A leading private school is seeking a Chief Financial Officer to join their organization. They are seeking an experienced, mission-driven Chief Financial Officer to lead the School's financial strategy at a defining moment in its history. Reporting to the Head of School and serving on the Senior Administrative Team, the CFO is the School's senior financial leader, a trusted partner to the Board of Trustees and its Finance and Investment Committees.
Responsibilities
Strategic Finance and Board Partnership
- Serve as the primary financial advisor to the Head of School, Board of Trustees, Finance Committee, Investment Committee, and senior administrators on the financial implications of all institutional decisions.
- Lead the annual budget process and tuition recommendation, and develop and maintain the School's long-range financial model, including enrollment and financial aid scenarios.
- Collaborate with the Board and Head of School to translate the School's Strategic Plan into multi-year resource plans.
- Prepare and present clear, timely budget-to-actual analyses, forecasts, and dashboards for the Senior Administrative Team and the Board, explaining complex financial information in plain terms for non-financial leaders.
- Collaborate on long-range campus plans with the Head of School, Board of Trustees, and Church as they relate to the financial standing of the School.
- Serve as staff liaison to the Finance Committee and Investment Committee, and attend Board of Trustees meetings.
Accounting, Compliance, and Controls
- Oversee all aspects of the Business Office, including accounts payable/receivable, payroll, procurement, tuition billing and collections, student re-enrollment contracts, and capital asset lifecycles, including capitalization and depreciation policies; direct all monthly/annual closes, journal entries, and general ledger reconciliations.
- Oversee the annual financial audit and the retirement plan audit, serve as primary liaison to external auditors, and ensure timely completion and resolution of findings.
- Ensure the timely preparation and submission of all regulatory filings, including California Form 571-L property statements, in strict adherence to GAAP and nonprofit compliance requirements.
- Implement and continually improve a robust set of Business Office policies, procedures, and internal control systems.
- Maintain an accurate, integrated suite of financial and administrative systems, and lead the evaluation and adoption of new tools where they add value.
- Keep current with accounting standards, tax law, and legal requirements affecting independent schools and religious nonprofits, and maintain knowledge of the policies governing financial relationships with parents, faculty, and the community.
- Assume primary oversight of the School's investment funds, and work with the Finance and Investment Committees to evaluate investment policy and ensure compliance among investment managers.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related field.
- At least eight years of progressively responsible financial leadership experience, including a minimum of three years in a senior role such as CFO, Director of Finance, Controller, or Business Manager.
- Expertise in nonprofit accounting, GAAP, financial reporting, audit, and financial compliance.
- Demonstrated success supervising staff and working collaboratively with senior leadership and a governing board.
- CPA, MBA, or master's degree in a related field.
- Experience in an independent school, or in a comparable mission-driven nonprofit or faith-based organization.
