Pope Francis Center
Pope Francis Center is a Detroit-based nonprofit organization committed to ending chronic homelessness and restoring dignity, stability, and hope for people experiencing homelessness. Rooted in Catholic and Jesuit values of service, compassion, and human dignity, the organization provides both immediate relief and long-term pathways toward housing and healing for some of Detroit's most vulnerable residents.
From its Day Center at 438 St. Antoine Street in downtown Detroit, Pope Francis Center meets urgent human needs with dignity and consistency. Guests have access to daily meals, showers, laundry, mail, phone, medical and dental care, legal support, foot care, haircuts, bike repair, housing assistance, and connections to social services. These services serve as a critical entry point for individuals experiencing homelessness, many of whom are chronically homeless and navigating complex barriers such as trauma, behavioral health challenges, substance use, medical needs, unemployment, and lack of stable housing.
The organization's Bridge Housing Campus represents the next phase of its mission and a major evolution in its service model. Located in Detroit's Core City neighborhood, the 60,000-square-foot campus includes 40 studio apartments where residents can stay for approximately five to six months while receiving intensive wraparound support, including medical, respite, psychological, addiction, social, job-readiness, housing advocacy, and stabilization services. The campus is not designed as an emergency shelter or permanent housing site; rather, it is a transitional bridge between homelessness and permanent housing, helping guests address the interconnected barriers that often prevent them from becoming and remaining housed.
Together, the Day Center and Bridge Housing Campus reflect Pope Francis Center's holistic approach to ending chronic homelessness: meeting people where they are, providing compassionate care in the immediate term, and building more durable pathways to stability, housing, and long-term wellbeing. As the organization continues to expand its impact, it is also building the operational, financial, staffing, and partnership infrastructure needed to sustain a more complex and integrated model of care.
What We Do
Pope Francis Center staff and volunteers are dedicated to creating a space in which our guests can feel at home. We meet each individual's physical needs with love and dignity in an atmosphere of hope and healing. Here's how we enhance our guests' health and well-being.
Nutrition | A hearty breakfast & mid-morning meal create a sense of fellowship and community.
Hygiene | Access to restrooms, sinks, shower stations, toiletries, and laundry facilities help protect our guests from health concerns while also boosting spirits.
Housing Help | Resources for permanent supportive housing, employment opportunities, and recovery assistance are provided to help guests transition to an independent lifestyle.
Clinics | Community partners host a variety of clinics dedicated to delivering support to enhance our guests' health and well-being.
The Opportunity
Position: Senior Director of Finance
Location: On-site — 438 St. Antoine St., Detroit, MI 48226
Website: https://popefranciscenter.org/
Purpose of the Position
The Senior Director of Finance is the senior financial executive of Pope Francis Center and a strategic partner to the President and CEO, the Board of Directors, and the leadership team. Reporting to the President and CEO, the Senior Director of Finance is accountable for the financial health, integrity, and long-term sustainability of the organization.
This is a newly elevated, full-time, on-site role that replaces a part-time consulting arrangement. Beyond the day-to-day stewardship of accounting, payroll, audit, and compliance, the Senior Director will provide strategic leadership on multi-year financial planning, capital project finance for the Bridge Housing Campus, treasury and debt management, internal controls and risk, financial systems modernization, and the build-out of an in-house finance function. The Senior Director is a visible mission ambassador who translates financial information into clear, actionable insight for the President and CEO, the Board, donors, lenders, and staff.
Pope Francis Center is at an important stage of organizational growth, with its historic Day Center services now complemented by the Bridge Housing Campus and a broader vision for addressing homelessness through stabilization, transitional housing, and long-term placement pathways. As the organization moves beyond its early-stage, highly entrepreneurial operating model, the Senior Director of Finance will play a central role in building the financial infrastructure, operating discipline, and standard processes needed to support sustainable growth across both locations.
The Senior Director will also serve as a thought partner to the President and CEO as the organization evaluates future opportunities related to housing, real estate, development, master leasing, and other pathways that can improve outcomes for guests transitioning from crisis services to stable housing. Success will require a finance leader who can balance mission orientation with financial rigor, bring clarity to complex decisions, strengthen collaboration across programs and operations, and ensure the organization can keep pace with its strategic vision while maintaining strong stewardship, compliance, and accountability.
