Chief Financial Officer

Overview

A Moment to Lead

For over fifty years, Trust for Public Land (TPL) has transformed a simple belief into extraordinary action : everyone needs access to the outdoors. During a time when social divisions feel more pronounced, TPL recognizes that connecting with nature can inspire hope, harmony, and unity. With more than 5,000 parks, trails, and schoolyards created and millions of acres protected, TPL has evolved beyond traditional conservation into a powerful force for social change— utilizing green spaces to foster connections and promote healthier communities.

Trust for Public Land does far more than create parks and protect land. It brings people together and strengthens community. The organization combines national expertise—in land acquisition, conservation finance, data mapping, policy, and advocacy as examples—with strong local leadership to deliver complex projects that change people’s lives across the country. As a unifying force, TPL convenes community members along with public, philanthropic, and private partners to pursue bold, achievable goals. Collaboration is a core value that shapes every project, from early planning through long-term stewardship, and TPL is proud to work alongside community, state, tribal, and national leaders at every step.

TPL is at an exciting inflection point of strategic growth and deepening its impact. The organization has doubled its philanthropic support since 2020. It has ambitious plans to scale and give more people access to the benefits of the outdoors and cultural and historical connections to place. TPL seeks a strategic, visionary Chief Financial Officer to architect the financial strategies that will power the next chapter—combining rigor with innovation so TPL can act quickly when opportunity knocks.

The CFO will be a trusted partner to the CEO and a key member of a collaborative Executive Management Team.

This leader will build and develop relationships which increase access to capital to support the mission, identify and manage risks to the organization, and streamline internal financial management and reporting. The CFO will be able to tell TPL’s financial story in ways that inspire donors, investors, partners, and staff. With ~400 employees, a $100M+ operating budget, and ~$300M in annual capital transactions, TPL’s scale and complexity call for a seasoned financial executive who pairs vision with execution and a bias towards action.

Organizational Strengths

TPL is a national nonprofit founded in San Francisco in 1972. Since its inception, it has connected millions of people to the outdoors in a rare mix of urban and rural settings. The magic of TPL’s work lies in its ability to bring a robust toolset to complex challenges and execute these with strong local leadership, subject matter expertise, a community-centric approach, and multifaceted partnerships to address climate, health, and access issues.

TPL centers its work and holds itself accountable to five outcomes :

• Enduring access and connection to welcoming, high-quality outdoor spaces,
• Health and wellness,
• Historical and cultural connection to place,
• Social cohesion and civic engagement,
• Climate resilience.

It is executed locally through :

TPL’s work is multidimensional, ambitious, and exciting. Whether helping a neighborhood create a city park or acquiring a vast landscape for transfer to the National Park Service, TPL stays with the project from start to finish : site selection and acquisition, planning and financing, design and construction. The organization takes the long view of impact, investing time and resources and working in close partnership with others to deliver lasting change.

Notable projects

The Mandate

TPL is a strong, ambitious organization poised to expand its influence and impact. The CFO will be a skilled financial leader who understands how to raise capital, manage risk, deploy resources strategically, optimize the organization’s balance sheet, partner with the philanthropy team, simplify budget presentations, and position TPL for its next chapter of growth and impact. The leader will also possess strong organizational and financial management skills, leading an accomplished financial team.

Key Responsibilities

Serve as a strategic thought partner to the CEO and the executive management team on organizational growth and capital deployment.

Develop and manage relationships with banks, investment managers, charitable investors, and other financial institutions.

Transform and simplify financial data into actionable information for better decision-making and storytelling across all organizational levels.

Translate complex financial concepts into simple, understandable, consistent, and predictable terms for the board, staff, and stakeholders. -Increase financial literacy across the organization.

Provide financial analysis and structure solutions for land conservation projects and transactions, as well as large park, schoolyard, and trail development projects.

Nurture, champion, and develop the finance team through collaboration and mentorship.

The Candidate

The CFO will be a compelling senior executive with a depth of financial leadership experience in a similarly complex and / or larger distributed organization. The ideal candidate will bring a mix of for-profit and nonprofit expertise to the role. Nonprofit experience may include serving on the board of a national NGO.

Professional Assets

Personal Assets

The Relationships

CFO reports to : Chief Executive Officer, Trust for Public Land

CFO manages : A team of 17

CFO interfaces with : Executive Management Team, The National Board of Directors, Board Finance, Audit, and Transaction Committees

The Location

The CFO can be based in any city with a major TPL office. Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington, D.C. preferred.

Compensation

Base salary range is $375,000 - $400,000, depending on location and candidate experience. A competitive benefits package will accompany the salary.

For potential consideration or to suggest a prospect, please email TPLCFO@BoardWalkConsulting.com or call Crystal Stephens or Terri Kohan at 404-BoardWalk (404-262-7392).

Read the full Leadership Profile here : https : / / boardwalkconsulting.com / wp-content / uploads / 2025 / 10 / 10.10.2025-TPL-CFO-Leadership-Profile-v.2.pdf

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