Details
Posted: 07-Mar-22
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Type: Full Time
Categories:
Other
Salary Details:
Asheville School is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding employees through a competitive compensation and benefits package. Compensation is commensurate with applicant’s skills and experience.
Founded in 1900, Asheville School is a private, coeducational, boarding and day school in Asheville, North Carolina. The School currently enrolls 299 students in grades nine through twelve. The rigorous academic program is complimented by robust athletic, artistic, outdoor, and extra-curricular offerings. 100% of graduates are accepted as competitive or very competitive colleges and universities.
Summary
The Chief Financial and Operations Officer (CFOO) provides financial and operational leadership in the highest quality manner to the School. The CFOO establishes a clear and positive culture and provides balanced leadership with authenticity, respect for others, high emotional intelligence, flexibility, innovation, collaboration, trust building and integrity. They proactively drive the organization to a higher level of performance, efficiency, and growth through inspired action and commitment. The CFOO reports directly to the Head of School.
The CFOO establishes a clear and positive culture and provides balanced leadership with authenticity, respect for others, high emotional intelligence, flexibility, innovation, collaboration, trust building and integrity. They proactively drive the organization to a higher level of performance, efficiency, and growth through inspired action and commitment. The CFOO reports directly to the Head of School.
The CFOO will be an excellent listener and communicator who can be highly effective both one-on-one, in groups and even as a public speaker when necessary. The CFOO possesses a high-level of professional business acumen and a broad management skillset and is effective at operating in a private, independent school and non-profit organization by effectively managing all financial matters including revenue, expenditures, and financial support. Ensures that the organization and its mission, programs and services are consistently presented financially and operationally in a strong, positive image to all relevant stakeholders.
The CFOO reports directly to the Head of School and is responsible for the fiscal operations of the School, as well as the operating and infrastructure systems.
The key responsibilities specifically include:
- The budget process, financial management and financial results;
- Human resource management;
- Investment oversight;
- Regulatory issues and risk management;
- Leadership of the strategic planning process for the School;
- An integral member of the Financial Aid committee;
- Manage the School’s tech infrastructure support;
- Special project leadership such as COVID response;
- Facilities management;
- Housekeeping (outsourced);
- Security; (outsourced);
- Food service (outsourced).
The CFOO provides primary support to the Finance, Audit & Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Plant & Infrastructure, and Investment Committees of the Board.
The CFOO leads, supervise, and manages the Comptroller, the Director of Facilities, the Director of Technology, the Director of Human Resources, the School Store manager, and the team members for each of these areas. They oversee the outsourced contracts for security, housekeeping services and food service.
Job Requirements:
The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s Degree and either a CPA certificate or an MBA or Masters of Accounting and 10 years of business or school finance experience.
Leadership
- Ability to lead the organization in handling multi-faceted issues. Provides leadership, strategic direction (immediate, mid-term and long term), planning and execution in directing the day-to-day financial operations of the School.
- Effective communicator with excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate, listen, and seek input from and collaborate with all constituents including across leadership, Board of Trustees, administration, faculty, parents, and students.
- Exhibits the highest standards of moral, ethical conduct, and integrity with a strong sense of personal and professional values.
- The credibility, stature, and leadership characteristics to be a respected leader, internally and externally.
- When needed, develops alternative approaches to solving critical issues and strategies for success. Keeps informed of changes and innovations in the private, independent school sector and non-profit accounting/ finance and gains first-hand knowledge of new developments and implements those improvements.
- Thinks regularly about solutions to problems and challenges through a culture of continuous improvement.
- Leads the development of the School’s long-term strategic plan by providing environment insights, benchmarking best practices, working with industry leaders to understand future trends and to guide the School to meet market needs.
Build High Performing Organization
- Exhibits confidence in self and others; inspires and motivates others to perform well; effectively influences actions and opinions of others; accepts feedback from others; maintains confidentiality; and gives appropriate recognition to others. Promotes a positive morale and a work environment that instills confidence, generates pride, and respects the individual.
- Establishes performance objectives and goals for executives and the entire team and evaluates their performance utilizing criteria that measures key performance indicators and results from their respective program outcomes, managerial performance, financial, and operations.
