About The Branson School

The Branson School is a coeducational, college-preparatory day school of 395 students, grades 9-12, located in Marin County, California. Branson is more than just a great school. It’s an ever-evolving educational community that challenges and supports students as they grow into confident, thoughtful, ethical people.

We encourage students to be brave in whatever they do – in the classroom, on the field, on stage, in the community, even with their peers. The faculty values collaboration, continual growth and improvement, reflection, and student centered teaching. Branson teachers work in a beautiful, well-resourced environment with dedicated students. The faculty is widely regarded as outstanding and there exists in the faculty an admirable ​esprit de corps and a positive attitude about their work and their relationship with students.

Mission Statement

Branson develops students who make a positive impact in the world by leading lives of integrity, purpose, learning, and joy.

Statement of Belonging

Branson believes that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to create a truly excellent learning environment and a vibrant, caring community.  We aspire to have every member of the Branson community feel a deep sense of belonging and inclusion.

Core Values:

Courage 

Kindness

Honor

Purpose

Salary: Annual salary range $150,000 - $180,000.

Start Date: ASAP or a preferred start date no later than May 6, 2024

Position Description

Under the direction of the Chief Financial and Operating Officer, the Controller is an exempt position responsible for coordinating and reporting on the financial affairs of the School with the primary responsibility to provide leadership and direction for the School’s business office. They prepare financial reports, such as income statements, balance sheets, and analyses of historical and future income and expenses.

The Controller is also responsible for recommending and administering all accounting policies and procedures, ensuring that strong internal controls and office policies and effective transaction processing routines protect the assets of the school and result in meaningful, timely, and accurate financial reporting. They assist the CFOO in the preparation of the 3-year budget and quarterly financial forecasts as well as tax planning and compliance with all federal, state, and local payroll and other applicable taxes, laws and regulations. The role is a supervisory position within the business office and, as such, the Controller must be able to work independently as well as supervise a business office of two or three staff members. The Controller should have exceptional interpersonal and customer service as well as communication skills.

Primary responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Assist the CFOO in all aspects of the financial planning and budget forecast process.

• Analyze trends, costs, revenues, financial commitments, and obligations incurred to predict future revenue and costs.

• Supervise the effective functioning of Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, and the Payroll Processes.

• Prepare quarterly balance sheet, income statement, and monthly actual versus budget reports for the CFOO, Head of School, and the Board of Trustees.

• Attend and prepare board materials for board and board committee meetings, specifically for the Finance Committee, but also other committees as appropriate.

• Develop and manage comprehensive account reconciliation procedures.

• Generate and distribute monthly budget reports and financial statements.

• Supervise daily accounts payable, collections, cash receipts, and general ledger transactions.

• Review and approve all financial reconciliations prepared by the business office.

• Create monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports as requested by the CFOO, including financial analysis and reconciliations, as needed.

• Complete annual government filings, e.g., 990, welfare tax exemption forms, etc.

• Assist the CFOO in preparing all recurring surveys and reports for the school’s trade organizations, e.g., NAIS, NBOA.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or relevant discipline preferred.

• Minimum of 1 – 2 years of management experience required.

• MBA and/or CPA certification preferred, but not required.

• Five to seven years of accounting experience.

• Experience working in private schools or non-profits is a plus.

• Strong technical accounting/reporting/controls background.

• Fluency with spreadsheet software and familiar with database concepts.

• Excellent leadership and communication skills.

• Experience working collaboratively with multiple constituents in various roles across the organization and delivering exceptional customer service.

• Must maintain strict confidentiality related to faculty, staff, students, and their families.

• Must be well organized, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize and manage multiple initiatives, projects and events.

This job is a full-time, full-year, exempt position. It requires occasional evening and weekend commitments. Salary and benefits are highly competitive and commensurate with experience. The position necessitates working onsite with some flexibility to work remotely in accordance with the schools remote policy.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Branson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Branson adheres to an employment policy that prohibits discriminatory practices or harassment against applicants or employees based on race, color, creed, age, gender, gender identity, religion, ethnicity or national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related medical conditions, any protected military or veteran status, physical disability, or any other category protected by applicable Federal, State or Local law. 

For Consideration

This retained search is managed by Mary Law of Mary Law Executive Search, the Bay Area leader in placing private school and nonprofit Finance and HR professionals.

Mary Law

Mary Law Executive Search

mary@marylawexecutivesearch.com

925-785-6991