Heathwood Hall Episcopal School
Chief Finance and Operations Officer
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, South Carolina, us, 29228
Reports To: Head of School
FLSA Status: Exempt, 12 month
Position Summary
Heathwood Hall Episcopal School seeks an experienced, skilled, strategic, nimble, and collaborative Chief Financial & Operations Officer (CFOO) to join its leadership team.
The Chief Financial & Operations Officer will report directly to the Head of School (Head of School) and work closely with the Board of Trustees (BoT), the Assistant Head of School, and the School’s Senior Administrative Leadership Team, playing an integral role in the School's overall operational effectiveness, financial management, and pursuit of its short- and long-term strategic goals.
The CFOO advises the Head of School on financial strategic planning, budgeting, and accounting, and oversees all business and operations office responsibilities to ensure the School's financial and operational stability. The CFOO is responsible for advising on annual and long-term financial matters, setting financial objectives and policies, and safeguarding the integrity of funds and essential documents to ensure the execution of the strategic plan and the School's future sustainability.
The CFOO is also responsible for leading and managing the Facilities Operations team that includes Maintenance, Grounds, Custodial/Housekeeping, Transportation, Security, and Food Service. Additional oversight and management includes significant work with vendors, contractors, architects, landscaping, housekeeping trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and fire), and municipal, state, and federal agencies.
Essential Functions
Senior Leadership:
Provide counsel to the Head of School, the Assistant Head of School, and the Board of Trustees, and serve as staff liaison to BoT committees and their chairs, including Audit/Risk, Development Finance, Infrastructure, and Investment (Board Foundation) committees.
Serve as a member of the School’s Senior Administrative Leadership Team, fully participating in strategic planning and implementation and supporting prudent financial planning that enables the school to accomplish the School’s goals.
Support - in conjunction with the Head of School and the Assistant Head of School - all members of the Senior Administrative Team in making financial and/or operational decisions that impact their respective departments or areas.
Facilitate collaboration and ensure that all financial and operational functions support the School's current strategy and mission.
Board Responsibilities:
Work with the appropriate Board committee chairs to prepare requested information for Audit, Development, Finance, Infrastructure, and Investment (Board Foundation) Committee meetings.
Provide to the Finance Committee and Board of Trustees on a regular basis pertinent current and forecasted financial information.
Attend the six annual meetings of the Audit-Risk, Finance, and Infrastructure Committee.
Attend the quarterly meetings of the Board Foundation Investment Committee.
Finance:
Prepare and review financial and budget statements, investment reports, and capital project reports; make presentations to the Head of the School, Board, and committees as appropriate.
Maintain accurate financial records, prepare periodic financial statements, and report on the School’s economic affairs to the Head of the School and Board of Trustees.
Administer and manage banking arrangements and loan agreements, receive, have custody of, and disburse monies and securities.
Monitor all loans and indebtedness, including inter-fund loans and transfers. Ensure loan covenant compliance.
Maintain relationships and sources for the School's borrowings from commercial banks and other lending institutions.
Approve all financial obligations and execute leases, loans, real estate transactions, contracts, and other actions requiring a commitment or receipt of economic resources.
Comply with formal reporting requirements of financial institution relationships.
Receive, account for, and disburse monies and securities received by the School.
Assess the financial requirements to develop and implement strategies to achieve the financial goals/requirements of the strategic plan.
Represent the School's interests in all tax and financial reporting matters.
Ensure the School’s funds are invested according to Investment Committee guidelines.
Manage the School's cash flow. This responsibility includes the authority to establish credit, collections, and purchasing policies and schedules for paying bills and financial obligations.
Budget:
Prepare preliminary annual budget proposals and financial forecasts in conjunction with the Head of School and Finance committee, considering departmental requests and estimates of operating expenses and income, for finance committee and Board of Trustees review and approval.
Meet with budget managers to maintain a strategic planning forecast for budget preparation, and support them through the year to ensure adherence to their budgets.
Manage the financial side of the annual employee contract and compensation process.
Ensure/monitor that all expenditures are consistent with the approved budget or that the appropriate authority approves deviation from the budget in advance.
Collaborate with Institutional Advancement to articulate operating support targets as part of the annual plan.
In consultation with the Head of School, develop recommendations to the Finance Committee regarding annual tuition increases, financial aid budgets, salary plan increments, employee benefits, staffing levels, program changes, and inflation.
Establish policies, procedures, standards, and strategies for areas of responsibility and provide adequate internal control capabilities and strengths to safeguard the School's assets.
Manage investments and debt repayment along with the Head of School and the Board of Trustees.
Assist the after-school and summer programs, and internal tutoring programs, with budget preparation and financial planning.