Key Responsibilities
The Senior Director of Finance will hold a broad mandate that combines hands-on financial stewardship with strategic leadership during a period of organizational growth and operational maturation. The role will be responsible for building the financial infrastructure, systems, controls, reporting discipline, and planning capabilities needed to support Pope Francis Center's expanding service model across the Day Center and Bridge Housing Campus.
Success will require a finance leader who can move fluidly between strategy and execution: advising the President and CEO and Board on long-range priorities, ensuring audit and compliance excellence, strengthening day-to-day accounting operations, and bringing financial rigor to new programs, partnerships, real estate opportunities, and capital investments. The following responsibilities reflect the breadth of leadership required to support the organization's mission, protect its financial integrity, and enable sustainable growth.
In support of this mandate, the Senior Director of Finance will be responsible for the following:
Strategic Financial Leadership
Serve as a strategic thought partner to the President and CEO on mission, growth, programmatic investment, and long-range planning.
Develop and maintain a multi-year financial model that links the strategic plan, programmatic priorities, capital projects, and fundraising plan.
Provide financial scenario planning and stress testing (revenue, cost, capital, and macro-economic scenarios) to support decision-making.
Define and monitor key financial and operational KPIs; build a leadership-team dashboard.
Evaluate new programs, partnerships, real estate, and earned-revenue opportunities for financial feasibility and mission alignment.
Financial Planning, Budgeting, and Analysis
Lead the annual budget process in partnership with the President and CEO, program leaders, and the Finance Committee; deliver a Board-approved operating budget on schedule.
Produce monthly financial statements and management reports with variance analysis, narrative commentary, and forward-looking forecasts.
Prepare quarterly Finance Committee and Board reporting, including balance sheet, functional income statement, cash and reserves position, and Bridge Housing forecast.
Develop and maintain rolling cash-flow forecasts and a liquidity and reserves policy that protects the organization through normal and stressed conditions.
Accounting Operations and Internal Controls
Own all general accounting functions: accounts payable, accounts receivable, pledge tracking, journal entries, bank and investment reconciliations, and month- and year-end close.
Ensure GAAP-compliant financial recordkeeping with appropriate fund and net-asset classification.
Design, document, and continuously improve internal controls, segregation of duties, expense and credit-card policies, and approval workflows.
Oversee bi-weekly payroll processing through the third-party payroll provider, including benefits and retirement administration.
Manage relationships with banking platforms, credit-card and spend-management tools (e.g., Ramp), and vendor systems (e.g., Gordon Food Services/GFS).
Audit, Tax, and Regulatory Compliance
Lead the annual independent audit; prepare schedules and supporting workpapers, manage auditor questions, and present audited financial statements to the Audit and Finance Committee and the Board.
Ensure timely filing of IRS Form 990, the Michigan charitable solicitation renewal (Form CTS-02), and all other federal, state, and local filings.
Maintain compliance with Single Audit and Uniform Guidance requirements when applicable, and ensure the organization meets all grant and contract financial requirements.
Submit audited financial statements and required compliance certificates to lenders (e.g., Huntington Bank) on or before contractual deadlines.
Maintain ongoing relationships with external counsel and tax advisors on charitable, employment, and corporate matters.
Treasury, Cash, and Investment Management
Manage day-to-day cash, banking relationships, and short-term investment of operating funds.
Oversee the organization's debt portfolio, including the Bridge Housing Line of Credit—monthly compliance certificates, interest payments, pledge tracking, and draw and repayment activity.
Partner with the Investment Committee on the investment policy statement, asset allocation, manager selection, and performance reporting for reserves and any endowed funds.
Recommend reserve targets and operating-cash policies and report regularly on liquidity.
Capital Project Finance — Bridge Housing Campus
Serve as the financial lead on the Bridge Housing Campus capital project, partnering with the President and CEO, the project team, and Capital Campaign leadership.
Maintain and refine the project budget and multi-year cash forecast, including pledges receivable, draw schedules, construction costs, and post-occupancy operating economics.
Manage all lender, donor, and grantor financial reporting tied to the campus, including monthly Huntington Bank LOC compliance, pledge status reporting, and capital-campaign accounting.
Build the operating pro forma for the stabilized campus and integrate it into the consolidated financial plan.
Risk Management, Insurance, and Legal
Maintain an enterprise risk register and partner with the President and CEO and the Board on mitigation strategies.
Manage the commercial insurance program (general liability, property, D&O, cyber, workers' compensation, employment practices, auto, etc.) and conduct annual coverage reviews.
