Careers
Director of Finance
Job Summary
Under the direct supervision of the Chief Financial Officer, the Director of Finance will be responsible for maintaining the general ledger, processing payroll, and providing oversight of all finance, accounting, and reporting activities. The Director of Finance will be involved in supporting presentations to the Board, Facilities, Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees, and will work closely with the senior leadership team.
Under the direct supervision of the Chief Financial Officer, the Director of Finance will be responsible for maintaining the general ledger, processing payroll, and providing oversight of all finance, accounting, and reporting activities. The Director of Finance will be involved in supporting presentations to the Board, Facilities, Finance, Audit, and Investment Committees, and will work closely with the senior leadership team.
The Director of Finance will oversee day-to-day finance operations of a budget of approximately $60 million and have functional responsibility over accounting, accounts payable, student billing, and payroll, with a strong emphasis on hiring, training, and supervising accounting staff. The Director of Finance will ensure that the school has the systems and procedures in place to support effective program implementation and conduct flawless audits. The Director of Finance will work closely with program leaders and their staff, not only to educate them regarding finance and accounting procedures, but also to explore how the finance function can support program operations.
In addition, s/he will partner with the CFO, senior leadership, and information technology (IT) staff to enhance and better integrate finance, HR, and IT functions.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Maintain all accounts, ledgers, and reporting systems, ensuring compliance with appropriate GAAP standards and regulatory requirements.
- Maintain internal controls and safeguards for the receipt of revenue, costs, and program budgets, as well as actual expenditures.
- Coordinate all audit activity.
- Consistently analyze financial data and present financial reports in an accurate and timely manner; clearly communicate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements; monitor progress and changes, and keep the CFO abreast of the school’s financial status.
- Assist leadership in the annual budgeting and planning process; administer and review all budgets and compare to actual results with a view to identify, explain, and correct variances, as appropriate.
- Support the CFO in engaging the Board’s Audit, Facilities, Finance, and Investment Committees.
- Oversee all financial and program accounting, ensuring expenditures are consistently aligned with program budgets.
- Manage organizational cash flow forecasting.
- Continuously collaborate with school leadership to assess the financial efficacy of program operations and establish finance and administrative systems to support school operations.
- Manage and track the performance of invested assets in keeping with policies and investment guidelines.
Additional Managerial Responsibilities:
- Leverage strengths of the current finance team members, help to clarify roles and responsibilities, and develop and implement training programs in order to maximize and reach optimal individual and organizational goals;
- Provide leadership in strengthening internal communications with staff at all levels throughout the organization, creating and promoting a positive and supportive work environment.
Requirements/Qualifications:
This is an excellent opportunity for a mature leader with at least eight years of experience in accounting and finance, ideally beginning in public accounting and audit, followed by experience in gathering, evaluating, presenting, and reporting financial information to executive teams and external stakeholders. S/he will ideally have experience in the independent school sector or, alternatively, experience in a complex nonprofit with multiple programs and expanding operations.
Other qualifications include:
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in accounting. CPA required.
- Solid experience coordinating audit activities and managing reporting, budget development and analysis, accounts payable and receivable, general ledger, payroll, and accounting for investments.
- Technology-savvy with advanced knowledge of accounting and reporting software.
- Experience in Financial Edge preferred.
- Experience in developing financial analyses that support strategic efforts.
- Commitment to recruiting, mentoring, training, and retaining a high-quality team with diverse strengths; the foresight and ability to delegate accordingly.
- Keen analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, which allow for strategic data interpretation versus simple reporting.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills; experience in effectively communicating key data, including presentations to senior management, Board, and other outside partners.
- Ability and desire to translate complex financial concepts to individuals at all levels, including finance and non-finance managers.
- Superior analytical and project management skills; ability to manage multiple priorities efficiently and effectively, with strong follow-through.
- Strong attention to detail and analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent organizational skills and process/project management abilities.
- Self-motivated to learn new concepts and participate in new projects.
- Must have excellent work habits, including a willingness to work the hours necessary to get the job done, especially when important deadlines cause greater-than-normal departmental pressures.
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