Accounting:
Manage and support the Business Office staff to ensure efficient and accurate accounts receivable and accounts payable functions.
Maintain proper procedures, controls, and records, and prepare financial records/systems per Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Supervise internal and external auditing of all financial and accounting systems.
Ensure the maintenance of appropriate financial records and preparation of required financial reports.
Develop innovative solutions to the challenges in financial strategies, financial analysis, reporting and information dissemination to management, appropriate systems and technology, and cost-effective use of resources.
Supervise accounting for the endowment and investment funds, gift annuities, and other planned giving instruments, and ensure gifts of cash, stock, and gifts in kind are applied to appropriate gift categories.
Manage operational cash flow by maintaining adequate sources of borrowing, executing approved draws from the endowment, and investing excess cash.
Optimize the handling of the School's banking and investment manager relationships.
Audit Responsibilities:
Coordinate annual independent audits.
Assume and/or supervise responsibility for the preparation and presentation of financial statements and analysis of accounts.
Oversee and help prepare financial records for the annual independent audit and assist in preparing the yearly tax return, form 990, and other returns, including Form 5500.
Respond to the auditor's administrative recommendations in the management letter.
Resolve all findings resulting from financial audits.
Operations Responsibilities:
Oversee the Facilities Operations (Maintenance, Grounds, and Housekeeping), Transportation Department, and Security, and support the Director of Facilities Operations and Transportation to ensure successful school operations.
Evaluate, purchase, administer, and maintain property, liability, D & O, and workers' compensation insurance programs. Assist the Director of Human Resources, as needed, with interaction between insurance companies and the School.
Work with the Board and the Head of School on the financial aspects of bids, contracts, and leases, and review vendor contracts.
Act as liaison with the Head of School between architects, construction companies, and/or major vendors for significant campus improvement projects.
Serve as administrative representative for the Building Committee of the Board of Trustees.
Act as liaison to the outside food service provider.
Oversee risk management and leases.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Oversee the following positions and their respective departments:
Business Office, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receiveable, and Receptionist
Director of Facilities Operations and Transportation - Rentals, Facilities, Custodial, Maintenance, Grounds, Transportation, and Safety & Security
Other Responsibilities:
Oversee compilation of some annual survey requests from School Associations including NAIS, SAIS, PAIS, MISBO, , etc.
Provides administrative oversight during after-school hours (evenings & weekends)
Work with the manager of the School’s bookstore to manage their finances
Receive legal notices for the School, and oversee or coordinate the replies to these notices
Act as financial evaluator for employee benefits vendor contracts and relationships
Work with the Admissions Office on the evaluation for and processing of Financial Aid.
Specific Job Skills
The ideal candidate will:
Collaborate effectively with the Head of School and key members of the Senior Administrative Leadership and management team
Have superior oral and written communication skills—ability to communicate effectively and interact with all personality types and levels of management
Have self-motivation skills with the ability to handle multiple, simultaneous, and complex projects
Have excellent contract negotiation, verbal and written communication, and project planning and management skills
Display strong organizational and time management skills while exhibiting intellectual flexibility and nimbleness
Be comfortable speaking to Board Committees, the Board of Trustees, and groups of varied sizes
Be able to quickly analyze financial data and/or other information to arrive at an appropriate solution
Be able to communicate accounting policies to non-accounting individuals to ensure compliance with such policies
Be experienced in using general ledger software with Rediker’s FINACS preferred
Have the ability to adapt quickly to new computer software packages
Represent the School well to outside school and community groups
Have proficiency in Google Suite
Maintain strict confidentiality
Education and Experience
CPA & MBA or Masters Degree in accounting or finance required
5-10 years of experience in:
managerial-level accounting/financial business management preferred
financial analysis and budget formulation and forecasting preferred
management and oversight of facilities operation preferred
a senior supervisory role preferred
Working Conditions
Expansive school campus with 122+ acres, must be able to travel between buildings independently.
Frequent walking, standing, stooping, and bending may be required throughout the day at various intervals
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs
CFOO Position Profile
To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should submit electronically in one email, and as
separate PDF documents,
the following materials: ·A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position ·A current résumé ·An annotated list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address (references will be contacted only with prior candidate approval). All materials should be sent via email to: Hacker Burr President and Managing Director Big Back Pack LLC hacker@bigbackpack.org 843.478.3139
#J-18808-Ljbffr
separate PDF documents,
the following materials: ·A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position ·A current résumé ·An annotated list of five professional references with name, phone number, and email address (references will be contacted only with prior candidate approval). All materials should be sent via email to: Hacker Burr President and Managing Director Big Back Pack LLC hacker@bigbackpack.org 843.478.3139
#J-18808-Ljbffr