Oversee contracting, vendor management, and document retention; ensure appropriate review of significant contracts.
Champion fraud-prevention, whistleblower, conflict-of-interest, gift-acceptance, and document-retention policies.
Technology, Systems, and Data
Lead the financial-systems strategy, including evaluation of the current accounting platform (QuickBooks) and complementary tools for budgeting, FP&A, expense management, donor and pledge tracking, and grants management.
Partner with development and operations leaders to ensure clean integration between fundraising (CRM), accounting, and program data.
Establish data-governance, cybersecurity, and business-continuity practices appropriate to the organization's risk profile.
Board, Committee, and External Engagement
Serve as the management lead to the Finance Committee, Audit Committee, and Investment Committee; develop agendas, materials, and minutes in partnership with committee chairs.
Present financial performance, forecasts, capital project status, and risk reports to the full Board on a quarterly cadence.
Represent Pope Francis Center to lenders, auditors, major donors, foundations, and government funders on financial matters.
Support the development team with grant budgets, financial reports for funders, and donor stewardship materials.
People and Culture
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing finance and accounting team aligned with the organization's mission, values, and Catholic identity.
Mentor staff across the organization on financial literacy, budget ownership, and stewardship of resources.
Model a culture of integrity, transparency, service, and collaborative problem-solving.
Work Environment and Schedule
This is a full-time, on-site, exempt position based at the Pope Francis Center day center in downtown Detroit, with regular presence at the Bridge Housing Campus as part of the organization's ongoing operations. Standard hours are Monday through Friday, with occasional evening meetings for the Board, committees, and donor events. The Senior Director is expected to be a visible and engaged member of the on-site leadership team.
The Candidate
Pope Francis Center seeks a seasoned, mission-driven finance leader who brings the technical depth, judgment, and credibility required to lead the organization's finance function through its next stage of growth. The ideal candidate will combine nonprofit financial expertise with the ability to build systems, strengthen controls, support capital and housing-related initiatives, and serve as a trusted advisor to the President and CEO, Board, staff, funders, and external partners.
Given the organization's entrepreneurial history and expanding operating complexity, success will require a leader who is both strategic and hands-on. This person must be comfortable operating in a lean, mission-centered environment, translating financial information into practical decisions, and building the policies, processes, tools, and team capabilities needed to support long-term sustainability.
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related field.
Minimum of 10 years of progressive financial leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior finance role (Controller, VP of Finance, Director of Finance, or CFO).
Demonstrated experience leading the full finance function in a nonprofit, mission-driven, or similarly complex environment, including audit, 990, fund accounting, and Board reporting.
Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP for not-for-profit organizations (ASC 958), functional expense reporting, restricted-fund accounting, and grant compliance.
Experience with capital projects, debt financing, and lender and covenant management.
Proficiency with QuickBooks (or similar SMB ERP), Excel-based financial modeling, and modern finance and spend-management tools.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present financial information clearly to non-financial audiences.
Preferred
CPA, MBA, or equivalent advanced credential.
Experience in a faith-based, social-services, housing, or homelessness-focused organization.
Experience with capital campaigns, real estate development, HUD or LIHTC financing, or similar large nonprofit capital projects.
Experience evaluating and implementing accounting, FP&A, and grants-management systems.
Familiarity with Detroit's nonprofit, philanthropic, and civic landscape.
Personal Characteristics
Mission-driven. A deep personal commitment to serving people experiencing homelessness and to the Catholic, Jesuit values that animate Pope Francis Center.
Strategic and hands-on. Comfortable moving between long-range strategy and day-to-day execution in a lean organization.
Trusted partner. High emotional intelligence; builds trust quickly with the President and CEO, the Board, staff, donors, and external partners.
Unimpeachable integrity. Models the highest ethical standards, transparency, and stewardship of charitable resources.
Clear communicator. Translates complex financial concepts into plain language and decisions.
Builder. Energy and patience to build systems, policies, and a team where one has not previously existed in-house.
Compensation and Benefits
Pope Francis Center offers a competitive compensation package commensurate with experience and benchmarked to peer Detroit-area nonprofits of comparable scale and complexity. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, retirement plan participation, and professional development support.
Applications & Nominations
Nominations and confidential inquiries are welcome.
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Korn Ferry shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will refer candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected basis. Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in connection with the recruitment process for this position.
