainability of an institution whose work shapes public policy debates in the United States and globally. The CFO will partner closely with the President, senior leadership, and the Board to ensure that Brookings’ resources are managed with rigor, transparency, and foresight—supporting both near-term priorities and long-term institutional strength.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Financial Leadership

• Develop and lead Brookings’ long-term financial strategy in close partnership with the president and ELT, ensuring alignment with institutional mission and strategic objectives.

• Provide multi-year financial modeling, scenario planning, and forward-looking analysis to support enterprise-level decisions, including programmatic investments, staffing strategies, and capital priorities.

• Advise senior leadership on the financial implications of new initiatives, organizational changes, and external developments, balancing ambition with sustainability.

• Help shape how Brookings deploys a diversified revenue base—including philanthropy, grants, endowment income, and earned revenue—in service of its mission.

Budgeting, Forecasting, and Financial Reporting

• Ensure financial systems, processes, and reporting evolve alongside strategy, strengthening clarity, transparency, and accountability while reducing friction for research and operational leaders.

• Lead the annual operating and capital budgeting processes, working closely with institutional leadership and program heads to develop realistic, mission-aligned budgets.

• Monitor performance against approved budgets, analyze variances, and provide clear explanations and recommendations to senior leadership and the Board.

• Ensure timely, accurate, and transparent financial reporting that meets the needs of internal decisionmakers, trustees, and external stakeholders.

• Maintain financial policies and practices that support consistency, discipline, and accountability across a complex organization.

Board and Governance Partnership

• Serve as the principal staff liaison to the Board’s Finance and Budget Committee and related committees as appropriate.

• Prepare and present financial materials that translate complex data into clear insights for trustees, supporting strong governance and fiduciary oversight.

• Partner with Board leadership to support long-term financial planning, risk assessment, and policy development.

Treasury, Investments, and Risk Management

• Oversee cash management, liquidity, banking relationships, and, as applicable, debt and other financial obligations.

• Partner with external advisors and trustees to oversee endowment and reserve investments in accordance with Board-approved policies.

• Lead institutional financial risk management, including insurance coverage, internal controls, and financial risk assessment and mitigation and partner with the General Counsel and the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in stewarding the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee.

• Supervise and work in partnership with the Chief Investment Officer and in collaboration with the Investment Committee to manage the institution’s endowment.

Audit, Compliance, and External Relationships

• Lead the annual audit process and serve as the primary liaison to external auditors.

• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local financial and regulatory requirements, as well as funder requirements.

• Manage relationships with banks, auditors, regulators, and other external financial partners, representing Brookings with credibility and professionalism.

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing finance organization, fostering a culture of excellence, service, and continuous improvement.

• Ensure that financial systems, processes, and talent effectively support Brookings’ research and operational needs.

• Contribute as a senior institutional leader beyond the finance function, modeling collaboration, integrity, and respect across the organization.

Qualifications

Ideal Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree and/or CPA strongly preferred

Senior financial leadership experience

• 15+ years of progressively more senior and complex financial leadership roles

Strategic partner to the ELT and Board

• Experience as a CEO-reporting CFO who partners with members of a board, including a finance and/or budget committee

Relevant sector exposure

• Deep expertise in nonprofit, corporate, or comparable institutional financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, audit, compliance, internal controls, and risk management

Technology fluency

• Experience leveraging tools, data, and emerging technologies, including AI, to enhance financial management and promote data-driven, analytical decision-making

Team leadership

• Strong management skills, with a track record of building, mentoring, and sustaining effective teams

Additional Information

Brookings provides a generous benefit package that is comprehensive and includes both traditional benefits and unique offerings. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous time off, and workplace flexibility. For more information, please visit Brookings Benefits.   

Employment at Brookings is contingent upon the successful completion of a background investigation and verification of authorization to work in the United States.

Brookings welcomes and celebrates diversity in all its forms, including diversity of experience, thought, and personal background.  We welcome applications that reflect a variety of backgrounds based on ideology, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, first generation college goers, and other factors protected by law. Brookings is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. All selection decisions are based upon merit, skills, abilities and experience. 

This search is being managed by Spencer Stuart, a leading global executive search and leadership consulting firm. To submit confidential comments, nominations, or expressions of interest, please send an email with any supporting materials to: [email protected].