- Selects (hires), appoints, manages, promotes, transfers, and terminates all direct reports and their team members according to the School’s policies.
- Ensure the School’s tech infrastructure meets the needs of every part of the organization and is prepared for future changes.
- Experience and working knowledge of technology including information, data privacy, infrastructure, applications, and software (especially financial and accounting), mobile and communication platforms for meetings and remote access.
Ensure Quality Financial Operations and Services
- Ensures the Head of School and Board of Trustees is fully informed on key financial matters at the level of appropriate detail. Makes recommendations to the Head of School on adoption of new policies and changes to existing policies that align with the School’s strategy and vision.
- Responsible for accurate financial reporting and oversees financial issues and reporting, particularly monitoring cash flow. In consultation with the Head of School prepares and monitors annual budget; monthly/ quarterly and annual financial reports; and prepares ancillary financial and statistical reports for the Head of School and Board of Trustees.
- Develops credibility and authority for the finance leadership team by providing accurate analysis of budgets, reports and financial trends and operational procedures. Works with finance team to develop a solid cash flow projection and reporting mechanism, which includes setting a minimum cash threshold to meet daily and weekly operating needs while considering longer term cash flow needs on an annual and multi-year basis. Manages the cash-flow position of the School, including establishing credit and collections and purchasing policies and to establish schedules for the payment of bills and financial obligations. Manages the approval of all agreements concerning financial obligations, such as contracts for projects or services and other actions requiring a commitment of financial resources. Maintains relationships with financial institutions and administers banking arrangements and loan agreements, receives, has custody of and disburses monies and securities. Maintains adequate sources for current borrowings from commercial banks and other lending institutions.
- Utilize outside consultants to manage the School’s endowment following the approved Investment Policy Statement.
- Collaborates with Admissions and the Head of School, to analyze, review, and approve financial aid awards, student contracts, and other accounts as needed.
- Monitors the capital budget and financial aspects of School projects. Also, serves as the liaison to the Business Office and all Administrative departments as a conduit for new initiatives as recommended by the Head of School, the Board of Trustees, key administrators, and faculty and interprets and analyzes from a financial impact, cash flow and operational perspective.
- Monitors the fundraising budget and the Advancement team activity to manage revenue risk and upside to ensure that operating budget objectives and plan goals are met. Furthermore, the CFOO will track multi-year revenue and fundraising trends and use the information to predict future opportunities for expansion and diversification and avoid any downtrends in individual, corporate or foundation gifts. Monitors and understands accurate and timely analyses that capture and communicate fundraising results, variances, and performance trends.
- Ensures that the appropriate audit, accounting, and internal controls are in place for all funds and assets. Understanding of and implementation of necessary risk management for the organization in all areas of operations. Resolves in a timely fashion all findings resulting from financial audits and consulting studies.
- Ensures compliance with legal, income tax, government, and regulatory matters. Working knowledge and experience with requirements necessary to maintain nonprofit status of 501(c)3, including but not limited to annual 990 filing status. Reviews/approves and implements material regulations and notices from governmental and regulatory agencies and responds to such in writing, as appropriate, in a timely manner.
- Responsible for all personnel compensation, benefits, insurance; and reporting of these matters.
- As risk manager, works with insurance advisors and brokers to ensure that adequate, appropriate, and cost-effective insurance is in force, including public liability, property and casualty, directors and officers, and Worker’s Compensation.
- Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors own work to ensure quality.
- Leads and leverages outsourced suppliers to provide best in class services in areas such as dining services, housekeeping services, tech services, security services, etc…
Conditions of Employment
Successful candidate must submit to pre-employment and on-going background checks.
Working Conditions and Physical Effort
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, stand, sit, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.
- The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
Work Environment
Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Application Process
Applicants should email a cover letter and resume to cfoo@ashevilleschool.org. This position is open until filled.
Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified applicants with disabilities to apply for this position and/or for qualified employees to perform the essential duties. To request a confidential application process or job accommodation evaluation, contact the Director of Human Resources at 828-254-6345 ext. 4097.
Asheville School is committed to enhancing workplace diversity and fostering a climate of equity and inclusion. In addition, the School makes employment decision based on objective criteria and does not discriminate against applicants or employees on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
